Malibu Creek State Park
Calabasas / Malibu · near Calabasas / Agoura Hills · Los Angeles / SoCal
Rock Climbing · Mountain Biking · parks
At a glance
- Skill level
- beginner
- Grade range
- 5.5 to 5.12 · Accessible beginner and intermediate routes
- Best season
- Year-round · Cooler spring and fall best · Summer mornings before heat
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Trail miles
- Fire-road network · Bulldog climb to Castro Peak is the classic
- Elevation
- Bulldog Road climbs steeply to Castro Peak · Big views over the Santa Monica Mountains
- Best season
- Fall–spring (mid-summer heat; watch for closures on high fire-danger days)
- Size
- 8215
- Established
- 1974
Permits and booking
- Permit
- State park day use fee ($12/vehicle). No climbing permit required.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Rock Climbing detail
- Climb types
- sport · trad · top-rope · bouldering
- Rock type
- Volcanic rock (basalt and conglomerate) — unusual LA climbing
- Route count
- 100+ routes and boulders in the park
- Signature routes
- Planet of the Apes Wall · Century Lake Bouldering · Gorge Wall
- First timer note
- Malibu Creek is the most accessible climbing for LA residents — 30 minutes from Santa Monica. The multi-audience nature of the park (hikers, swimmers, picnickers at the Rock Pool) means climbing happens alongside normal park activity. Good for bringing non-climbing friends who can hike while others climb.
- Intl tip
- The M*A*S*H filming location (the Korean War TV series was shot here for 11 seasons) is accessible by a 5-mile round trip hike from the parking area. Combine climbing at the Rock Pool with a walk to the M*A*S*H site for a surprisingly full day of California outdoor and pop-culture history.
Mountain Biking detail
- Ride types
- xc
- Signature trails
- Bulldog Road to Castro Peak · Crags Road to the M*A*S*H site
- Ebike
- No
- Ebike note
- State park e-bike rules apply — check current signage.
- Intl tip
- Malibu Creek is where countless films and TV shows were shot (M*A*S*H, Planet of the Apes, and more). The park connects to the broader Backbone Trail across the Santa Monica Mountains. Combine with a Malibu beach afternoon for the classic mountains-to-sea LA day.
parks detail
- Hook
- The M*A*S*H set, Century Lake, and volcanic gorge pools in the Santa Monicas' heart
- More
- Century Ranch was 20th Century Fox's backlot — Planet of the Apes and four seasons of M*A*S*H shot here, and the rusted ambulance and signpost survive at the set site. The rock pool's volcanic cliffs and Century Lake's redwood-shaded dam loop are the classic 6-mile day.
The guide
If the name Malibu Creek doesn't register, the image will — the Rock Pool at Malibu Creek State Park, with its dramatic basalt …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Malibu Creek State Park — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.0944, -118.7133