Leo Carrillo State Beach

Great at sunrise. Wonderful beach. Easy parking. Plenty of restrooms.

The only dog beach (that I know of) near Los Angeles. They are supposed to be on leash but since it was almost dark and pretty deserted and she’s obsessed with the water I took her off. She jumped waves. It’s very scenic and clean. Parking is 8 bucks flat rate all day or park along the pch for free. It’s about half a mile past the state park. I will be back but during the week, weekends in Malibu are crazy crowds.

Awesome place to camp. I spent the weekend here with five friends; we had an amazing time. We reserved site 40 and much to our liking, the campsite was nicely nestled in the hills so we had privacy. Many of the other sites were in the open with little shade or shelter from trees. Not a big deal in fall but I would hate to be stuck with an open site during summer.
The park has a camp store that sells the necessities including firewood. We were also surprised by the super clean bathrooms and showers.
The park is across from the beach which can be accessed by a tunnel. Also cool, we managed to see the beach at low tide and find the sea caves under tower 3 and tide pools under tower 2. Some of my braver friends climbed down into the sea caves, but I didn’t have the footwear so I took the long way around, played chicken with the ocean waves and dashed into the sea caves from the shore. Believe it or not, this was my first time submerging more than a toe into the Pacific Ocean. Cold as hell but times.
I wasn’t able to take many pics, those I’ve posted are of the ocean the following day after the tide came in. I’m glad we saw the beach a low tide, the difference between the beach at low and high tide is dramatic.
After we packed up our site we hiked a trail, four miles round trip. The trail was steep but we made it and it was worth it the view from the top can’t be beat.

Camped here 2 nights and it was awesome had a great time! However, the people next to us were so loud and screaming, playing loud music at 4am! all i heard was the base as well. The clapping was unnecessary as well. I have no problem going until midnight (or at least quet down by 1) but to be this loud at 4 and no respect. Anyways the rangers don’t care so i would recommend this place but if you are looking for a quiet place this isn’t it.
i enjoy the beach here even though it is rocky. it is very nice and i had so much fun surfing! i will go back, but i would rather stay at San Elijo or even up at Rufigio.

Great camping location. Much cooler than inland. About 15 degrees cooler. The shade and trees are great.
The only quirk is that the dog beach is about a ¾ mile walk. Wasnt ready for it with my 2 toddlers.
Other than that, there were plenty of bathroom facilities. Plan on returning

I brought my dog here because I read about the dog beach.
The dog beach is great!
The tide pools are not as good as Abalone Cove, but are still really cool.
I liked it.

This review is both for the beach and the campground.
I’ve lived in Southern California for 15 years and never made it out to this area. It’s a must go as far as getting the best of both worlds: camping and the beautiful beaches in Malibu.
Only about 28 miles north of Santa Monica, the area is completely accessible as a 1 – 2 nighter close to home without feeling like you are. Since it’s a state park, you need to book the site through the Reserve America website, which was $ 45 reservation + $ 8 reservation fee = $ 53/​night. Not sure if this is customary, but they are pretty strict about not allowing you to switch sites once you’ve booked.
We booked #130, which was nice because it was on the outer circle, so people weren’t having to walk through our site to get to the shower/​bathroom facilities and parking was right out front. I would’ve preferred #129 over #130 in comparison only because the picnic area was sloped downwards in our site, and the picnic table was worn out. Either way, that area was close to 2 different restroom buildings. The facilities themselves were really clean, and there were at least 4 bathrooms and 4 showers per building. The buildings are also fully lit at night, so you don’t have to worry about going to the bathroom in pitch dark, showers are token basis. Most of the sites, while somewhat close together, feel relatively private due to the strategic cutouts of each site separated by lots of shrubs and bushes.
Depending on where you book your campsite, it’s walkable, or a short drive away to the beach. Included in the campground fees, you can park in the parking lot meant for the beach, which I think for day use is normally $ 12. At the end of the parking lot is an under the freeway walkway that allows pedestrian access right to the beach, which is pretty much right around the corner.
What an awesome beach! It’s rather rocky so bring good shoes, or just be really careful when you walk. The sandy part is much shorter compared to other So Cal beaches, but still plenty of room to bask. There are tide pools and little caverns you can explore, or just sit and watch the surfers.
Perfect place for a camping/​beach staycation in LA!

Beautiful sandy beaches. Water is light blue. There is plenty of space for everyone (including your dogs). The whole family plays on the sand? Soccer, football, catch, water guns, frisbee, sand castles.
The waves make it difficult to jump right in, and the stones near the shore don’t help the process but the water is pristine and inviting. People are good about cleaning up after themselves, so the beach and sand are quite clean.
There are porter potties if you need to relieve yourself. Barbecue set ups, and plenty of parking on the street and in the lots. Steps from Highway 1 come right down to the water. There is a bit of hiking if you want it, and great for surfing.
Going to the beach with the entire family (means bringing the pups), so for that reason alone this beach gets an extra star. Make sure you love dogs if you come here, and don’t worry about poops on the beach– people are conscious and pick up after their little four-​legged companions.

Not that special. Sorry Malibu.
Made a long drive to this beach and sort of regretted it. Finding a parking is painful to say the least. There is street parking on the PCH (on the beach side) but walking from your car to the beach entrance is somewhat dangerous. There is no walkway and you literally have to walk on one of the 2 driving lanes going south on PCH. There is a parking lot on the other side of the street but it is always full and the line going in is long.
The beach itself is small and full of rocks. There are very few areas where you can actually walk barefoot. Don’t know if this is the norm but it was very windy the whole 3 hours we were there. If you’re into surfing (or like to watch other people surf), then this is the spot. If not, I’d skip this one and go to a place like Hermosa instead.
Won’t return.

I am only reviewing the dog beach aspect of this beach.
I understand it’s not a dog beach, just a beach that allows dogs on-​leash. That is great, and for many people, this may be the nearest beach where they can take their dog. Several people mentioned that their dogs have fun even though they have to be on leash. That is also great. Maybe my dog has a different perspective because she frequently goes to actual dog beaches where she can run freely off-​leash (in Long Beach, San Diego, and Santa Barbara), so at this beach she was mainly confused that she couldn’t run around and get her usual energy out. She kept looking at us like, «are you gonna let me run soon?!»
I also noticed that many of the dog that were there when we went (we’ve only been once) were not very socialized and barked at my dog when we walked by (e.g., one guy literally had to tackle his large dog and lay on top of him in a bear hug to keep him from lunging at our dog). I totally respect that this is pretty much the only beach people can bring their dogs if they aren’t very dog-​friendly, and I admire that they are doing fun activities with their dogs, but it’s just a completely different vibe than I’m used to at off-​leash dog beaches.
Don’t get me wrong, if I’m in the area I would stop by again. I might even bring a picnic (since it’s not the best idea to do that at an off-​leash dog beach unless you want 20 dogs begging). But unless it’s super convenient to come here again, I’d rather go out of my way to take my dog to an off-​leash beach.
One tip — you can park on PCH. There are several openings where you can walk down to the camping and beach areas. Just look for areas where there are a bunch of other cars parked, north of the entrance to the campgrounds. Other reviewers are right that it can be a little tricky to know exactly where to park on PCH to be closest to the dog beach, but once you’ve gone once, you’ll see that there is an area that even has stairs that go straight to the dog-​friendly part of the beach from PCH.

DOG BEACH: The beach is pretty much near the end of Malibu, going north towards Ventura. But at least it’s near Neptune’s Net! (unfortunately, not dog friendly).
Dogs are only allowed north of the 3^rd tower. You can pay for parking, but I usually just park on PCH. The first time it’s hard to navigate, but just be on the look out for the lifeguard towers and park near the 3^rd tower. They are all labeled.
Dogs are instructed to be on a leash.

Great Beach! The entrance is tricky, you have to enter thru he campgrounds. You have to pay for parking I don’t remember the fee… it was so worth it. Portable restrooms, no running water. Take some toilet paper, napkins and sanitizer. They potty are clean but just to be safe.
There is plenty of parking… there’s. Walking trail, mountain views, doggie beach and plenty of lifeguards. Beach is available for swimmers and surfing.
There is some secluded areas thru the trails that lead to the beaches… nice peaceful areas to sit and enjoy… this is my new get away spot.
The campground is patrolled by park rangers… definately going back… you have to go thru the bottom of the bridge to get to the beach parking…
Enjoy your experience!

A very beautiful beach in Malibu, with lots of people though. Georges view of the sea shore and sky, state park parking or street parking near the beach.

This is a terrific beach off PCH. Parking/​access is $ 12 but I heard from a few locals that you can park on the highway for free.
There is a trail that goes up the mountain a little bit and have breathtaking views of the ocean. There are also some areas where you can climb over some small rocks and end up in little cold or small areas which is almost like your own private beach. There are supposed to be caves you can explore as well but it has to be at low tide.
I’m not an expert but I’ve watched enough episodes of Baywatch to know that you should be careful around the caves or the small Cove areas. The water while beautiful and mesmerizing is also extremely powerful and potentially dangerous.
The beach was not very busy when we were there however it was a bit on the chilly side for a beach day. I recommend checking the place out if you like some place that is not likely as crowded as one of the better known beaches such as Santa Monica or Venice.

Dog friendly beach! This a pretty nice beach and its dog friendly north of tower 3. The views are nice but not quite as picturesque as Matador. This beach is perfect though if your looking to camp at the campground. It’s just a 5 minute walk without having to cross the PCH.
The beach was well kept and there were park rangers on patrol keeping everything in order.
I’m pretty sure if you have an RV you can literally camp in the lot overlooking the beach. I’ll settle for the campground across the street.
Can’t wait to back here with the dogs.

Leo Carrillo is one of my favorite camp ground beaches. It is located just up the coast on PCH just beyond Zuma Beach on the way to Ventura. There is a decent break as well right off a large rock that juts out of the water. They have nice shower and bathroom facilities as well as a general store and an onsite office. For day use parking is $ 15 for non-​pass holders; you can also park directly on PCH but you have to get here early, as on most nice days, these spots go quick.
For surfers, bring booties as entry and exit is rocky with lots of small and large sharp rocks. It can get crowded here and the break is very singular in nature so the lineup can be a little crowded. We tried here on Sunday when County Line was flat with no luck.
For beachcombers this is a great place to bring the kids for tide pools. Have them wear old tennis shoes that can get ruined as you don’t want to be walking around out there barefoot. If you are fans of the sea anemone and other sea based polyps this is the place for you; tons of them and lots of little crabs and other sea creatures to have fun with. This is an adventuresome kid’s dream. Definitely bring old shoes and a bucket and enjoy Nature at its best. Thank you CA State Beaches and Leo Carrillo.

What a great beach — it feels private and secluded.
First off, dogs are allowed! But only on leash. And only north of Tower 3. You’ll see signs everywhere to know the rangers and lifeguards mean business too.
The area north of Tower 3 has some pretty rocks and sea caves to explore. The area to the south has tide pools and excellent surfing. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
Take a picnic, bring your pup and plan on a great day here!

I love I love I love.
So quiet in the morning and it can potentially become your own private beach spot.
Very peaceful and beautiful. Dogs are not allowed. Parking on the street.

This is a gorgeous beach! I am reviewing it from the dog beach perspective.
Basic facts:
–dogs only allowed north of lifeguard tower 3
–dogs must be on leash
–people camp here
–parking lot very close to dog beach but it is paid (approx 10 – 12 dollars)
–can park for free on PCH for a small trek
–gorgeous walk with mountainy feel
We found this secluded private beach area just north of tower 3 and it was so fun to let B play over there! We did let him off leash for a little bit because it was so private no one could have seen us do that. I am sure you get ticketed otherwise in the more public areas when your dog is unleashed. We then walked over to the more public area and there were plenty of dog friends for B to play with. It’s just a but sad that they can’t be off leash. A beautiful expansive beach to walk your dog on though!
Very rocky so you can sit and picnic above the beach and sand if you want to.
I want to come back and camp!

This review is for the dog beach. I have been wanting to bring my dog here for quite some time. I finally decided to do so and I’m so happy I did! I l drove from Hollywood at 7:30 am on Labor Day. I made it to the beach at around 8:20 am. I decided to pay $ 12 for parking because it was my first time and I had things to unload. The dog beach is steps from the parking lot.
I was happy to find a really clean beach! I didn’t spot any dog poop. Owners are very responsible and dogs are well behaved. It’s an on-​leash dog beach but my dog didn’t seem to mind. He was very excited to be there. I set up a spot on the sand and within 2 hours the beach was completely full with dog owners and non dog owners due to the holiday. I’ll be back on a non holiday for sure!