264 of your 397 national parks NEVER charge an entrance fee.
*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation
entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and
fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.
http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm
On June 9, 2012 the Grand Opening of the Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area Interagency Visitor Center will feature a ribbon cutting from 10
-11 a.m. and tours & activities from Noon - 4 p.m.
King Gillette Ranch
26876 Mullholland Highway
Calabasas, CA
Call: (805) 370-2301
www.nps.gov/samo
In alignment with the Department of the Interior sustainability goals, the
building is the first "net zero" visitor center in the National Park Service and
is working with the U.S. Green Building Council to qualify the building as a
LEED certified facility.
Located at King Gillette Ranch in the historic heart of the Santa Monica
Mountains, the interagency building unifies the local, state and federal park
system for SMMNRA's 35 million annual visitors.
One of the most stunning locales in the Santa Monica Mountains, 588-acre King
Gillette Ranch is located at the confluence of five major tributaries and offers
a rare, unspoiled view of California's rich archaeological cultural and historic
resources. Its broad meadows and low ridgelines serve as a wildlife corridor in
the geographic center of the range. The ranch includes the 1928 mansion designed
by Wallace Neff for razor magnate King C. Gillette. The visitor center is
located in the original horse stables, re-purposed to achieve LEED Platinum
certification and become the first "net zero" visitor center within the National
Park Service. It produces all of its energy needs through a 94 kilowatt
photovoltaic solar energy system.
The four partners jointly acquired the ranch for $35 million in 2005, with 11
separate funding sources and an almost unprecedented partnership between
federal, state and local government, as well as private donors. The American
Reinvestment and Recovery Act provided $9.5 million in funding for the
construction of the visitor center, in addition to financial and in-kind
contributions from MRCA and SMMC.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban
national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains
and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. It comprises a seamless
network of local, state, and federal parks interwoven with private lands and
communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA
preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26
distinct plant communities. The mountains are home to 20 endangered plant and
animal species.
California State Parks (CSP) is composed of 279 units on nearly 1.5 million
acres of land. State Parks is responsible for nearly one-third of the coastline
of California, with more than 3,000 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian
trails. The State Park System provides for nearly 15,000 individual campsites
and 230 group camp sites in 115 parks across California. The State Park System
contains 98 percent of the state's wilderness and 60 percent of its old growth
coastal redwoods. Within the system, there are 50 State Historic Parks that
encompass some of the state's most valuable historic and cultural resources.
State Parks receives more than 65 million visitors yearly, making it the single
largest visitor destination in the state and second only to the National Park
system for the nation.
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) is a state agency dedicated to the
preservation, restoration and creation of public parkland. The Conservancy's
mission is to form an interlinking system of urban, rural, and river parks, open
space, trails and wildlife habitat that are easily accessible to the public.
Since it was created by the Legislature in 1980, the Conservancy has helped to
preserve over 65,000 acres of urban and wilderness parkland throughout Southern
California.
The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) is a local government
agency established pursuant to the Joint Powers Act between the Santa Monica
Mountains Conservancy, the Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Rancho
Simi Recreation and Park District. The MRCA manages and provides planning,
education and interpretation, construction, ranger and fire prevention services
for parkland it owns or that is owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
or other agencies. The MRCA is one of the principal agencies working towards
revitalization of the Los Angeles River and is the leader in providing nature
parks in urban areas of Southern California.
Location
Facilities Available
Reservation Information
National Park Service
805-370-2301
Circle X Ranch Group Campground(10-50 people)
Drinking Water, Pit Toilets, Tents Spaces, Pets permitted on leash.
Click here to make reservations online or
call 1-877-444-6777
California State Parks Reserve online by going to www.reserveamerica.com and
searching by park name.
818-880-0350
Leo Carrillo State Park Campgrounds
805-488-5223
Hike and Bike
Drinking Water, Flush Toilets, Showers, 4 Tent Spaces, Fire Rings, Pets in
campground
First come first serve basis.
$7/person
Canyon Family
Drinking Water, Flush Toilets, Showers, 135 Tent/RV Spaces, Dump Stations, Fire
Rings, Pets in campground
800-444-7275
$35/Night
Group Walk-in(10-50 people)
Drinking Water, Flush Toilets, Showers, Tent Spaces, Fire Rings, Pets in
campground
800-444-7275
$165/Night
Point Mugu State Park Campgrounds
805-488-5223
Big Sycamore Canyon Hike and Bike
Drinking Water, Flush Toilets, Showers,4 Tent Spaces, Fire Rings
First come first serve basis.
$7/person
Big Sycamore Canyon Family Camp
Drinking Water, Flush Toilets, Showers,58 Tent/RV Spaces, Dump Station, Fire
Rings, Pets in campground
800-444-7275
$35/Night
Thornhill Broom Family Camp
Chemical Toilets, 68 Tent/RV Spaces, Fire Rings, Pets in campground
800-444-7275
$25/Night
La Jolla Valley Hike-In
Chemical Toilets, 3 Tent Spaces
Register by Iron Ranger at La Jolla
$7/Person/Night
La Jolla Valley Group Hike-In(10-20 people)
Chemical Toilets, Tent Spaces
Register by Iron Ranger at La Jolla
$7/Person/Night
La Jolla Canyon Group(10-50 people)
Drinking Water, Flush Toilets, Showers, 1 RV Space, Tent Spaces, Fire Rings,
Pets in campground
800-444-7275
$165/Night
Danielson Group Multi-Use Area(10-50 people)
Drinking Water, Flush Toilets, Showers, Tent Spaces, Fire Place, Pets in
campground
310-457-8144
$Call/Night+ $Call/Horse
Sycamore Group Multi-Use Area(10-50 people)
Drinking Water, Chemical Toilets, Tent Spaces, Fire Rings, Pets in campground
310-457-814
$Call/Night+ $Call/Horse
Malibu Creek State Park Campgrounds
818-880-0367
Malibu Creek Family Campground
Drinking Water, Flush Toilets, Showers,62 Tent/RV Spaces, Tent Spaces, Dump
Station, Fire Rings, Pets in campground
800-444-7275
$35/Night
Malibu Creek Group CampWalk-In(10-60 people)
Drinking Water, Flush Toilets, Showers, Tent Spaces, Dump Station, Fire Rings,
Pets in campground
800-444-7275
$200/Night
Topanga State Park Campground
310-455-2465
Musch Camp BackcountryHike-In
Drinking Water, Flush Toilets, 8 Tent Spaces
First come first serve basis.
$7/Person/Night
LA City Recreation and Park District
213-485-4853
Decker Canyon Group Campground(15-150 people)
Drinking Water, Flush Toilets, Pit Toilets, Showers, Tent Spaces, Fire Rings,
Pets
213-485-485
$10/Person/Night$150.00 mini
N 34.1046 W -118.7090