Malibu Creek State Park is located just 25 miles away from downtown Los Angeles and offers hiking, fishing, bird-watching, mountain biking, rock climbing, and horseback riding opportunities.
The principal watercourse in the Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu Creek, is 14 miles long and ends at Malibu Lagoon. . You can walk 15 miles along a streamside trail through oak-sycamore forests on chaparral-covered slopes. The trail follows Malibu Creek and offers spectacular views, including scenic pools and volcanic rock gorges.
This area was culturally the heart of Chumash Native American culture for many centuries. The Sepulveda Adobe is one of the most important points of interest in the park. It was built on land that had been granted to Spain in 1863. The Woolsey fire in 2018 destroyed this historic structure. However, it was restored in 2003. Johnny Mott (a well-known LA attorney) built another adobe along Malibu Creek in the early 1900s. It is now known as the Mott Adobe Ruins, with only the impressive stone fireplace remaining. President Herbert Hoover was perhaps the most frequent visitor to the Mott Adobe.
Malibu Creek State Park Campground can be found up Malibu Canyon 6 1/2 miles north of Highway 1 at Malibu Lagoon, and 3 1/2 miles south on Highway 101. It is a beautiful mountain destination that is within easy driving distance from Los Angeles. The park offers wildlife viewing, bird watching, and campfire programming in the summer.
Malibu Creek State Park Campground offers 56 campsites that are spread out over a single loop. 26 of the campsites can only be used for tents. The other 30 sites are suitable for RVs, trailers and tents. Non-specific reservations mean that each visitor will be assigned a campsite at their arrival. A Group Camp is also available.
There are hiking trails on the area’s 8,000 acre land. You will be captivated by the stunning views from vantage points like Castro Crest or other places along the Backbone Trail. Take a day, or a weekend, to see this Golden State gem. It’s easy to understand why Planet of the Apes scenes were filmed here.
You can camp in this park all year. The park’s single campground has over 60 sites. These include full RV hookups as well as fire rings, picnic tables and flush toilets. Be aware that showers are coin operated, so bring some cash.
We recommend that you trek to this LA Country favorite anytime of year. Before you hike the canyons, make sure to use sunscreen.
Malibu Creek State Park provides excellent exposures of Conejo Volcanics. These volcanics cover large parts of the Transverse Ranges geomorphic region’s Santa Monica Mountains. Conjeo Volcanics were one of several Miocene volcanic field along California’s California coast. They erupted after a significant reorientation on the tectonicplate boundary between North American tectonicplate, the subducting Monterey Microplate and the well-known Farallon Plate. The reorientation led to local areas that experienced crustal thinning and extension. Below the thin oceanic crust, molten materials ascended to the surface through cracks in the crust and became volcanic rocks.