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    Mugu Beach

    4.3 (52 reviews)

    Mugu Beach Photos

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    Gina T.

    Private beach on military base. Sometimes the base will open their gates to the public for limited events. Surfing is good here. Our little one gets her surf lessons by John M. The beach is clean and limited to military personnel and retirees with base access. A Very small RV park is on site, campground, yurts, 2 beach cottages and MWR motel called the Gateway. There's a small Navy Exchange and gas station nearby that has a Subway Sandwich shop. Other than that there's not much to explore, unless your military personnel.

    Malibu rock at Mugu beach

    Snapshot of Malibu Rock at Mugu beach. Nice place to spend the lazy afternoon in the sun.

    Nice day out on the sand
    Youri Y.

    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!

    Eliot and Chase
    Julie D.

    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.

    Frederick D.

    We were supposed to have run the Ventura Marathon on September 11th but I came down with a sinus infection and my body just gave up after being on the road for 5 weeks. Anyhow, we decided to make the best of this day as we were headed back to Miami from San Diego on the red-eye in the evening. First stop was this pristine beach off Highway 1. You can pull off the side of the road and self - register to spend the night if you want. We saw a few campers who had the right idea. From the road we saw seal playing only 100 yards off the shore. The waves were big and powerful today and we saw strong undertow. I could easily see myself spending the day here basking and taking in the Pacific. Alas we had to leave. We continued south along Hwy 1 until Santa Monica (when the road turned inland) and picked up fresh California strawberries from a road side vendor along the way.

    Good bathroom break point on a PCH road trip up north!
    Arissa S.

    This was one of the first beaches my friends and I stopped at on a PCH road trip up to Avila Beaches in SLO. Decent place to take a bathroom break with the large port-a-pottys that I've put in my photos! The lot is just a ways from the Point Mugu Rock when you go up the CA-1 Hwy, and it's a large off-road dirt lot. Since we went during COVID, we were sure to wear masks and practice social distancing. There's a few people that were fishing, and so we parked in the lot and made our way to the beach towards the rock. The beach is small but fairly clean with some rocks we climbed to explore the graffiti. It's like a hidden getaway and we really enjoyed this beach on our trip! After spending some time here, there's a fruit vendor near the lot to grab a snack before continuing on our little adventure.

    Cheri N.

    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!

    Jona K.

    Don't you hate it when the sun refuse to come out in the morning by the ocean? Such a huge potential this morning had. But the sun refused to come out. Parking: you can park inside and pay $8 for the whole day (till sunset). Or you can park on the highway and walk to the beach. It is a minute walk. The beach is clean and isolated. There are signs declaring clearly that there is no lifeguard on duty. Beautiful beach. Dogs are allowed. Fun fun fun.

    Job R.

    The scenery at this beach is to die for. Not crowded either. This is a really chill spot. Double thumbs up. The lifeguards were super cool too. Definitely planning to return here before the years end.

    Sea Life
    Andrea T.

    Great beach, nice and clean. Parking is easy, no restrooms or shower. Porta Potty's only.

    Point Magu State Beach
    Lorri F.

    I was asked about my favorite scenic hiking trails N of Malibu and Point Magu Beach/Point Magu State Park is one of several favorites. Despite the past recent fires there is a stark beauty to the mountains that contrasts with some incredible views of pristine Pacific Coastline. There are numerous trails and you can easily adjust the length and difficulty of the trail to your needs. There is also a small campground here just across from Point Magu Beach that is a real hidden gem. Quiet, peaceful and shaded with beautiful old sycamores! We went on an overcast day with a storm coming in from the North. It was breezy, cool and enjoyed hearing the distant thunder. Bring hats/sunglasses/sunscreen/plenty of water/snacks as other than the campground it is an unshaded hike. Sadly, many of the old Sycamores in the canyon were consumed by the fire. The review and photos below are from our hike 11Dec2014. For more pictures of this hike and my other hiking reviews see my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/SoCalHikerGirl/ https://www.facebook.com/SoCalHikerGirl/

    Beach
    Jon M.

    It's a fun beach campground that's close to civilization yet some seclusion in nature. Nice balance for a day or weekend getaway. Seems to be a good place for dogs as well. Great hikes across the highway. You can use your parking permit to park in the other campground across the highway.

    The beach
    Heather F.

    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.

    Braving the waves

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    Love this location. After a great hike had a picnic with friends. Very clean, quiet and peaceful.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Mugu Beach

    Is this a nude beach?

    Yes

    Are dogs allowed on the beach?

    It says on leash .

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    Review Highlights - Mugu Beach

    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.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Zuma Beach  - The beach

    Zuma Beach

    4.4(517 reviews)
    3.9 mi

    Zuma has always been my tried and true. It's easy to get to, there's loads of parking, and the…read morebathrooms are pretty decent for public beach restrooms. Waves are great, lifeguards are present and plenty of beach space to picnic. There's really no bad time of year to come, though in the summer months it definitely gets more crowded. I wish there were more trash cans present on the beach part as well as some sort of food options available. I know there used to be some small food stands, but they have since closed. Love coming here with the family for a beach picnic. Love that the bathrooms have showers to rinse off after a day of playing in the sand.

    A beautiful stretch of beach that's always a must. Along the famous highway 1, it's a nice big…read morebeach thats for perfect day outing. Parking wise, there's street parking along PCH, paid parking lot on PCH, street along the beach as well as another paid lot on the beach. Depending on the time, parking is a bitch as it's always full. It's a pretty wide stretch of beach so there's plenty of spaces for laying out and so on. One side has all the volleyball court. We arrived around 11:30 and luckily found street parking along the beach. It was nice out, sunny and a good amount of people along close to the water. We found a spot and made ourself comfortable. There was a good half dozen or so school buses parked where the volleyball courts are. Either a summer camp or school is back in session and it was a beach day. The odd thing, after an hour we arrived, the clouds started to roll in. Within minutes, it went from sunshine to overcast and gloomy. Stayed like that for a good hour and half. Even looking out to the hillside, it was so gloomy that you couldn't see down the beach. When the clouds burned off, it was back to beautiful beach weather. Lifeguard towers were in full force. We did notice that security on four wheelers were patrolling. They did questioned some people. It's a beautiful stretch of beach if you haven't been. The water was beautiful and looked clean but the waves were on a different level. They were pretty massive so lifeguards were on full force. People did go in the water but not a lot. To make it more magical, there were schools of dolphins swimming close by the shore. Even more fun, you could see them basically surfing the waves. That brought everyone on their feet trying to get the perfect picture. There's a good amount of restrooms and showers. It was actually clean which is a major plus. There's also a little lagoon that's a hangout for all the seagulls and pelican. Sand was soft and hot. Beach was clean, water was clean so it's was a good experience. It's a must if you haven't been.

    Photos
    Zuma Beach  - Fancy car meet up vibezzzzz va-Roooooommmmmm

    Fancy car meet up vibezzzzz va-Roooooommmmmm

    Zuma Beach  - Chasing sunsets!

    Chasing sunsets!

    Zuma Beach  - Ahhh My Goodness!!!

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    Ahhh My Goodness!!!

    El Matador State Beach - Sunset through the rocks

    El Matador State Beach

    4.4(514 reviews)
    7.0 mi

    So be warned that parking is limited and also expensive, even if you want a quick little stop. We…read morewent super early on a week day so there was no one else there. Also the porta potty had no toilet paper. So not sure what the parking fees are upkeeping. Anyway, the beach itself is really pretty. The walk down is a little touch with stand on a steep slope so you have to be careful. But it's worth it for the views. It's a very romantic spot.

    El Matador Beach is truly one of the most beautiful spots along the California coast, and it never…read morefails to impress. Walking along the sandy beach, surrounded by dramatic rocky cliffs and sea caves, feels like stepping into a postcard. The ocean views are breathtaking, the sound of the waves is calming, and there are so many little hidden nooks to explore. It is also an amazing location for a photo shoot if you have a permit, with the cliffs, natural arches, and golden sunsets providing endless opportunities for beautiful shots. The only reasons I gave it three stars are practical. Parking is expensive, which can be frustrating when all you want to do is enjoy the natural beauty. If you want to do professional photography, you also need a paid permit, which adds to the cost. On top of that, there are lots of stairs to get down to the beach, so it can be challenging for anyone with mobility issues or small children. Despite these drawbacks, I keep coming back because the scenery here is truly unmatched. Whether it's strolling along the sand, exploring the rock formations, or just sitting and enjoying the view, El Matador Beach captures the essence of California's coastline. It's a stunning, iconic location that I would recommend visiting at least once, just be prepared for the stairs and parking fees.

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    El Matador State Beach - Rocks and birds

    Rocks and birds

    El Matador State Beach - Rocks

    Rocks

    El Matador State Beach - Cool rock structure

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    Cool rock structure

    Lechuza Beach - Gorgeous!

    Lechuza Beach

    4.1(52 reviews)
    5.2 mi

    Absolutely stunning beautiful Beach. Many beautiful rocks and the sand is super soft and a…read morebeautiful off-white color. I usually carry my wagon with me with blankets and pillows and the necessities so after observing how many stairs there were to get down to the beach decided to go elsewhere. But if you have very little to carry, I recommend this stunning beach. Not too crowded at all.

    There seems to be a ton of misinformation regarding this beach. Perhaps the MRCA which owns and…read morecontrols it should do a better job of signage and use instructions. First, read the California law on beach's. Not all beaches are public. The public may walk below Ho tide line- which basically means wet sand but above that may be private property and trespass laws apply. Don't believe it? The Malibu sheriffs will explain it quickly. The entrance at East Sea level IS a private road and gated community. Pedestrian beach access was granted but if you attempt to drive through and park you will be towed. It is a very long walk to LaChuza beach at this entrance. You will pass a sign half way telling you that entrance is a Private beach ( above hi tide line) so walk alllll the way down to the end to the stairs. If you decide to stop on the lawns for lunch and photos you are trespassing. The stairs and entry at Broad beach road is the best access. Parking is limited on broad beach and if you block a driveway or lawn, or litter you will be cited buy the Sheriffs. LaChuza has strict rules about use: Only service animals on leash. The MRCA rangers Will cite you. No alcohol. No smoking or drugs. No fires. Closed at 8:00. If you chose to use the stairs , the beach is at the bottom to the RIGHT. The beach area to the left is Private above the high tide/ wet sand and you will be tresspassimg and they will call the police. LaChuza looks lovely but it can be dangerous. No life guards. No toilets. If you pee or poop-you will be fined. The water is so nice- sometimes but there are strong currents and rips and NO life guards. Very Rocky with many submerged jagged rocks. In winter when the sand is low the water has many mor obstacles- wires- pipes- concrete pilings that can be dangerous. Swimmer beware. During hi tides sneaker waves cover the beach sending all your stuff to Japan. How do I know? I go knocked down and swept out by one. During hi tide the waves cover the entire beach. There are better beach options like Zumba or Leo Carrillo.

    Photos
    Lechuza Beach - Happy people

    Happy people

    Lechuza Beach
    Lechuza Beach - Exceptional sunset

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    Exceptional sunset

    Mugu Beach - beaches - Updated May 2026

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