Most people race past this Malibu park; it has sea caves, tide pools, and canyon trails

It’s wilder than you’d expect this close to LA

Most people think of Malibu as a stretch of celebrity homes and crowded sand. Leo Carrillo State Park is something else.

The Santa Monica Mountains drop hard to the Pacific here, and the park holds 2,513 acres of rugged shoreline, sea caves, tide pools, and canyon trails within sight of the ocean.

It covers 1.5 miles of coast, and the Pacific Coast Highway cuts right through it. Come prepared to do more than lie on a towel.

The actor who saved this coastline for everyone

Leo Carrillo was a California actor who spent 18 years on the California Beach and Parks Commission after his film career.

He used that time to push the state to buy stretches of coast that might otherwise have been developed, including the land between Malibu Lagoon and Point Mugu.

He also played a key role in the state’s purchase of the Hearst property at San Simeon. When the park opened in 1953, it carried his name, which is a fair trade for what he helped protect.

Walk through a sea cave at low tide

Sequit Point sits at the north end of the beach, and the waves have been working on it for a long time. They carved tunnels straight through the rock, along with hollows and chambers that open toward the sea.

At low tide, you can walk through some of those tunnels and come out the other side into coves you would never find from the beach. Some openings only appear when the water pulls back.

The filtered light inside gives photographers something to work with, and the scale of the rock overhead catches most people off guard.

Get down on your knees at the tide pools

Twice a day, the tide drops and the rocks come alive.

Sea stars, anemones, hermit crabs, mussels, and sea snails pack into the pools, and if you take your time, you might spot a sea hare, an urchin, or an octopus pressed into a crevice.

Families can spend hours here without covering the same ground twice. The rule is the same everywhere along this coast: look, but keep your hands to yourself.

The creatures in those pools are a lot more fragile than they look.

Catch a wave around Sequit Point

The surf at Leo Carrillo breaks around Sequit Point and runs more forgiving than most of the breaks between here and Santa Monica.

Beginners and intermediate surfers make up most of the crowd in the water, and the wide stretch of North Beach gives newcomers room to fall without an audience.

Windsurfers work the same shoreline, and surf anglers set up along the rocks.

That said, underwater rocks sit below the surface in spots, so even casual surfers need to know where they’re paddling.

Dive a kelp forest most beach divers never find

Most beach dives in Southern California are sandy and slow. The water off Leo Carrillo is different.

A large kelp forest grows close to shore, and below it, the reefs drop to about 50 feet through walls, pinnacles, and channels.

Snorkelers do well in the shallower sections where the water stays clear and the marine life stays close to the surface.

The small cove near lifeguard tower number two is where most divers enter, and it puts you in the kelp within a few minutes of the shore.

Seven miles of trails climb into the chaparral

The beach is just one layer of this park. Behind it, the land rises into the chaparral-covered Santa Monica Mountains on about seven miles of trails.

The Yellow Hill Trail sits on the easier end and opens up to views of the beach and the Channel Islands when the sky cooperates. The Nicholas Flat Trail climbs harder through what used to be ranch land.

All of the trails connect into the wider Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, so you can cover a lot of ground if you want to push further.

Nicholas Flat meadow sits in a different world

Climb high enough above the coast and the park changes completely.

The Nicholas Flat Natural Preserve sits in a quiet stretch of old coast live oaks and open meadows, far enough above the beach that the crowds below disappear.

A stock pond left over from the ranching days draws birds and other wildlife in from the surrounding hills. It is the kind of place that rewards people who brought water and did not rush.

The ridge gives you a long look back at the ocean before the trail drops you toward the coast again.

Gray whales pass close in spring

The overlooks above the beach earn their elevation in April and May, when gray whales push north along the coast during their spring migration.

They move close enough to shore that you can track them from the ridgeline. Year-round, dolphins, sea lions, and harbor seals work the water below.

A lot of hikers carry binoculars, and early mornings on the beach itself sometimes bring dolphins in close enough to watch from the sand without climbing anything.

Watch for bobcats between the poppies

The inland trails run through bobcat and fox territory, and California quail cross the path regularly. Lizards sun themselves on the rocks, and seabirds wheel over the chaparral.

In spring, the hills run with California poppies and bush sunflowers, and the sage scrub gives the whole canyon a sharp, clean smell on warm afternoons. The wildlife here is not incidental.

It is one of the reasons the park exists, and it sits about 35 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

Fall asleep to the sound of waves at the campground

The canyon campground sits under a canopy of sycamore trees at the base of the mountains, and the beach is a short walk from most sites.

The shade keeps things cool after a full day in the sun, and at night, the sound of the waves carries up the canyon. With 135 sites, it is one of the bigger campgrounds on this stretch of coast, but it fills up fast.

Reservations through ReserveCalifornia open up to six months out, and weekends in summer go quickly. Raccoons are regulars here, so keep your food locked up.

Sea caves, kelp forests, and mountain trails in one stretch of coast

Leo Carrillo does not do one thing well. It does many things well in a small space.

Rocky points and sea formations line the shore for photographers, and the light at sunset from the western beach is the kind of shot people drive hours to get.

A small visitor center covers the park’s natural and cultural history if you want context for what you’re seeing. Come in the off-season and you get the same coast with a fraction of the people.

From the cave tunnels at Sequit Point to the meadows at Nicholas Flat, the park runs deeper than the beach suggests.

Explore Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu, California

The park sits at 35000 West Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, where PCH meets Mulholland Highway. Before you head to the sea caves or tide pools, check the tide tables for that day.

High tide makes the caves dangerous or impossible to reach, and the rocks around the pools are slick with algae, so shoes with grip are worth it.

Trails range from easy to strenuous, though the Nicholas Flat ADA Trail restoration may affect access into spring 2026, so verify conditions before you go. Entry and camping fees apply.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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