Campgrounds and RV parks near Santa Monica, CA

Day trips from camp focus on three loops: the beach, the city, and the mountains. The Santa Monica Pier, Third Street Promenade, and the paved Marvin Braude Bike Trail run directly along the coast. Inland, the Getty Center, Griffith Observatory, and the studios in Burbank and Hollywood are reachable in under an hour from most nearby RV parks. Universal Studios Hollywood is a common day out for families. In the Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu Creek State Park offers hiking, fishing, bird-watching, mountain biking, rock climbing and horseback riding, in a park where many movies and TV shows, including Planet of the Apes and M*A*S*H, were filmed. Leo Carrillo State Park, on the coast farther up the PCH, offers tide pools, sea caves, and a sandy beach. Whale-watching is best in late winter and spring during the gray whale migration.

Santa Monica has a Mediterranean climate, so the RV season runs year-round. Summer, from June through August, is the busiest period: school holidays, dry skies, and beach weather drive heavy demand at coastal sites, and reservations at Malibu Creek State Park - Family Camp and other state-park campgrounds need to be lined up well in advance through the six-month rolling window. Early summer often brings the marine layer known locally as June gloom, which typically burns off by afternoon. Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons for RVers. Temperatures stay mild, crowds thin after Labor Day, and gray whales pass offshore during their northbound migration in spring. Wildflowers peak in the Santa Monica Mountains in early spring. Winter is the rainy season. Most precipitation falls between December and March, and in May and June there may be morning mists. Atmospheric-river storms can trigger Pacific Coast Highway closures, mudslides on burn scars, and temporary state-park closures. Fire-restriction levels in the mountains shift through fall, so check current rules before arrival.

Expect tight sites and a strong urban feel at the LA-area RV parks. Hollywood RV Park, Walnut RV Park, and Arbor Mobile Village are paved, fenced facilities with full hookups, suited to travelers who want easy freeway access rather than a wilderness setting. Traffic on the 101 and 405 freeways is heavy from mid-morning through evening. Malibu Beach RV Park puts rigs on a coastal bluff above the Pacific Coast Highway, with ocean and mountain views but close site spacing and road noise. Malibu Creek State Park - Family Camp is more rustic, with amenities including showers, a dump station, accessible facilities, restrooms, and flush toilets, but no hookups. Cell service is fair in the canyon. Coyotes and other wildlife pass through the campground, so food should be secured.