Best Glamping near Gardena, CA

Great time “glamping”. Close to home with all the amenities!

Great clean campground, beautiful views, short walk down to the beach! Lots of hiking trils around, or take the walk across the beach to the shake shack! Definitely recommend for a local glamping trip!

Much like most California Beach Campgrounds, it is very crowded with little privacy. The beach is great but it is basically a glorified parking lot

Luckily Booked last minute on reserve California (the worst web thing ever) on site 49. Looks like there is a oven view from every site. Close to beach and shopping.

Parked van sideways to get more privacy and went to shower and came back to a ticket. I didn’t read the camp rules, figured you could park any way you want in your site like all the other state park in Southern California.

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.

It’s pretty crazy to be camping among the million dollar homes but thankful we can. It’s a beautifully maintained spot on the cliff overlooking the ocean. So much nicer than many of the Southern California beach spots in that there is a bit more space and it's much nicer than a parking lot. Plus the fantastic benefit of miles of hiking trails right from the back of the campground and the ocean and beach right in front. Something for all. And if you want to go have a posh meal or shopping that’s just a minute away too.

Be sure to go take a look at the Crystal Cove cottages while here, it’s a pretty special spot. Try and hit up the Shake Shack too!

Only downside is not being able to have a fire but we just used our propane portable fire pit. Spots in the back have hookups and spots in the front are tent. The tent spots are a bit nicer and would fit small trailers.

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.

They have a very efficient way of checking their quest in. Staff was very nice and helpful. Bathrooms were very clean. The problem is the spaces are very small and beware of the ones on the north end the front of your vehicle will not be facing the ocean. Early morning you will smell the reclamation plant across the street.