Point Mugu State Park Mugu Beach

One of my favorite beaches in the Ventura County/​Malibu area. It’s the first one on the PCH driving from Camarillo and is right across the street from the La Jolla Canyon hike, which I love. Parking costs money in the lot if you want to park there, but you can also park on the side of the PCH which is free. It’s a quiet beach with a lifeguard most times; on weekends and hot summer days there can be more people, but it’s never overcrowded. The water is decently clean and though the beach is small, it has a private feel, almost.

Difficult to rate this…
I may change to 3 stars later.
Good: Accessible, beautiful, and wholly uncrowded. I was also told it would be very cold, but didn’t find it too bad. (Swam in much colder).
Bad: Land slope creates a tremendous riptide and not very safe to swim, snorkel, or for children to play in without constantly being close by. Sand is more like pebbles and hard on your bare feet for any length of time. This is not a swimming beach.
All that being said, locals are telling me that much of the high waves and ruptures are due to El Niño. I know this is true because chartered fishing trips continually cancel due to rough seas recently.
Summary: We enjoyed our day here and this is not a complaint post, but we have had better days on the beach.

Amazing! Why? Because it is dog friendly and there’s not too many people. It’s off the beaten path and miles past the crowds and fanfare of Zuma, Pt Dume or Leo Carrillo to the South. This beach is almost in Port Hueneme, so when you hear North Malibu, they aren’t kidding. We stopped at this beach on the way home from Ventura. It is a state beach, so the state park pass was accepted. There’s also amazing hiking up in La Jolla Canyon via the Ray Miller Trail, which can be accessed from this same parking lot. All in all, Point Mugu Beach is a beautiful California destination of beauty where you can kick back, soak in the rays, swim in the ocean and nod to yourself and say, ‘This is why they call it the Golden State.’

Simply breathtaking ! We wanted to explore this little hidden gem and take a tea break. Kids loved it and we enjoyed the sitting in such a beautiful place. Not many people, plenty of parking although there’s a fee. Great scenery and those waves crashing into the rocks are simply amazing.

Amazing clean beach! Not a lot of tourists because of its northern location of the heart of Malibu. If your older and want to feel young, it’s a great place to make out in the car by Mugu Rock!

This is a really beautiful beach located between Point Mugu Rock and the Naval Base. Finding a parking spot was no problem and even though there were people on the beach, it wasn’t crowded making it easy to find a place in the sand to post up. Besides hanging on the beach and swimming in the ocean, there are plenty of different trails to hike. Dogs are allowed on the beach and campsite (yes, you can camp on the beach in designated areas check for reservations) however they are not allowed on the trails because some people are riding bikes or horses. There was a sign that said no lifeguard was on duty during my visit and signs posted about the rip current. The waves were high and the water was rough which could be why more people weren’t in the water except for a few surfers. I enjoyed watching the waves crash it was very peaceful and relaxing. We spent a couple hours on the beach and the sandwiches we stopped and picked up along the way made for a nice beach-​side picnic. My dog really enjoyed herself and the few others pet owners on the beach cleaned up after themselves and all our dogs got along nicely. There were a couple areas were trash wasn’t heavy, but a random soda can here and there. Obviously cleaning up after yourself should be common sense. I’m interested in camping on the beach and want to look further into that for a future trip. I’ll not hesitate to stop back by and spend some time on the beach again regardless. A fun spot for the whole family.

Beautiful beach/​campsite. Crossed the street from hiking and took a nice little break. Lovely to see that this place was completely empty. Very clean. Took the tunnel to go across to get back to the car.

If you want to be camping on the sand with the ocean view and the sound of the beautiful waves crashing you are in the right place!
We made a reservation over the phone no refunds so pay and stay! Camping sights are first come first serve.
We pulled in about 8:30 at night on a Sunday the place was kind of busy but not packed. We found a spot as far away from people as possible and set up camp. At this particular location there was no shade from sun so come prepared!
There are portable bathrooms (nothing fancy) but in decent condition.
There are fire rings and picnic tables that separate the campsites which is nice.
It’s a nice clean area and the ocean is literally steps away, it doesn’t get any better than that!
The only thing keeping this from a 5 star is the fact that the PCH is right there. Not only do you hear the waves but you hear cars speeding by all night, the morning time is even louder.
Otherwise a quick overnight was perfect.

Wow I never knew that you could camp on a beach. My mind is still blown!
Clean beach and the camp sites are huge plenty of room for at least 4 regular size 4 person tents if not more. Plenty of parking to bring extra people.
Comes with fire pit running water and port potties.
Ideal weekend vacation spot. Please bring lamps tho super dark at night.

A drab little strip of sand and beach from the road, we chanced pulling over to look closer as it appeared to be free parking in the half empty lot. (As we were leaving the pay signs caught my eye and were visible so we paid $ 8 although I have no idea if they enforced the fee. It was the right thing to do! Karma).
The parking lot is comprised of gravel and just beyond there is the start of some very course sand that becomes finer as you get closer to the water. Once actually on the beach, it is quite serene and pretty. There are various sized black rocks all over the sand but not too many that you couldn’t build sand castles or walk. The surf was very strong at 4pm and there were clouds and grayness when just a few miles towards Malibu it was sunny and clear. The beach was clean, had few people, the kids loved it and so did I!

This is hands down my favorite local beach spot.
Let me tell you why.
Firstly, even at it’s busiest, there’s always parking. I’m not sure how much it is since I’ve never paid to park in the lot. All the times I’ve been there no one checks if you pay. If you’re paranoid about getting a ticket you can park right across the street for free. It’s far enough from the road that your car won’t get side swiped.
For the most part the place is clean. There are times when hooligans leave their trash (boo), but more often than not it’s not too bad. My friend and I have actually made a habit of coming to pick up trash once a month. We walk the whole beach the hop over to the Mugu Rock and pick up trash there as well.
The waves here are big enough that you can surf it. The water is pretty brutal though so if there’s a lifeguard on duty they will most likely advise you not to. Or to stay close. Skim boarding is the best way to go. The only downside is the shore is littered with rocks of all sizes so if you don’t know what you’re doing you can easily crash into the rocks and hurt yourself.
The view never gets old. Behind you is the Santa Monica Mountains, to your left is the Point Mugu Rock an to your right is a portion of the Navy Base. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a bad pic of this place.
One of my favorite things to do is leave my stuff right by the first lifeguard post and walk all the way to the mugu rock and climb it to the top and watch the waves crash. If you get lucky you’ll see seals from there. Sometimes dolphins get close enough. They typically travel in twos so they’re easy to spot.
The best thing about this place is that it’s so close to my home. And it’s just right when you enter the PCH so you don’t have to deal with all the tourists towards Malibu. I feel like this spot is still a small gem because it’s never crowded even during the summer. One of my favorite things to do is drive up here just an hour before the sunset and go for a quick stroll then watch the sun go down.

You can always expect the weather to be nice. The beach is rocky and there are a lot of hiking/​mountain bike trails right across the PCH in the Santa Monica mountains. As for camping its OK but beware there is no showers or toilets available at this campsite. Only porta potties that can be nasty at much of the time. RV is the way to go here!

I am not much of a beach person so I rarely visit one, and when I do I defer to my friends for which I should spend my time at. So one breezy Saturday in April a friend and I went to Malibu and drove up the PCH to see which beach struck our fancy. Point Mugu (pronounced like Mr Mugu, I’m told) ended up being the winner.
We arrived here around 1pm and opted to park on the street as the lot costs $ 8 to park in. The beach was pretty deserted with only a dozen groups dotting the sand. We made our way past the porto potties and chose a spot where we could view the waves, and not have to be too close to any other humans.
We sat in the sun on the sand for a good few hours and only a person or two passed by us. At one point we even dared to dip our toes in the water which was icy cold. But beyond that (and the less than appealing toilet situation) the beach itself was great, and definitely one of the less populated in this region.

I love my State Park Pass, which allows me to pull into the parking lot here and wander down to the beach, admire a sunset, or enjoy the rocky view without paying the day use fee.
I can always find a parking spot here, even on a weekend, and it’s a nice check out spot before heading down scenic Hwy 1 towards Malibu.

I’ve been going to Point Mugu since I was in my 20’s, both for camping trips and for days spent enjoying the beach. Even though I am a huge fan, I must say I am biased. There are too many happy memories associated with this little park for me to give it a bad review.
Point Mogu’s Thornhill Broom Beach is rocky, dusty, and devoid of shade. It’s a narrow strip of sand sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Highway. If you camp here expect to hear more traffic noise than the sound of the surf. You’re literally feet from the highway, and Highway One never sleeps. On the other hand you are camping ON THE BEACH. No road separates you from the sand or the waves.
There are no flush toilets, though I noticed on this trip that there are new pit toilets. Maybe they’re nicer than the old, basic, ones. I don’t know. I didn’t try them out.
The beach is dog friendly. I didn’t see any signs posted that required leashes, though many dogs are leashed. There are plenty off leash and no one seemed to be handing out tickets.
As a general rule there are rarely a lot of people on this beach. It’s up on the top of Malibu, far, far, from Los Angeles, and there are prettier, sandier, beaches up in Oxnard to tempt the people who live further north.
Parking is pretty easy on the side of the road. If that’s not your thing you can pay the $ 8 day fee and park in the lot.

This is by far one of my favorite beaches along the coast. I used to stop by during the week, while attending CUSCI and go back whenever I’m lucky enough to go to the beach. This beach doesn’t get very packed and best of all, it’s dog friendly (as long as you keep your pup on a leash-​although not everyone abides by that rule). Whenever I stop at this beach, I always see dolphins swimming in the ocean, as well as seeing sea lions swimming or dropping by the beach.
This beach is located next to Point Mugu Naval Base and something you will get to see jets fly by and of course promotional banners (on the weekends). There is a fee to park at the beach ($ 8/​day), but you can park for free along the PCH on the opposite side.

I love going to the beach here. Free street parking makes it an easy in and out. It’s beautiful and scenic, fairly clean, and best of all since it’s technically just outside of LA I believe dogs are allowed on this beach. The only down side is the waves break right where you enter the water so it’s not really the kind of beach where you can just wade in (like Venice, for instance). Even still, this is probably my favorite beach to go to for the scenery, easy and free parking, and cleanliness. Plus it’s a beautiful drive to get there.

Ah, Point Magu! With your gorgeous ocean views, your rocky beach, your families with their RV’s happily soaking up the summer sun and, best of all, that delicious aroma of campfires and breakfasts cooking as I ride by on my bike! Oh, the childhood memories you conjure up for me!
Just one thing that I would ask since I’ve taken to stopping at your beach just north of Big Rock these days… can you please clean your port-​a-​potties before the weekend? It would be ever so nice… thank you.

Wow! One of my favorite places to ride my motorcycle too when I’m in the Malibu area. Breathtaking view of the ocean and great for taking pictures. It’s nice to stop here to take a break and enjoy the ocean breeze.
One thing I’ll mention, even though I shouldn’t, is the little secret hangout behind the chain linked fence. You have to trespass and hop over it but back there you’ll find a cliff with a small path that leads down. You have to be careful because you could fall down and I guarantee you might not make it. During the high tide you’ll see the waves crashing against the side if the cliff. Down below you’ll see a little bridge that’s formed by the rock formation. If you got balls of steel you could climb down and walk across it while the waves are crashing to get to the little rock island. It’s very dangerous and can get you killed so please be careful!!!

What a nice beach! It really is as good as it gets.
This beach has ample space for not only the visitors but fishermen and campers as well.
The water was cold but not freezing to dip one’s feet in and climbing on top of the rocks was fun (but it’s real slippery :(lol).
You can get a better view of the beach by climbing to the top of the Chumash trailhead on a sunny day: D Enjoy!