Carbon Beach (West)
About
Carbon Beach (West) is a public ocean beach in California, lying within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area about 2.6 miles from Pepperdine University. The beach has accessible access, and there is no fee to visit. Late summer into early fall brings the warmest conditions, with typical highs around 70°F and lows near 62°F in August and September and almost no rainy days, based on averages from the Santa Monica Pier weather station nearby. Winter stays mild, with highs in the low 60s and a handful of wet days each month. Inland, the Tuna Canyon Trail (Big Rock Lateral) starts about 2.3 miles away, and the Backbone Trail - Saddle Peak Trail is about 2.8 miles out. Climbers can head to Black Flower, about 2.6 miles off, while Malibu Creek offers paddling about 4.7 miles away.
Beach Details
Lifeguards
None
Parking
None at the access
Fee
Free
Restrooms
None
Accessible access
Yes
As published by the managing agency. Lifeguards, fees and dog rules are often seasonal, so check posted signs before you swim.
Location
Carbon Beach (West)
California
Data: California Coastal Commission, YourCoast public access data. Source metadata
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Year-round. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 62–70°F and lows of 50–62°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Santa Monica Pier, CA weather station, 9.7 mi away. High / low in °F, and days with snow.
- Jan62° high50° low
- Feb62° high50° low
- Mar62° high52° low
- Apr63° high53° low
- May63° high56° low
- Jun66° high59° low
- Jul69° high62° low
- Aug70° high62° low
- Sep70° high61° low
- Oct68° high58° low
- Nov67° high54° low
- Dec63° high50° low
Where it is
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area · National Park Service
- Nearest town
- Pepperdine University, California · 2.6 mi
Source: NPS Land Resources boundaries; USGS GNIS populated places
Nearby
Tuna Canyon Trail (Big Rock Lateral)HikingPhoto: sergei.gussev, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)2.3 mi- Black FlowerRock climbing2.6 mi
- Backbone Trail - Saddle Peak TrailHiking2.8 mi
- Corpse WallRock climbing2.8 mi
- Piuma TraillHiking2.8 mi
- Backbone Trail - Piuma Ridge TrailHiking2.8 mi
- Lower BouldersRock climbing3.3 mi
Malibu CreekCanoeingPhoto: Tobin/tobo, Rochester, NY, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)4.7 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Is Carbon Beach (West) open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
As of · Source: NPS · Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Carbon Beach (West)
Best months: Year-round. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
62° / 50°
7 wet
Feb
62° / 50°
6 wet
Mar
62° / 52°
5 wet
Apr
63° / 53°
3 wet
May
63° / 56°
1 wet
Jun
66° / 59°
1 wet
Jul
69° / 62°
0 wet
Aug
70° / 62°
0 wet
Sep
70° / 61°
1 wet
Oct
68° / 58°
2 wet
Nov
67° / 54°
3 wet
Dec
63° / 50°
5 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Santa Monica Pier, CA, 9.7 mi away at 14 ft. We don't have this place's elevation, so higher spots nearby can run cooler. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
