Thornhill Broome Beach, near Malibu, California, is a fantastic spot for those who want to camp right on the beach. With sites just steps from the ocean, you can enjoy stunning sunsets and the soothing sound of waves crashing against the shore.

This campground is perfect for both tent and RV camping, featuring picnic tables and fire rings for your evening gatherings. While there are no hookups or showers, visitors appreciate the convenience of nearby porta-potties and the ability to fill water tanks at the entrance. As one camper put it, “Camping on the beach is unbeatable!”

The area is known for its beautiful scenery and offers a unique experience with the Pacific Coast Highway just behind the campground. Some campers have mentioned the occasional road noise, but many find that the sound of the surf drowns it out. Plus, you might even spot dolphins and seals playing in the water during your stay.

If you’re looking for a laid-back beach camping experience with a friendly vibe, Thornhill Broome Beach is a solid choice. Just remember to bring some warmer clothes for the evenings and maybe an awning to shield you from the wind. Whether you're cooking on the beach or enjoying a peaceful walk along the shore, this spot has a lot to offer.

Thornhill Broome Beach — Point Mugu State Park

Lake Sherwood, CA is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Lake Sherwood is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Lake Sherwood. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.

Lake Sherwood

The Best Camping Near Lake Sherwood, California

I love falling asleep to the ocean.

You're right on the sand. The campfire is in a metal barrel, you have a picnic table and you're on the beach. There's rocks to the left and right that are fun to explore. The plots are deep and noise wasn't really an issue.

Heads up, there's no shade at the beach.

Do you like beach camping?

Gorgeous tide pools

Point Mugu Thornhill Broome campground: This is beach camping at it’s best! It doesn't feel like a campsite, you have the whole beach. You are so close to the water and there is plenty of space between you and your neighbor. When we were there many people had RVs so there were only a few tents. The beach is wide so you can stagger tents as well to get more space from your neighbor and take in the views, which are absolutely gorgeous. Book your spot early! We booked 2 months out and could only get one night on a weekday in late June.

It is pretty windy in the afternoon when you are setting up camp. Luckily there are big rocks everywhere that you can use to tie down and hold your stakes in. The weather was really nice in late June, fog rolled in in the morning and the afternoon/evening was cool with the breeze. There were not many people on the beaches surrounding and the cool morning stroll watching dolphins play in the water was delightful.

You can't reserve a specific site, they are assigned when you arrive. They will let you drive through and pick the one you want if there are still some to choose from. All sites seem equal here, though it might be nice to be further from the entrance as you would have less traffic coming in and out. All sites and parking are along one lane parallel to the beach and hwy 101\. The last spot on the south end did seem to have less sand to work with, while we were there, as there was a ridge on that end. But overall, all sites are great. It is on hwy101, but the road noise was not an issue at all and the road didn’t seem to have much traffic.

This location has outhouses only, but they are kept really clean and they are spaced well so you don’t have to walk too far. They also have water spouts spaced out along the slope opposite of the parking. We had a shower bag that filled and we used to wash our hands at our site.

Food: As others have said, go to store in town before arriving, as there are no stores around. (Which makes it feel more secluded). We had ceviche and clam chowder at Neptune’s Net about 3.5 miles south in Malibu that was excellent. It’s a cute restaurant right on 101 and overlooking the ocean.

Do yourself a favor and camp here!

Breathtaking Beach Camping on the Sand

*****This campground is popular in the summer months and spaces get reserved up to 6 months in advanced*****

This campground is primarily setup for RV use, but allows for tents.

After checking in at the ranger office you pull into your site. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. (After a quick walk of the campground it looks like many of the fire pits no longer have a functional grill). You setup your tent right on the beach (there are plenty of large rounded rocks to use in place of steaks). The views from the beach are amazing!

The site only has chemical toilets and water facets are spaced throughout the campground. Ours was about 75 feet away.

There are many hiking trails on the other side of Highway 1 (you can walk to the north end of the campground and use a tunnel under the highway to get to the trailhead)

Great beach campground with lots of hiking

Good Beach camping is few and far between at least with this place you are right on the beach. You have to be ok with wind and making sure your equipment is secured. We were lucky to have a large area to ourselves because no one was camping next to us due to a change in the reservation system and things got messed up. There is no privacy. Portapotties were fairly clean. There is 1 rinse off shower near the portapotty area. Probably best for RV’s but if you are a hard core tent camper this place is pretty awesome.

A must if you can deal with wind! 

This is a great campground, though the amenities are sparse. Great location.

Down to Basics

Pricey, but you’re On the sand , steps from the water. The lull of the waves, serenading you to sleep is pretty nice.

picnic table and fire ring for each campsite.

Rocky beach, but plenty to explore if you head north along the beach.

I stayed here in April and the weather was very nice!

Beach camping 

As a SoCal native, this is easily one of my favorite places to camp. To avoid large crowds you can easily drive into these sites on off seasons in late Spring and Fall. The weather is perfect and you’re literally camping directly on the beach. Need firewood? The host will drive firewood to your site. This spot is perfect for one night or several days!

Camp Out Right On Beach

You can camp right on the sand and wake up to the sounds of the stones rolling in the waves. Close to LA but feels semi-remote save for the sound of cars on pch. Best ever.

My All-Time Favorite

Great campground! Set up your tent right on the sand. I woke up and opened my tent to see dolphins playing in the water. Picnic table and fire pit at each site.

Best Views 

I have been camping here for many years. The sunsets are always beautiful and the weather is usually awesome!  
The shoreline may be covered in rocks or not, it depends on the tides and the past storms. This is not a great swimming beach but if relaxing, short walks and sunsets are your thing, it’s a great spot.   
The ocean has some resident sea doggies and dolphins which are always fun to watch!  Might even spot a 🐳 whale at the right time of year!  
The campground is getting smaller as Mother Nature has been taking her beach back.  Previous storms have taken a lot of the north end and a couple on the south end.  
The toilets are out houses and there is some water across the campground road.  The camp host has wood for sale. The highway can be loud at times but it will quite down at night so you can hear waves and rocks rolling.   Oh and bring your own shade.  Winds can kick up so be prepared!  
I have an RV but if you tent camp, watch the tide water marks and monitor your distance or you might just get wet!  LOL. 
Happy Camping!  🏖⛺️

Beach Camping and Beautiful Sunsets!

Quick and easy is my trips to Thornhill Broome!

5 miles north of Neptune’s Net, Los Angeles/Ventura county line at Point Magu Rock! 

Depending on the time of year, the beach may be very rocky or it may be smooth. This is not a great beach to swim and if you tent camp, be sure to know where the high tide line is!  

The bathrooms are out houses. No showers but there is water facets scattered across the road.  This is dry camping only but you can dump after your stay at Sycamore Cyn campground which is only a mile or so away. 

This campground is a line of spaces right on the beach and up against PCH. The car noise does slow down at night so you can hear the waves crashing!

The winds can kick up pretty good here also!  Be prepared to baton down the hatches!  

There are dolphins and seals that swim back and forth. Pelicans and sea gulls. If you’re really lucky, you might see whales!  

  

There’s a camp host selling wood but nothing around unless you drive back to Neptune’s. 

Dogs need to be on a lease...despite my video!  LOL 

You will be sited if they catch your dog off lease!

Sunsets and Sand

Beautiful Beach to camp with the family. Perfect for kids to have fun in the waves. The sand is a bit rocky so you have to be careful and wear sandals. There is hiking trail nearby that lets you appreciate the ocean’s beauty.  I would have given it 5 stars but I was disappointed about the fact that the car noise on the highway overshadowed the serenity of the waves. The headlights of the trucks shining on our pop up camper disturbed our sleep.  It can get very very windy at night so for those with tents and pop ups it might be a little frustrating. 

Beautiful beach and sunset

A fun place to camp and surf! This campground is literally on the beach, along the PCH with picnic tables and fire rings it’s one of the few on the beach that actually allows fire. There’s not much to this campground, it’s simple and straight to the point... just surf and sand. If you’re looking for more you will be disappointed. Sites are fairly close together with limited options for RV’s but if you’re tent camping and don’t mind neighbors, it’s just enough. Sites run approximately $35 a night for a standard site, depending. There’s a camp host and ranger at the entrance but keep in mind they lock the gates for vehicles entering at night and if you leave you can not get back in until they re-open next day! Doesn’t matter if you have a pass or not you can not re-enter and there is no permitted parking on the highway as a backup option. This campground is vulnerable to flooding, due to location. Some photos have been included of the campground when it’s flooded as well, so that it may give travelers a better idea of what they may encounter if conditions aren’t exactly in their favor. But if you’re just looking for a simple night on the beach with friends like us, some surf and a beer... this will do the trick!

Beach Camping

We’ve stayed up at Thornhill Broome lots of time in our campervan and love it. Here’s a few things to make your stay easy when visiting. 

1. Book online before heading there. It’s popular and in nice weather conditions it’s full on the weekend. You can book on;
www.parks.ca.gov

2. Price is $35 per night, per allocated slot (ask for one away from the toilets if available) 14 day maximum stay.

3. Being cash! The host sells firewood for $7 a bundle. Well worth having!

Apart from that you have your own BBQ pit, table/bench and part of the beach all to yourself. 

If you’re lucky you’ll se pods of dolphins swimming just out from the shore, actually more often than not. 

Happy travels.

Simple, Fun & Easy

Even though you are lined up next to your neighbors, noise just doesn’t carry because the roar of the ocean is so loud! It’s amazing to fall asleep to. We loved exploring the sand dunes across the street and even saw a pod of dolphins! Restrooms were well maintained and staff was friendly. A huge bonus is that it was pet friendly, but most of the trails around are not. 

Nothing like sleeping right on the beach!

Spent one night on the sand about 50 feet from crashing waves. The campground sits on higher ground so there is no worry of waves sloshing through the camp. Pit toilets are clean. Campsites 40 feet apart lining the road. Great view of the ocean. The campground does have a small section of “first come, first serve” but majority are reservation only. The downside is wind can kick up in the afternoon, which is okay if you are prepared. There are no trees or any shade. It’s open flat sand, but it’s on the beach. 

Nice and simple

It’s a little loud from the highway and can get windy, but it’s a good beach front option, esp for RVs. You’re basically on the sand, which is great. 

Beach camping off hwy

Camping on the sand is awesome and the beach is great. Big and pretty empty so you can see the waves from your tent door. Yes, you hear the road right behind you but you are in LA and camping on the sand! Only downside for us was the crazy afternoon wind so we now take the trailer. This is a primitive campground meaning porta potties only so trailer or RV is good here for that reason too. All in all, being able to sleep on the sand right in LA is super awesome for aa quick soft getaway. 

On the sand - and windy

We went for a day after having camped at Malibu creek state park for the weekend and this was the best part of our trip!! It was so nice ! The camping looked great, we hope to try it next time if we can get a reservation. Had a great time and  can’t wait till next time !!

Loved it !! Great day at the beach 

If you have ever wanted to camp ON the beach, this is the place to do it.  Though you’re right beside the PCH and will have traffic noise, stepping out of your tent onto the sand makes it all worth it. Throw in the amazing sky full of stars at night and it’s magic.  No showers but there are porta potties, each site comes with a picnic table, and fire pit.  A great hiking trail is on the other side of the PCH as well as a massive sand dune on the south end. There are a few first come, first serve sites but you have to arrive early to try to get one. 

ON THE BEACH!!!

This place is close to home, so I’m biased by the ease of getting there and back. It is great little get away for us, and we use it for weekend trips when we can. It’s popular and short notice reservations are hard to come by.  

The spots are great, as you are right on the beach and parallel parked. Waking up to the waves crashing is amazing.  The sand is good, but there are a lot of rocks. Some buried in the sand that might give you a surprise if barefoot.  Water is good but can get rough at times with close brake of the waves.  

Crowd seems mellow and friendly.  But the spaces are pretty wide and open to the sea, so you can keep to yourself if you so desire. The camp host has wood forsale and is nice. 

It is dry camping with the exception of portapottys, and the closest dump station is up the road at sycamore canyon campsite.(free if you stay at Thornhill? Never used it)

Only real drawback to this place is the highway noise on PCH. It mellows out as the night goes on, but the Sunday morning Harley riders with their stupid loud exhaust just plain suck! And I like bikes.  
 
Also gets windy in the afternoon and sometimes overcast.  But never oppressive 
This place is a winner, especially for a quick getaway 

Great beach getaway 

And yes that means sand in your tent. Bring a little dust pan. 

You park right by your site. Outhouses. 

Sleeping no to the sounds of waves. Glorious.

Camp on the beach! 

We’ve stayed here 3 times now and love it each time. The beach is only for paying campers which keeps the public out. The sites are huge and can accommodate numerous tents. It can get windy and the water is chilly but you’ll see porpoise and dolphin in the mornings. Nights are cold so bundle up, days are hot! Coin showers available down the road at Sycamore campground. Toilets are vault but cleaned regularly. 

Private camping beach

Thornhill brooms is a great camping spot for tents/RV/ trailers. It’s family friendly and offers spectacular views of the sunset each given day. During the morning you can catch dolphin pods jumping through the waves and at night see some amazing constellations. I highly recommend for anyone looking for some fun in the sun locally to Los Angeles or Ventura. 

Great beach spot 

Had a wonderful time. Took our 10 month old son. The host saw we had a baby and offered us his microwave to warm up babys food. Great experience. 

Great time, awesome host.

We have a modified campervan, we really enjoy the scene when we wake up and open the door.

Super nice campground 

Spent 3 nights here and absolutely loved it. Campground has trash, porta-potties, and appeared to have potable spigots but didn't confirm. Verizon service was hit or miss, but with a booster it was usable. Nice fire rings and picnic tables. Only downside was highway noise, but the surf drowned out all but big-rigs. Saw dolphins and seals back to back days! We're so glad we went, and if we pass by again we will be staying for sure!

Beach camping on PCH!

At entrance of campsite you can fill your water tank. No need to bring water. Also with your paid reservation you are able to day park or dump at near by sites. Near Thornhill B. Sycamore has a dump site but a little ways down and Leo carrillo dump site is a lot nicer. Again free to you with your camp site reservation. Camp host also has firewood for sale if you need that. Wind for those with wind turbines. Got some good wind on my last visit. There are water spouts scattered but these are not for filling your tanks. 

Trailer / RV Friendly

Great view

Staying at Thornhill Broome Beach Campground was an absolute dream. 

The campground was perfectly situated just off the PCH on a scenic piece of beach. 

The campground was well maintained. Both the guard and camp host were really friendly and the facilities were clean. 

The sites are close together and there’s no privacy because you’re on the beach, but I can’t sing enough praises for how beautiful of a spot this is. Listening to the waves crash against the shore and pull the stones back into the ocean was such a treat. 

A Perfect SoCal Beach Camp

Thornhill Broome offers beautiful beach camping without crowds. We were here a week before July 4th, and with crowds limited to campground capacity, we felt like we had this stretch of the Pacific coast to ourselves. 

  

There are many small rocks as you enter the water. The sound of them rolling and turning as the surf rolls in and out are mesmerizing but might make walking through the surf challenging. We didn't try swimming, but there was a pleasant walk in either direction. 

  

Thornhill is a single-lane campground a few yards from the highway and beach. Sound of waves and occasional traffic all night. Loud white noise doesn't bother me, but others may have difficulty sleeping. 

  

You are more likely to encounter gusty wind here. We didn't have enough to deprive us of normal camping activities; our tent withheld the wind, and we maintained a campfire and a fire in our ring. Had the wind been any more vigorous, which strikes me as likely, this may have been more challenging. 

  

There are multiple clusters of outhouses spaced throughout the campground. Their condition and maintenance are neither better nor worse than you might expect. Each outhouse cluster has a dumpster outside, which is helpful. 

  

Next time I'll bring an awning for the day and slightly warmer clothes for the evening. 

  

I recommend the campsite and look forward to staying here again sometime.

Beautiful Beach Camping with the Crowds

Awesome spot for boondocking! Can't beat camping on the beach. There is a picnic table at each spot. No hookups or showers, but they did have porta-pottys. 

  

All the camp spots are right on the beach, and behind them is highway 1 so there is some road noise.   

  

Was an awesome spot with my 3 kids and wife - cooked on the beach and enjoyed throwing rocks into the ocean!

Epic Beach Camping on the highway 1

Really a special spot.  Not crowded and a place you can rarely camp beachfront in souther California.  I have to note the bathrooms are absolutely terrible.  Our house yes but filled to the brim in a bad way when we were there.  Really detracts from the experience.

Amazing on the beach camping but 

Loved the quietness of this campsite. No water, no dump station, only portable bathrooms on site from what we can see. We were in an RV so we didn't mind at all. Went to Sycamore campground to fill up on water. Youre packed right on the beach next to the sand. Combo of tent and rv campers. Wifi is great at this location. We have tmobile

Great site with no amenities 

I had a nice stay. Noticed they had one random night available on a Monday. There were at least 3 other empty sites. I don’t know why people don’t cancel their reservation if they’re not going to come. There are very few sites here. I did smell what I thought might be the bathrooms quite a bit wafting through my campsite. They don’t smell bad when using them though….. so maybe it was one of the nearby rvs?? Not sure. Love that the beach is dog friendly. Many other beachfront campsites in SoCal have beaches that are not dog friendly. Next to the highway but all you can mostly hear are crashing waves. Very chill. 

Photos of Thornhill Broome Beach — Point Mugu State Park

Real photos from real campers