Looking for the best horse camping near Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area? Finding a place to camp in California with your horse is easier than ever. With our help, you'll find the best California equestrian campsites from scenic to easily accessible.
One of the best places for Malibu Camping is Malibu Creek State Park, just 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles, features hiking, fishing, bird watching, mountain biking, rock climbing and horseback riding opportunities. Fourteen-mile Malibu Creek is the principal watercourse of the Santa Monica Mountains that ends at Malibu Lagoon. There are 15 miles of streamside trail through oak and sycamore woodlands on chaparral-covered slopes. Following the trail along Malibu Creek State Park, the visitor will be treated to spectacular vistas, including volcanic rock gorges, scenic pools, and breathtaking views of the Las Virgenes Valley and Malibu Canyon. Previous to being opened to the public in 1976, the park was used extensively to film numerous movies and TV shows, such as Planet of the Apes and MAS*H. Most of the park's land holdings were donated by Bob Hope, with later significant acquisitions from Ronald Reagan and 20th Century Fox.
$45 - $225 / night
Tapo Canyon Regional Park is located in the midst of the rolling hills and canyons of the Santa Susana Mountains, north of Simi Valley. Hikers, equestrian riders, and mountain bikers enjoy this rugged and rural park, which features picnic areas, A group use area, playground, an equestrian arena, restroom and shower facility, and an RV campground with 16 full hook ups. Cell service is spotty depending on carrier.
Now Open
Located in the cliffs and canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga State Park features 36 miles of trails through open grassland, live oaks and spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.
The park is located entirely within the Los Angeles city limits and is considered the world’s largest wildland within the boundaries of a major city. Excellent recreational opportunities for hikers as well as mountain bikers (restricted to fire roads) and equestrians.
The park is bound on the south by Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, on the west by Topanga Canyon, and on the east by Rustic Canyon. Numerous geologic formations can be found in the park, including earthquake faults, marine fossils, volcanic intrusions, and a wide variety of sedimentary formations.
$7 / night
Hammock spots, dipping holes and a fishing stream make Reyes Creek Campground an ideal hideaway. Located near the Sespe Wilderness alongside Reyes Creek you will find renewal and replenishment, Reyes Creek-style.
Trail hiking, fishing, swimming, group camping, mountain biking, hunting, horseback riding, nature viewing, and recreational mining are favored activities. Day trips to higher elevation snow play in the winter is also enjoyed.
This shaded streamside campground located at 3,500 feet elevation boasts an ample supply of riparian oak and cottonwood trees. The creek area is well shaded and runs year-round. Overhead you may catch a glimpse of red-tailed hawks soaring above the trees. If you are lucky, you may see a California condor!
Located south of Ozena Valley, this campground provides access to the Sespe Wilderness via the Reyes Creek Trail linking to the Piedra Blanc National Recreation Trail. This site is the trailhead for Gene Marshall-Piedra Blanca National Recreation Area ideal for hiking or mountain biking.
$150 - $154 / night
Jeffery Pine shaded camp near creek. Dirt road to camp normally accessible by 2 wheel drive vehicle.
$100 / night
Legend
Three miles from a the grocery and only minutes from north LA, you'll find a basic campground with flush toilets, coin showers, and easily accessible hiking trails. The sites are basic with campfire pit and grill, open space for a tent or rv, and picnic table. The inner circle of sites abuts the bathrooms and is better for groups. The outer rings on three sides have nice views, but some sites on the south side are shorter and abut a fence.
We stayed in site 59 which had a really nice shade tree and great views of a meadow and the cliffs out the back of the site. The sites are fairly open and close to each other, so be prepared to hear everything, and because the campground is close to the city it is popular with groups and families.
The campground was under fire warning all weekend, but faux wood (javalog or duraflame) and charcoal was still allowed. The camphost sold Javalogs, and there were plenty of options at the nearby Albertson's.
The state park is a former movie set and is filled with easily accessible trails for hiking and some for mountain biking. The primary trails were open fire roads with off-shoots to lakes, pools, meadows, and more. It was easy to imagine you weren't anywhere close to the city. During a holiday weekend the trails were fairly busy with day-use hikers, but even then, it was easy to get away and be on trails alone if you wanted. There is also a visitor center in the park, but it has limited hours.
The wildlife is abundant. There is plenty of birdwatching, and coyotes were wandering through the park and campground without fear. If you have a dog with you make sure they don't try join the pack. On a hike right out of the park a few hundred yards, I came across a pair of bobcats—mom and cub—making their way to a running creek.
I'd recommend a visit if you're looking for a close to town escape.
GuideGreat campground, Great spots but unfortunately bit expensive .Very disappointed about the rules regarding fire, but I understood. I left from the campground after the sunset...fire allowed only with courchal...
ScoutGood campground, convenient location, nice WiFi. Sites are pretty close together, some sites had limited sun in December.
Legend
Although it’s not the most scenic campground itself, the state park has plenty of beauty to offer on its hiking trails. Not a single other party at the campsite on a Tuesday in September. The facilities and grounds were well maintained. Pretty short hike from the parking lot.
Traveler
This is a very nice campground near everything but still away from it all. No issues parking our 42' 5th wheel here. Clean and quiet despite the peacocks. They can be rather loud when startled. I swear they could hear my morning alarm and squawked their disapproval. The camp host Shawn is AMAZING! Bathrooms are very clean. Showers are coin operated. DO NOT expect cell service. I could only work from this spot by placing my mobile HomeFi router on top of the camper. Our Verizon phones were paper weights. Make sure your reservations are complete online before arriving. The Rangers check the spots multiple times a week. The kids enjoyed the playground and fields. It's not uncommon to see and hear movie/TV production crews at the filming locations along the road. Pet friendly but be careful at night. Mountain lions were spotted while there.
Traveler
Reyes Creek was great. The drive was nice, very scenic. The campsite was nice but small. Campsites are very, very close together. Some are smaller than others. Especially closer to the creek are smaller. The bathrooms are very clean for a campsite bathroom. Jade was very helpful and informative. She told us about two trails, we did the lighter one that was very nice. I can see this place being very nice in the summer. The weather on the apps are wrong. You have to google a few things to get the right weather. It was much colder than expected at night, woke up to 29 degrees F and ice on my tent and car windows. Other people with us said they had ice in their tent.
ScoutNice, small campground with hiking trails easily accessible. It was green and lush in the campground and the hillsides after a lot of rain. The sites are nicely spaced out. The sites with the best views are 59, 61 and 63.
LegendCleanliness: 10/10 Privacy: 0/10 Location: 5/10 nice park but super close to the street and other vehicles. Service: in some areas, one bar (att) Area: close to food etc just right down the hill. I used to live in this area, had no idea this was here. If you need something in this area this is a good spot, but I wouldn’t stop by choice if you could keep going somewhere more interesting.
Don’t forget quarters for showers! Wonderful playground if you have kids. Lots of grass for dogs too
LegendCleanliness: 10/10 Privacy: 0/10 Location: 5/10 nice park but super close to the street and other vehicles. Service: in some areas, one bar Area: close to food etc
ScoutI love this campground, but reserving a site is a pain since there isn't a site map. Here's the sites in the main loop. Hope you all find this helpful!
TravelerPark for $7/night at Trippet Ranch and hike one mile to the campgrounds. It’s an easy hike and very quiet. Nice views during the day. Currently closed for repairs though.
TravelerThis 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.
Scout
The people here are so nice, the pool is clean and rarely busy from what we have seen. The shop has everything we have needed and the views are gorgeous 😍
TravelerFirst off, Jade the camp host, has to be one of the nicest people We’ve ever met! Super helpful and informative! We stumbled across this place as our original plan fell apart. Lucked out on a site and enjoyed a quiet, relaxing overnight trip. Sites were clean and kept up, bathrooms were clean and there was a nice little creek, perfect for a stroll.
TravelerClean and well maintained. There are many trails to explore.
GuideThe host Jade was one of the most friendliest host we’ve ever met. There are raccoons, squirrels and deers around. Nice little creek runs next to campsites and hiking trail. The ghost town was fun, too.
LegendNorth of LA. Easy to get to when traveling south. Staff very kind and helpful.
Traveler
Spare of the moment trip idea lead me to finding this campsite. Coming from Frazier, CA I was able to access the camp site with a 2012 Chevy Equinox LS FWD (By no means an off-roading vehicle) and return back home with no issues. The drive down into the little valley is spectacular. There are few cool rock faces on the drive into camp which I had a great time doing some bouldering. The campground was shared by one other vehicle and it was fantastic. The site was pretty clean! Only found and picked up the usual (glass, caps, twist ties, styrofoam, toilet paper, etc.) There are a lot of trails near by and the scenery is pretty incredible.
ScoutWe live in Simi and we’re looking for a close place to test out our new travel trailer and we found this awesome gem of a campground. It’s super clean, has all the hook ups and was only 10 minutes away. I highly recommend this campground!
ScoutShowers 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
TravelerThe 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!
ScoutVery Friendly and Very Clean,Can see God's Creation
ScoutI love camping here people are friendly has large pools (adult pool, family pool, spa and splash pool). Most people live in this campground. Management is really nice staff is friendly. Will stay here again. Super clean campground and each site has grass.
TravelerLoved the campground and the camp host is the best! We hiked the creek and loved the tree coverage. It’s even beautiful enough to enjoy despite the horrible campers that are so loud you can hear them in the canyon from dawn to dusk. The websites say that max 22’ RV is recommended. I drove a 24’ and managed the treacherous switchbacks… but much bigger and you’ll either get stuck or fall off the edge of a cliff.
TravelerThis campground was nice. The camp host really did a great job of keeping things clean and nice. Some shady spots and a really great seasonal creek.
Pros
Cons
GuideThis was a great stop over for a week. A little remote and you have to drive to the nearest town(s), but clean grounds and nice site. Very easy to book online.
The RV park is pretty large so it's a nice daily walk. We had an easy pull thru site with plenty of space for our RV and truck to fit and had some shade from a nearby tree. There were a few bugs at night, but nothing miserable.
Wifi worked fine for us. For video calls during work we used our hotspot just to be safe, but otherwise their wifi was reliable and worked just fine. AT&T service worked great.
Laundry was credit card which made it easy to avoid a hassle of getting quarters. They have a few pools and hot tub, but closed due to COVID.
GuideCute Campground situated right inside the regional park. There is a playground and large covered picnic area. First come first serve camping, decent sized spots with shade, fire pits, and water. Enough room to park your RV or tent, or both. Clean and quaint. Heads up there’s no cell service once your in the campgrounds.
Horse camping near Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area offers a unique opportunity to explore the scenic beauty of California while enjoying the company of your equine friends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is Malibu Creek State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 30 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area?
TheDyrt.com has all 8 equestrian camping locations near Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, with real photos and reviews from campers.
