Leo Carrillo State Park and Beach
Leo Carrillo State Park and Beach
4.5
Monday
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
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Top ways to experience Leo Carrillo State Park and Beach and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Attractions
16 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
245 reviews
Excellent
124
Very good
86
Average
23
Poor
8
Terrible
4
rfioron
Los Angeles, CA2 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
Don’t come here unless you are ok with stepping in toxic tar/oil and having it stuck to your skin. It’s everywhere. They need to do a better job keeping this off of the beach, AND they need to warn the public. It took me over 1-hour to get this off of my foot but luckily I had ice, a scrub brush, and hand sanitizer to remove it. I bought an all day pass but had to leave almost immediately. I told the person at the entry about it and he wasn’t helpful at all.
Written June 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
russianwulfgar
Milwaukee, WI1,760 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
What a fantastic place! Don't miss getting up close and personal with the sea cave and the roaring waves coming through at mid-tide. We drove into the parking lot and asked the ranger at the entrance how to get to the sea cave and he told us to park at the far end of the lot and walk under bridge. There are signs saying no dogs allowed, but we saw three dogs there, so I guess that rule really isn't enforced. What IS enforced, though, is walking on the rocks at high tide. We heard the lifeguard/ranger over the loudspeaker twice warning people to get off the dangerous rocks.
Written September 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cindi Sue
Thousand Oaks, CA425 contributions
Oct 2021 • Friends
A very popular spot for surfers and other beach loving people. There’s a lifeguard station by the large rocks and a lovely stretch of beach north of the lifeguard station. To the south it’s rocky and when it’s low tide you can find fabulous tide pools with various sea life in them. The beach is clean and the water is fairly clear. There’s paid and free parking (on the highway)
Written October 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff S
225 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
Great beach to take the dog to. Dogs allowed north of lifeguard tower 3. It’s a bit out of the way, and that’s good. Lower parking lot was closed when we were there, but easy access when you park on the side of the PCH. Dog-friendly beaches are rare in the LA area, so this one is worth the extra effort to get to.
Written April 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
caymama
Houston, TX240 contributions
Nov 2020
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!
Written November 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Debra V
Redlands, CA1 contribution
Feb 2014 • Family
Beautiful, clean. Staff is nice. Unfortunately they do not enforce the rules. Expected a quiet, relaxing weekend. Got just the opposite. Loud music from several spaces all afternoon until 2am (not supposed to be allowed at any time). A lot of loud partying before and after 10pm quiet time. Apparently no one patrols. Complaints to camp host brought promises but not results. We like to sit around the fire at night, but the music and loud people made it difficult to enjoy. We had rap music on one side, Country on another and Techno on another blasting all at once. First night it was 2am before it was quiet enough to sleep. Last night wardens were called in after 10pm to walk the roads and quiet campers down. One group, in particular continued to blast loud music, play a drum and had a strobe light. They also lit sticks on fire for torches and were running around with them. They didn't stop until after midnight, even after the wardens had walked through. We have to wonder why they were not told to pack up and leave. Got 2 hours sleep the first night and not much more the second night. Showers require tokens, but still no hot water. Very stressful and frustrating weekend. Disappointing that the staff is not able to control the partying. It is such a beautiful place, but we will never go back.
Written February 3, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Journey15300
Las Vegas, NV5 contributions
We visited this beach w/2 small children, and everyone had a great time. It's a gorgeous, clean beach, that offers a lot of activities like surfing, snorkeling, camping, etc. My children loved the tidepool, water was warmer there and they could explore the many seashells, hermit crabs, small fish, etc. that live there. It was wonderful and educational for them. We brought a kite too. We'll be back soon.
Written July 19, 2004
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nikki H
Los Angeles, CA28 contributions
Jun 2012 • Friends
The doggie section of Leo Carrillo beach is north of station 3. There's parking right at the beach, and you walk down a few wooden steps. The steps are steep, so if you have a little dog you'll have to carry her. My basset/doxie made it up and down in a few leaps. The sand is clean and there are lots of dogs playing in the water and on the sand. The parking is steep at $12 for the day, but the only other doggie beach in the area is in Long Beach. This was Annie Oakley's first beach trip, and as you can see she's not a water dog.
Written June 19, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lady Gigglemug
Monrovia, CA5,024 contributions
Dec 2020
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!
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!
Written January 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SuziQ_NYC
New York City30 contributions
Apr 2012 • Family
Pretty, scenic beach spot a short distance away from the more urban Santa Monica beach. We spent a relaxing Easter Sunday picnicking and exploring at Leo Carrillo state beach. We climbed the rocks, explored the cave and searched for marine life in the tide pools among the rocks. We found sea urchin, star fish, mussels, and loads of crabs. Clean beach, clear water, soft sand. Water wasn't too rough, but enough waves/surf to attract surfers. Entrance fee is $12 which is worthwhile to support a state run facility. Basic, functional bathroom facilities. Daily fee allows you to come and go for the entire day. Bring food since closest sandwich place is about 10 minutes away. The drive along Route 1 is beautiful!
Written April 10, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Does Leo Carrillo allow for folks to sleep in their cars or is it tents only for car camping?
Written September 24, 2022
Hi, What time did you arrive at Leo Carillo State Beach to get the $3 parking until sunset?
Written December 29, 2021
Hey! Where do you park and how do I get down to this? Taking an East LA friend on a surprise beach adventure and want to have this planned out before we go :)
Written October 23, 2019
You can usually park on PCH for free (west side of PCH). Short walk to the beach from there. You can also pay to park in the parking lot (I forget the cost, $10 or 15 I believe).
If you do pay, you get access to all state parks so you could also get into Point Mogu (few miles further north on PCH). Beautiful beach as well.
Written October 24, 2019
Depends on the weekend. We went mid October on a particularly warm weekend and it was packed on the beach. The campground was pretty full as well. I don’t love crowds but it was surprisingly not too overwhelming on the beach. The campground was quiet by 10:30pm even with a lot of campers and an entire scout troop nearby.
Written October 22, 2018
Hello, is there overflow parking for overnight guests that can’t park in the campsite itself?
Written September 27, 2018
Sorry we were only there for the afternoon so don't know the answer to that one.
Written September 29, 2018
Sorry, I don’t know the actual campsite numbers. I’ve been in many of them and they all are good. If you can find one along the creek, those are probably the best
Written September 1, 2018
I believe that you have to the Reserve America website to make the reservations.
Written September 1, 2018
zoax2000
Long Beach, California
For a summer Saturday day visit to the beach-side of the park, what's a good time to arrive? Park opens at 8 a.m. Should we be getting there 30-60 mins before so we can get parking in the small strip north of the tide pools?
Written July 13, 2018
I always try to get there around nine in the morning. By noon, it is pretty full
Written September 1, 2018
I would like to bring my 7 and 5 year old grandkids to the tidepools tomorrow at low tide . Is there life in the tidepools to see?
Written January 30, 2018
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