Southern California - Door to door bike camping in LA?

Where should I go on my first Bicycle camping trip?

I live in Venice and really like the idea of starting and ending at my front door, how do you get out of this town on a bike and where do you go?

From Venice you can take PCH all the up to Sycamore Canyon in Ventura County and camp overnight.

http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/camping2.htm
Perhaps you can find information here?

From Venice you can take PCH all the up to Sycamore Canyon in Ventura County and camp overnight.+1
that would be my choice as well. it's a nice campsite, a good distance (not too far, not too close) to get you started on your first trip.

chilao campground up in the angeles national forest if you don't mind a ton of climbing....

I ride in traffic everyday, but the thought of riding on the pch from santa monica going north sounds terrifying to me, especially after reading this:

http://independentsources.com/2005/09/23/malibu-pch/

I ride in traffic everyday, but the thought of riding on the pch from santa monica going north sounds terrifying to me, especially after reading this:

http://independentsources.com/2005/09/23/malibu-pch/
I've been up there plenty of times, and imho it is one of the scariest areas on pch that I've ridden (from Newport Beach up through malibu). The cars are moving at freeway speeds, lots of debris in the shoulders from cliffs, cars parked in the shoulder, shoulders disappear when you really wish they wouldn't and I've been honked at plenty of times because of it.

I personally don't like going solo up that way, still do anyways. lol

McGrath State Beach near Oxnard

what about advice on times of day to head out of LA on the PCH, do you try to hit rush hour and zoom by all the parked cars or try to leave really early in the morning when no one is on the road. Coming back you probably have a little less flexibility.

You couldn't pay me enough to bicycle up PCH from Santa Monica to Malibu. I used to ride my motorcycle on that regularly in the late 80's, and I thought that was dangerous enough. That website showing all the encroachments....SCARY!

The speed limit ought to be lowered to about 15 mph there, until they actually remove all the encroachments.

what about advice on times of day to head out of LA on the PCH, do you try to hit rush hour and zoom by all the parked cars or try to leave really early in the morning when no one is on the road. Coming back you probably have a little less flexibility.


It's not that bad, and PCH can take you to amazing places. Of course, it depends on your tolerance for traffic and comfort on your bike out in the real world. I ride up there as often as possible, and see tons and tons of other cyclists up and down the coast. It's a very popular route, al lthe way up to Oxnard.

Going north, there is really only one short-ish stretch of road on PCH in SM that's at all bothersome now, especially since they finished the road re-paving work. From Venice, you can take the bike path all the way to just past Temescal Cyn., then hop onto PCH at Temescal or at the ped crosswalk that sits at the beginning of the last big parking lot after Temescal.

That section right after you get on PCH is generally the worst, but it's really only narrow in a few spots between Temescal and Sunset. IMO, it opens up nicely for the rest of the route north. There are always problem areas on any road, but almost all of the barriers cited in your link above are long gone.

Once you're past Topanga, it's nice wide shoulders all the way, for the most part. Yes, traffic zooms by, but where doesn't it?

Coming back south has the same issues, just alot more parked cars on the ocean side of PCH generally. You have to be a bit more aggressive and take the lane in some spots, but if you time it right with openings in the the flow of traffic, it's fine.

Early weekend times have the least traffic, of course, and if you're in that area around 7am, traffic is very light. I got good results using my Dinotte tail light as well (even in the day-time), it really makes you more visible and generally gets you a little more space.

Go! Have fun!

If PCH scares you, here's another approach;

Go east from Venice to Sepulveda, go north into the valley then head west.
Valley Vista to Wells Drive to Topanga Cyn. Head south to Mulholland Hwy and ride out to
Malibu Creek Park at the corner of Las Virgenes and Mulholland. Decent campground there.
If that's not far enough, continue on to the west (or north) end of Mulholland. It stops at
Leo Carrillo state beach. Big campground there.

thanks for the update on conditions, and encouragement

I ride in traffic everyday, but the thought of riding on the pch from santa monica going north sounds terrifying to me, especially after reading this:

http://independentsources.com/2005/09/23/malibu-pch/

For the record, the linked article is from 2005. Many of the road construction and landslide obstructions mentioned have been cleared. They also recently repaved that length of PCH, so there has been some improvement of the pavement quality. Also, the beach bike path which runs along the coast nearly up to Sunset is really the safest option if beginning from almost any point along the west side or South Bay communities.

PCH from Sunset on up -- it's best to use a high degree of caution and stay frosty. Time of day should also be a consideration. Mornings on the weekend is probably the safest. Worst time of day would have to be late afternoon with the setting sun making it difficult for drivers to see you. The southbound trip on PCH through Malibu, while it also warrants caution, isn't as intimidating as the opposite direction, in my estimation.

The southbound trip on PCH through Malibu, while it also warrants caution, isn't as intimidating as the opposite direction, in my estimation.

really? I was thinking it was even worse with so many opportunities to get doored

anyway I'm doing it, I'll post some pictures and notes in order to turn this into a useful thread for beginning bike campers in LA

How about San Clemente State Park? About 75 miles or so from Venice, depending on your route, not impossibly far for a day.

How about San Clemente State Park? About 75 miles or so from Venice, depending on your route, not impossibly far for a day.

I've always wondered what PCH was like up through L.A.. My girlfriend lives in Ventura and I've always tossed around the idea of riding up through on a random Saturday. Now I'm not to excited to to give it a try. I've never had any problems on PCH from San Clem. to Long Beach so I suggest you ride south. There are camp spots in San Diego too. Ventura county campgrounds along PCH are a little more 'isolated' from the towns....but you can't ride the train back to L.A. if you get tired :p