Campgrounds and RV parks near Malibu, CA

Beach time anchors most trips. Leo Carrillo State Park has 1.5 miles of sand with coastal caves, reefs, and tide pools, plus surfing, swimming, and surf fishing. Inland, Malibu Creek State Park - Family Camp covers over 4,000 acres with hiking, fishing, bird watching, wildlife viewing, and horseback riding across 15 miles of streamside trail through oak and sycamore woodlands and chaparral slopes. Climbers head to the park's rock walls, and families can hike out to the former M*A*S*H filming site. At Big Sycamore Canyon Family Camp - Point Mugu State Park, trails reach the Boney Mountains State Wilderness, with mountain biking, whale watching, and wildlife spotting. Thornhill Broome Family Camp - Point Mugu State Park sits across PCH from a steep sand dune used for hike-up workouts. Malibu Pier, Malibu Lagoon, and Point Dume are short drives away.

Malibu has a Mediterranean climate, so the camping season runs year-round, but conditions shift noticeably by quarter. Summer is the busiest stretch despite warm afternoons, while spring and fall often offer the most comfortable weather for hiking and beach days. Coastal sites at Leo Carrillo State Park and Thornhill Broome Family Camp - Point Mugu State Park stay cooler and breezier than inland Malibu Creek State Park - Family Camp, where summer afternoons climb well above beach temperatures. Winter is the wet season. Pacific storms move through from December into March and can close canyon roads or trigger evacuations near burn scars. Spring brings wildflowers across the Santa Monica Mountains and mild hiking weather. Late summer and fall are the highest-risk months for wildfire and red flag conditions. Fires are not allowed during Red Flag Warnings, and occupancy by the same persons, equipment, or vehicles at the Angeles District's camping facilities is limited to a total of 30 days in any calendar year. From mid-March through mid-October, stays are also capped at 7 consecutive days at each campground.

RV length is the main constraint. Big Sycamore Canyon Family Camp - Point Mugu State Park and Thornhill Broome Family Camp - Point Mugu State Park cap trailer and motorhome length at 31 feet, and Malibu Creek State Park - Family Camp accommodates RVs up to 30 feet. Hookups are limited at state parks: about 46 sites in Leo Carrillo State Park's Canyon Campground have electric hookups (no water or sewer), while Malibu Creek and Point Mugu offer dump stations but no site hookups. Malibu Beach RV Park provides full hookups. Expect coastal wind and afternoon fog at beach sites, plus PCH traffic noise at Thornhill Broome. Cell service is limited in the canyons and at Leo Carrillo. Mountain lions are present in the Santa Monica Mountains, so avoid hiking alone at dusk or dawn, make noise on the trail, and keep children within arm's reach. The Malibu Creek campground gate closes at 10 p.m.