Campout

📍 When and where

September 25–28, 2026
9000 W. Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90265

📝 Registration

❓ FAQ

🏕️ Reservations

A fee of $50 per person covers camping from Friday at 2PM through Monday at 12PM (or any fraction thereof). If any of our sites have already been vacated by the previous occupant(s), earlier arrival on Friday may be possible at the discretion of the park rangers.

🥗 Potluck and Day Use

MA members at large are invited to participate in any of the Campout activities (except overnight camping) without having reserved a camping spot. This includes the Saturday Potluck, the Friday and Saturday night campfire meetings, the Saturday morning “stag” meetings, or just hanging out with other MA members in the campground or at the beach. Day-use parking is $12 (see the following section for more details). If you will be attending the potluck and/or the campfire meetings, please bring a folding chair. Drinks are provided by the District.

🚗 Parking

A fee of $12 per vehicle per night is in addition to the cost of the reservation, and each campsite has parking for 3 vehicles (possibly more with ranger permission). Due to variations in attendee arrivals, “inside” parking for everyone may not always be possible, in which case the overflow/day-use lot near the campground s entrance should be used. Vehicles all need to fit within the paved parking area of the site and cannot stick out into the road. If overflow parking will be used, it is important to unload quickly at the campsite and promptly move the vehicle to that area. Special arrangements may be made (as we are able) for those with trailers or who will be sleeping in their cars. The campground gates are open from 8AM – 10PM. There is no entry before or after that window. (Additional note: one of the parking spaces at each campsite is free, and by default the rangers just give it to the first car associated with that site. Likewise, it’s an old and complicated discussion of how best to equitably pass around that savings…or not.)

📅 Schedule

Though some adjustment may occur, the schedule of events has frequently been similar to the following:

Friday
- 2:00PM Check-in (may be earlier if spot is vacant)
  - Throughout the afternoon people will arrive, set-up, settle in. Dinner is on your own.
- 8:00PM Campfire Speaker/Participation Meeting
- 10:00PM Quiet hours (folks can still hang out but no loud music and try to keep voices down)
Saturday (Breakfast is on your own)
- 10:30AM Women’s and Men’s “Stag” Meetings (additional breakout meetings could also be held based on interests expressed)
- Lunch is on your own
- Many people head down to the beach for the afternoon
- 6:00PM Potluck
- 8:00PM Campfire Speaker/Participation Meeting (with sobriety countdown)
- Following the meeting, people sometimes go down to the beach for fellowship on the sand, or just continue to socialize by the campfire.
- 10:00PM Quiet hours (folks can still hang out but no loud music and try to keep voices down)
Sunday
- 9:00AM Breakfast prep and cooking
- 10:00AM Breakfast is served
  - Since we have our sites through Monday, people departing Sunday can pack up and leave at their leisure throughout the day.
- 10:00PM Quiet hours (folks can still hang out but no loud music and try to keep voices down)
Monday
- 12:00PM Check-out for those who stayed over.

🗺️ Our Campsites

This year we have reserved Sites 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 and 19. Though we generally try to designate one of the sites solely for group activities (like campfire meetings and the Sunday breakfast), we may elect instead to offer those 8 additional camping spots, based on registration needs.

⚡ Electrical Hookups

Unlike Leo Carrillo, Sycamore Canyon doesn’t have any electrical outlets at its sites.

🐕 Dogs

Dogs are allowed in day use areas, campgrounds and certain beaches, but not on backcountry trails or dirt roads. Dogs need to be leashed, period. Please make sure that your animal is not a physical or noise nuisance to ANYONE (MA or otherwise) in the campground.

💵 Refunds / Scholarships

Generally speaking, if something comes up and you’re unable to use your spot we can issue a refund (via PayPal or a check issued at the DSC meeting held the first Thursday in September). Any disputes may be reviewed by the DSC and its group conscience. Alternatively, you can donate your spot to someone who may not otherwise be attending the campout due to limited funds. If no such need exists, the reservation fee can still be donated to the pool of money used to reserve sites next year so that the event remains self-sustaining. Funds in excess of campsite reservation costs and campout operating expenses will then be used by District 6 and/or donated to Marijuana Anonymous World Services.

🥞 Sunday Breakfast

The District provides the food items for this meal, which are then prepared Sunday morning by volunteers attending the campout. If you have stoves, griddles, skillets, utensils (and cooking skills!) you’d like to make available for group use, please do. The menu typically consists of pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, orange juice, milk, butter and syrup.

📌 Miscellaneous

There are restrooms and showers fairly close to our sites. The showers take tokens which are dispensed from machines that only take dollar bills. There is no “camp store” at Sycamore Canyon.

🙋 Be of service

There are plenty of opportunities to be of service to help keep the campout running smoothly.

“Concierge(s)” - to greet and help direct MA members from the ranger station to our campsites (some “parking management” and direction to the overflow lot may also be involved).
Folding tables greatly help extend the buffet capacity at the potluck, so if you have one to bring, please do so!
Potluck volunteers (including temporarily moving heavy picnic tables + folding table setup), trash/recycling monitors, and cleanup/breakdown people.
Volunteer to bring ice and drinks for the potluck (costs reimbursed and at least one ice chest can be provided)
Firewood transfer - we typically have firewood sources, but having people with room to bring it is also necessary
Volunteers to help with Sunday breakfast preparation, or cleanup afterward.

We need your help! If you are able to volunteer, please answer “yes” in your registration form or email [email protected]. Thank you!

⛺️ What to Bring

Camping basics:

Tent
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad or air mattress
If you're bringing an air mattress, portable mattress pump
Pillow
Blanket or tarp to put on the bottom of your tent (keeps the tent from getting dirty)
Camping chair
Lantern for your tent
Light source walking around at night (headlamp, flashlight, or your phone flashlight)
Plate
Bowl
Cup
Thermos for coffee or tea (a mug also works)
Utensils (fork, knife, spoon)
Sunscreen
Bug spray
Towel
Toiletries
Hand sanitizer
Portable phone charger if you need it
Earplugs for sleeping
Layers of clothing, weather can change quickly/it can get cold at night
Beach gear - we will be right by the beach
Folding table if you have it (and extras if you have, we need them for the group meals!)
One bundle of firewood

Cooking stuff:

Cooler for storing your drinks and cold food
If you don’t have a stove/don’t want to worry about cooking, here are some easy no-cook food ideas: https://amandaoutside.com/no-cook-camping-food-ideas/
The campsites have firepits if you want to cook over the fire with a cast-iron
Camping stoves are awesome if you want to get one or borrow one to bring. You can make pretty much anything on a camping stove that you can make at a stove at home!
Some folks will already have camping stoves and you can ask to borrow them. The only thing is they run on gas which can run out if everyone is using it. Here are the canisters they use if you wanted to pitch in with gas https://a.co/d/09D4J7el
If you plan to cook, bring everything you will need (pot/pan, cooking utensils, spices, etc)

Food and drinks:

Plenty of water! It’s recommended to bring at least 2 gallons of water for the weekend per person
Plan ahead for the amount of food and drinks you will need for the time you’re there. People may make extra food and be willing to share, but make sure you have enough food for yourself just in case
Coffee/tea in the morning (instant coffee is good or cold coffee drinks you can keep in the cooler)
A dish to contribute to the potluck

🧭 Directions

📞 Contact

If you still have questions about something that wasn’t covered, please e-mail [email protected]