Malibu Creek State Park Rock Climbing

Malibu Creek State Park is a state park established in 1974 to preserve the Malibu Creek canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains west of Los Angeles. The park encompasses 8,215 acres and offers a wide variety of quality sport climbing and developed bouldering, as well as, excellent top-rope routes on the Planet of the Apes Wall. The Park offers over 100 bolted sport climbs, ranging from 5.5 - 5.14, on steep pocketed volcanic rock. While climbing is extremely popular at Malibu Creek State Park, we share this popular destination with hikers, swimmers, mountain bikers, and a variety of other users. Please practice courtesy and careful stewardship to help preserve this treasure for all communities. 

The rock at Malibu Creek State Park is pillow basalt breccia that has lithified into solid rock known as welded tuff like that at Smith Rock in central Oregon. Whilst containing hard fragments, it’s not impervious to rain in the way some think. This particular volcanic breccia is a rock type that contains very angular, hard, but broken volcanic fragments in a matrix held together by finer softer grained material. It needs the same 2-3 days to dry. Geological Gems of California State Parks on the park website details that the pillow basalt is now pillow basalt breccia in that area because their once large solid structures had long been broken up and intermixed with ocean sediments. Besides, the walls' deep pockets tend to remain wet and slimy even though the wall at first look dry enough. All the more reason to wait a few days after rain for the pockets to fully dry.

Park is open from sunrise to sunset; no dogs, drones, or new route development are permitted.