Leo Carrillo
State Beach

Explore - Leo Carrillo State Park

The tidepools of Leo Carrillo are an incredibly unique place where many plants and animals live together under extreme conditions. Meeting on the edge of the Santa Monica Mountains in Malibu, freshwater streams into the ocean creating a natural estuary. Here we explore what a tide pool is, what kinds of living things you'll find in them, and why they're important. Along with learning all about tide pools, we discuss how humans impact this special area along with deep ocean animals. By learning about this ecosystem, you can help become a protector of this special place.

Are you interested in taking an in-person field trip to Leo Carrillo State Beach? Click here to learn more!

Teacher Resources

Explore Leo Carrillo on Padlet!

Click here to explore our pre-field trip activities, including a tide-pool safety, a fun tide-pool animal matching game, and a journaling prompt!

Reimagining the field trip the new passPORTS Project

Through a new partnership with CUE and Parks California, California State Parks is reimagining how K-12 students connect with our parks. passPORTS uses a combination of digital instructional materials embedded with quality teaching practices to empower teachers and students to play, learn, serve, and share in California State Parks! We welcome you to explore our premade teacher resources including the California State Parks Reading List, our NGSS Phenomenon Bank, and much more!