Best Glamping near El Nido, CA

We live in the South Bay and went camping here for just one night. It was a quick drive up the coast and onto this hidden gem. You get access to a private beach with gorgeous California hill views of PCH behind you. Perfect place for families or even RVs.

Nice big spots, close to the beach. Very quite. Needs to reserve at California State parks website. Dump station and water fill up on your way out not on the campsite, but thats no issue for us. Wifi not working but good 4G reception. Need tokens for the shower, so showered in the RV.

Great beach camping experience with some minor drawbacks 

We just spent 4 days at Leo Carrillo in site 128 last week. The campground is tucked away in a beautiful canyon setting with lots of shade trees, which was really nice for keeping cool. Our site was spacious enough for our two tents and had a good fire pit and picnic table setup. 

The best part about this campground is definitely the beach access- it's about a 10-minute walk from most sites, and you can explore some amazing tide pools and caves once you get there. The kids loved searching for hermit crabs and sea anemones. Bring a wagon if you're hauling beach gear though, as the walk can feel long with all your stuff. 

Facilities were decent- bathrooms were kept fairly clean and showers worked well, though the token system($2 for 2 minutes) takes some getting used to. The camp store was handy for forgotten supplies and firewood. Cell service is virtually non-existent in the canyon, but you can get signal up at the beach if needed. 

Only downsides were some noisy neighbors on the weekend nights(seems pretty common here given the proximity to LA) and the sites can feel a bit close together when it's fully booked. centimeters to inches Also spotted a few rats at night, so definitely store your food properly. 

Despite the minor issues, we'd definitely come back. It's a great escape from the city with that classic California beach camping vibe. Just book well in advance for summer weekends and maybe bring earplugs if you're a light sleeper. 

Month of Visit: October

Campground review (3 of 5 stars)

The Canyon Campground is located on a spectacular stretch of the PCH just north of Malibu. Like most other California State Parks, it is quite expensive. The sites are located in a dusty coastal sage scrub valley, often right on top of each other.  This place is packed with RVs and families on vacation during the summer, so don't expect to find peace and solitude here. There are full facilities (e.g., showers, camp store), but the $45 per night fee is the highest we've paid for any camping.

One perk is that you can walk to the beach within minutes. Also, one of the few dog beaches in LA is only a couple minutes drive away. Luckily, dogs are allowed in the campground too. If you can look past your nearby neighbors, the views of the nearby Santa Monica Mountains are charming. It's also only a short drive to some spectacular hiking and bouldering. If you bring your crashpad and shoes, the sandbox and temporal boulders are about a 15-30 minute hike upstream, and you certainly won't have any crowds there! Finally, don't forget to reserve your site far in advance (you can do this online), especially for weekends. Otherwise the rangers recommend showing up at 8AM on a Friday or Saturday to try to snag one of the few walk-in sites or a site from cancelled or no-show reservation.

Product review (4.5 of 5 stars)

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, I get to test products for review for some of my camping trips. On this trip, we tested the Matador camera base layer case and the lens base layer. See our demo video, presented by my husband, the photography pro. These are two phenomenal products that offer some sleek protection for your camera and lenses. 

Pros:

• easily removable from bag
• modular designs fit most cameras and lenses
• sleek and unobtrusive
• high-quality and durable material
• super lightweight, adds no weight to carry

Cons:

• no mechanism to clip the camera base layer to the camera or strap, which can be somewhat cumbersome while attempting to take a quick shot
• some larger DSLR cameras may have a small gap on the sides of the base layer that lacks complete protection if the lens is left attached

Overall, these two products provide ample protection while you're trying to snap some great photos in the outdoors. I don't think they provide quite the same level of protection as larger bags with more padding, but that's not what they're aiming for. I felt a tremendous peace of mind having my camera dangling from my neck in the base layer while scurrying down the steep sand dunes, which I certainly wouldn't have felt had I not had the base layer on.

Beautiful sunset! Comfortable, well-spaced sites. (Some have little/no shade.) Very dry in summer and a lot of small trash around (paper, wrappers). I can understand others taking issue with the $45 price, but parks are under such intense budget constraints, it’s hard to complain. We were in an airstream — challenge getting in/out for some sites if you are towing. Neighbors all friendly. Everyone quieted down right at 10. Covid camping so rock pool and MASH set were closed. It’s a great getaway if you’re a city dweller. Also: bunnies!!

This is a very beautiful area, tons of hiking and even some swimming areas that can be hiked to. Lost of filming has been done here, and there’s some cool landmarks to see. Always check before hand if the grounds are open, on occasion I have gone and they’ve had it closed. Also something to be aware of, they do not allow dogs, big bummer. Years ago, I saw dogs in the park, but the last time I went, they were not even allowed in. Otherwise it’s a very pretty place.

I know the area has been ravaged by fire in recent years but it is truly hot dry and just not very pleasant. Showers are clean, campground is noisy and no campfires even propane which is understandable but people were breaking that rule and cooking and it was very crowded. Sites are super close to each other and the rock pool and creek are closed! It’s close to LA but that’s about it

At $45/night this campground is the most I have paid thus far. I also believe it is worth it as well. It is prime location for some great hiking and at night it is super quiet. There are restrooms and showers as well. For hot showers you will need to purchase tokens at .50 cents each for 2 minutes of hot water. 8 minute hot shower will set you back $2 or take a cold shower for free. The gate to the park closes at 10pm. The campground is tucked away behind all the day use parking area so you won’t be bothered by that if you’re staying multiple days. Not much all spots have shade but the majority of spots do.

My husband, teenage son, grown son and his girlfriend, and I stayed here over Halloween. The grounds were beautiful and well maintained, the camp host super friendly and helpful, the bathrooms well positioned and clean, and the sites had shade and everything we needed. Between hiking and biking, we were busy for the time we were there. As a bonus, there is a Ralph’s just up the street, so you’ll never be far from anything you’d need. We hope to have a family reunion in the group camping spot when things open up. Perfect experience!

Beautifully landscaped, very well maintained campground with sites on a grassy lawn surrounded by gorgeous mountains.

Perfect for those who want to get a taste of camping with children without going too far from the city.

You get the comfort of on-site bathrooms with regular toilets and a shower, which in my experience is vital when traveling with young children as they often refuse to go to the pit toilet and solely for that reason do not want to stay overnight.

We had a camping birthday celebration for my 6 year old twins with other families with young kids who have never camped before and it was perfect. The middle lawn on both loops is so big that we had a volleyball net set up, and were also able to play many other group games. Children had a ton of room to run around wild without ever getting out of sight.

One of the fathers even drove out to surprise everyone and with fresh Starbucks in the morning 😄. It is very close to civilization yet feels like you are in the wild, so if your kiddo or you change your mind in the middle of the night about the entire “camping thing” - you can just pack up and be home in fifteen.

Perfect place to get introduced to camping!

Love it!!

The drive up to the campsite and view from any location in the park is gorgeous. There’s lot of families and big groups around - so great for big groups but not if you’re looking for peace and quiet. The gate to enter does close at 10 though you can always leave and all the amenities were well maintained!

Showers cost $1 for 4 minutes, but dollar must be converted to tokens first. Clean bathrooms and showers with multiple trash receptacles available! Very close to Malibu Canyon Road and houses

Clean and well maintained. There are many trails to explore.

This campground is clean and quiet and the gate is open late (until 10:00pm) so you can check in late if need be. This place is a little expensive ($45/night plus online booking fee), but it’s very clean and well maintained. Showers are coin operated and cold. Flush toilets and sinks are available as well.

What I love the best about this place is that it's local to me as I live in Los Angeles.

I was looking for a beautiful picnic spot and found it here....You should definitely come and enjoy this beautiful area. ...Even if you have a large group.

The campground is pretty standard and the surrounding environment isn't particularly special. I would recommend the late fall through early spring months, when the creek actually has water in it. It gets very dry in the summer months. While I wouldn't call this park the most beautiful of the many SoCal options, there are many interesting activities. The backbone trail goes through here, and is great for hiking. Awesome climbing options. There is some sightseeing of old movie sets, with some of the infrastructure left from Plant of the Apes movie set and the tv show MASH. The most recent movie filmed here was Anchorman (2004).

Was a great time.. Who does NOT like Malibu. We had an Environmental campsites they are located in relatively undisturbed natural settings. Each site has a table, a clearing for your tent, and a primitive toilet nearby. Environmental campsite fees and hike-in distances vary. It was peaceful and clean I love the warm days and cool evenings.

Great!

Campground is beautiful!! Spacious campsites with fire pits, and clean bathrooms (bring your own hand soap). Be aware of the limited hours for entering with a vehicle (8am-10pm). Would definitely camp here again!

Nice place to visit to get out of the city for a night or two. Didn't get to spend too much time here but I definitely want tonxome back and explore more of the hiking trails and climbing. Facilities were well maintained and everyone was very friendly.

I came here during the summer and it was extremely HOT. Typically during the summer season, I like to find campgrounds that have a lot of lush trees so we can be under the canopies and stay cool, but Malibu Creek State Park is so convenient to LA. There isn't much shade on the actual campgrounds, but a few sites do have partial shade. There are some decent hiking trails nearby if you can bear the heat, but all the creeks are dried up so you can't really take a dip. It's much nicer and greener during the Spring or Fall. 

The campsites are pretty standard, but they are spacious and have some privacy from neighboring sites. They come with a picnic table and there are coin-operated showers nearby. This isn't my favorite campground, but I love that it is local to me.