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This is my absolute fave beach in California still to this day - hands down. Been coming here on the regular since I moved out here from Texas 9+ years ago - I’ve hesitated writing a review bc I wanted to keep it a secret lol. There’s so much to explore here - one of the main feature is the large rock out in the water off the main beach. At high tide, it kicks off a good break that the surfers seem to love. At low tide, the tide pools are phenomenal and you can actually walk all the way out to the big rock and climb it if you’re so inclined. The tide pools can be hit or miss - at the very least you’ll see some crabs and definitely anemones, mussels, and limpets - but on a good day you get sea cucumbers, star fish, and I even saw an octopus once!! Off to the right of the beach are the trails - at low tide you can walk from beach to beach but be careful bc the tide can cut you off and catch you off guard and can be forceful at times. If you take the beach route, you’ll see rock formations and sea caves! The upper trails go on for miles and are my favorite part - the views are just incredible, it’s relatively uncrowded if you avoid weekends and holidays, and there are so many great places to sit and soak it all in. At high tide and when the waves are surging, it’s incredible to stand out on the rocky prominence - it’s almost like the waves are rising up to meet you and you feel like you’re flying! Be prepared to get misted though lol! Also, it’s almost always very windy up there. Sunsets couldn’t be more gorgeous from here - and even on my last sunset visit on NYE, it was relatively uncrowded! But this beach is probably the one that’s furthest down PCH - almost on the edge of LA county. There’s one really awesome place I’ve found to sit and it’s like you’re hanging out on the very edge of the world with the whole place to yourself and no one can see you from there either!! It’s so fantastic! It requires an adventurous spirit and some major rock scrambling - and I won’t tell you where - you’ll find it if you’re brave and curious enough ;) I always park on the street - even if the cars are lined up, the area is so vast that it still feels uncrowded. And there are a lot of trail entrances along the street so it doesn’t really matter where you park imo. There is a paid lot across the street but I’ve never parked there. If you do park there, you access the beach by a tunnel under the busy PCH so you don’t have to worry about crossing the street. They used to have a great building on the beach with bathrooms and little water spigots for rinsing - but it was all destroyed in the Malibu fire a few years ago. Now it’s just some dirty port-a-potties that never seem to be stocked so bring your own TP lol! The area vegetation has done well to start recovering from the fire and I am so happy to see that they saved the big coastal oak tree! …
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Date of experience: December 2020
2 Helpful votes
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Worth driving further north of Malibu to access this area. Rocky walking, parking along the PCH. but lovely views, the litttle coves and beach areas perfect. The highlite was scrambling over rocks into the tide pools at low tide. Lots of creatures to see!
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Date of experience: November 2020
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+1
We spent a few hours here with our kids and dogs. The beach was packed and there were dogs everywhere. The water was FREEZING and we were unable to get in. It was in the 90’s when we were there a few weeks ago but the water was ice cold. The dogs enjoyed the sand and water. You do have to pay for parking unless you park on the road. Very dog friendly beach. We had fun and would return. …
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Date of experience: September 2020
2 Helpful votes
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I 💕 the Leo Carrillo Beach and it is one of my favorite beaches on the PCH whenever I go to visit family in LA. On my last visit I watched an artist paint a gorgeous seascape/landscape. It was so peaceful to see all the activity around me and hear the soothing waves. I am looking forward to going back soon and bringing my own canvas to paint on next time. …
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Date of experience: October 2019
1 Helpful vote
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Checked it out for future camping. The rangers were friendly and let us check out the park.Available for dry, and hookup camping. Right near the beach, and lots of shade.
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Date of experience: January 2020
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