Best Glamping near Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, CA

This campground is between the beach and Amtrak train, but if noise doesn't bother you, there are some really amazing things, especially if you love camping or glamping with your dog! Directly behind the campground you must keep the dog off the beach, but two blocks away is the entrance to the Salt Marshes and the beach entrance there where you can rent sea kayaks and boards in the summer is a secret many don't know...a 1/2 a mile where fido can run free off leash and play in the surf. One of the safest beaches in CA due to the proximity of the channel islands, you won't have to worry about sharks here. And the end of the this beach is the Salt Marsh water inlet and when the time is low you can walk the deserted beach for miles and miles. Just get back before high tide or you will find yourself crossing an extremely powerful river sea. In the summer there is movies in the park which a an ample lush green field for playing frisbee or ball that separates the campground from the main palm lined street Linden. Famous for it's avo cado festival which draws nearly 80,000 people from around the world. Linden Street has a grocery, brewery, pharmacy, and diverse cuisine, everything from a burger stand, Thai, sushi, and a famous grill your steak sit and dine. There is also a lovely little Mexican bakery and candy shop for the kids. You can buy t-shirts, get a haircut, tattoo, or latte to go. There is even the local health food store with a smoothie to go bar in the back for a pick me up or detox with a straw! Carpinteria is a dog friendly town. You will dogs and bikes everywhere which incidentally, you can rent not far from the 2 campgrounds. There is a driving through lot for day travelers or RVs. You must book early online to get a camping spot because of the site's popularity. Othewise, it is a first come basis. It has showers so bring lots of quarters, especially if you want to do your laundry at Linden Street laundry mat. Fire pits and a table are at each site. Expect to also hear generators running as the sites tend to be close, but you can count on having lots to do. Cool nights, warm days, cold water. Sea glass, shells, and cool rocks. Not far from this beach is Rincon Point or what the locals call Bates Beach where surfers are there everyday. The large tide pools and stone is otherworldly, and again, bring the pooch, they are going to love it! We do! Returning! And a good time was had by all...

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.

This is a nice little spot, close to town, but not as close to the train as some of the other Southern California state beaches. The campground hosts went above and beyond to keep the bathrooms clean and even provided nice soap. The tent camping spots were a pretty good size for beach camping.

Carpinteria State Beach Campground is a one of our frequently visited “staycation” spots. We live in nearby Santa Barbara, but will use Carp State Beach as a midway meeting point when friends from Southern California and Central California meet up.

The campground is pretty large, and caters mostly to RVs and trailers. There are loops within the campground that are essentially just asphalt lots with small dirt spaces for fire pits and picnic benches - these are intended for RV campers, but we have tent camped there in a pinch. Since we are tent campers we do prefer to camp in the grassy tent sites, but they are limited in number and tend fill up quickly. Because of the moderate year-round weather, Carpinteria State Beach Campground stays pretty full all year long!

The campground has full hook ups, clean plumed bathrooms, and coin-operated showers. There are grocery stores and conscience stores within short walking distance for anything you might need. Train tracks run directly behind the campground, so there is some noise pollution from the passing trains.

The campground is at the very end of downtown Carpinteria, right next to the ocean. There are no “ocean front” sites, but the beach is a quick 1-minute walk from essentially anywhere in the campground. Some small sandy dunes separate the campground from the beach, and there is an accessible paved boardwalk running along the length of the dunes. There are beautiful tide pools just south of Carpinteria State Beach Campground that are a must see. Check the tide charts on the internet to visit the tide pools at low to mid tide.

While we really enjoy camp cooking, we tend to opt to walk into town to eat when camping in Carpinteria. Linden Avenue is right next to the campground, and is the main street in downtown Carpinteria. There is a wide variety of restaurants, breweries and coffee shops downtown. Island Brewery CO is a local favorite just on the edge of the campground - while I don’t think they have food available (yet), their beer is GREAT! Their avocado beer is a must try - I know it sounds weird, but it’s delicious (and doesn’t taste like avocados)! Rincon Brewery is a few blocks up from the campground, and also has great beer, and TASTY FOOD!

CAMPSITE SPECS

Fees: $45/night (normal campsite)

Plumbed Toilets: Yes

Drinking Water: Yes

Showers: Yes (coin-operated)

Picnic Table: Yes

Firepit: Yes

Cooking Grate: Yes

Shade: No

Cell Service: Yes

Animal Bins/Food lockers: No

Trash: Yes

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

With all the Covid-19 guidelines in place for campgrounds to reopen, I was excited to see what that would look like. I naively thought the campgrounds wouldn’t be open to capacity and I was hoping for camping not so close to other campers. I don’t love how tightly packed everyone is on a normal summer camping day/night. So imagine my annoyance when it was just as tightly packed during this social distancing summer as it usually is!

With that said, people were kind and our small campground worked for our family. The only problem we had was a neighboring campground deciding past quiet hours that it was a good time to start singing and playing the ukulele. Not sure why the camp host didn’t come tell them to be quiet. It lasted until 11:30pm at least.

There is construction on one of the bathroom buildings so there were additional porta-pottys with portable hand washing stations next to them. These bathrooms were very clean! I was pleasantly surprised.

We love the beach access right next to our campsite and the beautiful scenery of the mountains above. It really is a gorgeous place.

Our boys loved guessing what trains (metro link or surf liner) were passing through- because yes- the train is a stones throw behind the sites and the trains runs frequently.

My 4 star rating is for what it is. A great camping spot that will always be booked to capacity because it’s beach camping in Southern California. I wanted to write an updated review for those wondering what covid-19 looks like here. Well? It’s the same. Just some extra hand washing stations and some people wearing masks.

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.

Came to camp here just after a major holiday and the place was clean as if it hadn't just been packed. Several bathrooms and showers available as well as a great little store with a good selection of basics and beyond with friendly staff.

5min walk to the beach.

Super location. Friendly staff. Beach is close by. Bit of a party scene when we were there so not super quiet, but fellow campers were very friendly. Facilities are a bit dated

Recent fires and winter storms hit this area hard, and they ate still cleaning up. But the sites have mostly been repaved and are clean. The power was out to part of the park (our bath/showers were still up and running), but we were part dry camping anyways, so all good.

There aren’t sewer or water hook ups, electrical only, but for me that’s perfectly fine for a long weekend or short week with 2 kids and 2 adults. They do have 3 dump stations, too, so that made it nice!

Short jaunt to the beach under the highway, small store with basics in camping area, and lots of walking trails around.

We spent 3 nights at this campground and had a great time. They have a camp store right in the middle of the campground that has essentials. Bathrooms were nice. Can’t wait to go back. Walking distance to the beach. Best part.

Fun place to spend Summer by the beach! Definitely gets booked quickly, so reserve in advance but in slower months first come first serve is generally just fine to settle into a good spot. The beach is walking distance to a well known surfing location. Very popular area and can be known for partying at night. The moon is a beauty out here at night, with moon flowers everywhere. Fire pits are available at campsites, with restrooms, and a local shop in the campground that nearly sells about everything you’ll need. There’s backpacking sites at no charge but for a standard campsite there is a fee. Each standard site is $45 a night, sites with electric hookups are $60 a night and there a group site for $225 a night. Parking is limited so additional vehicles per campsite is $12 a night per vehicle. Once you’re through the gate there is absolutely no cell service here. Overall it’s just a fun place for a weekend with friends to hang out, grill and go surfing at Leo!

Nice campground super clean and friendly!

Can someone inform me if I can camp here with a tent last time I went it was closed?

Close by in northern Malibu, it’s perfect for a weekend getaway, close to beach / surf. Hot tip, bring bikes to get to the beach.

I love camping at Leo I grew up going here, some of my best memories are riding bikes and hiking around the campground with friends. As a kid I always felt safe and my parents let me roam free. It’s crowded during the summer for obvious reasons, but I think that’s part of the charm it’s a great place to people watch and make friends with your neighbors. Highly recommend booking 6 months in advance if you want a summer weekend spot. The beach is a short walk, bike ride or drive away and the north end of the beach is dog friendly. Campers have priority at the beach parking lot. It’s only an hour drive from LA but you can see the stars and hear the waves crashing at night from your campsite. Quite time is 10 but it usually gets quite around 12. Rangers do try to enforce it but they are understanding and will give a few warnings before getting stern. Hope you get the chance to visit this cool spot...wishing I was there now!

We stayed one night. Nice experience. It was super quiet after 10p.m., but it was a Monday night.

About 60% of the sites have shade. Check the ReserveCalifornia.com site pictures to see what the site looks like before you register. Open the map then click on the site to see the picture. https://www.reservecalifornia.com/CaliforniaWebHome/

It’s a short walk to the beach. Nice beach. Dogs are only allowed on the beach north of Leo Carrillo Beach. It’s a little longer walk. A couple of notes: The Dyrt info says $12 but that’s for day use only. The tent sites are $45, plus $9 registration fee;hookup sites $60, plus $9 registration. There is a flock of South American parrots that come by and feed on the flora seeds in the area.

Family camping weekend. There is a cute general store onsite. It’s small but carries plenty and has a coffee machine. It was so much fun riding our scooters and skates all over the grounds as all the sites are situated on a loop. Restrooms were nearby these two sites and had token showers. Lots of ants at our site but we set up camp right under the big tree and hey you are in nature. Beach is not far (walkable) but recommend a wagon or something similar to bring your beach gear. Water was very cold of course. Dog beach is located on the north beach. Porta-potties at the beach. Fishing allowed. Was so much fun discovering the tidepools and exploring the coastal cliffs and caves.

We visited here last weekend. Had reservations for site 30, which was nice. However, very loud inconsiderate neighbors. They had a huge clan of screaming children and barking dogs. Plus they ran their generator during quiet hours. We walked around the park on day 2 and saw a lot of open sites, and requested to be moved if possible. While the person at the kiosk did let us move, she was not friendly about it, and in fact was quite rude. She said they have every right to be loud in a public place. What about our right to enjoy nature in peace? If I went to a movie theater, a public place, people do not have the right to be loud and ruin my experience, right? Beware of L. Albers, she is not nice. In any case, we moved to site 118, which was beautiful, and quiet. The sites are all pretty big, and are spread out. A bit of a long walk to the beach, but we didn’t have kids, so it was ok. I would go back.

Nice campground Very family oriented Great for kids to play, run and ride their bikes all day long Walking distance to the beach Convenient store located in campground Closest grocery store is about 10 minutes away

Lots of Rats at night Make sure you bring rodent repellent

The best part of this campground is the quick walk to the beach. Lots of families and trees to climb for the kids. Going from the campsite to the sand was a very nice experience. I camped on a Saturday night so the campground was full but that was expected as we were so close to L.A. I will return for a quick getaway.