La Brea Tar Pits: An RV Traveler's Guide
Ice Age fossils still emerging in the heart of Los Angeles
PickRV Editorial
The small team behind PickRV
The La Brea Tar Pits sit on Wilshire Boulevard in the heart of Los Angeles, California, where natural asphalt has seeped to the surface for tens of thousands of years and trapped Ice Age animals. Today it is one of the world's most famous fossil sites and an active dig, paired with a museum that is part of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County. For a family RV trip through Southern California, it turns a city stop into a window on the last ice age.
Can you visit the La Brea Tar Pits on an RV trip to Los Angeles?
Yes. The La Brea Tar Pits are a museum and active excavation site in central Los Angeles, open to the public. RVs typically base at campgrounds outside the dense city core; check the official site for current hours and ticketing before you go.
- ·Active fossil dig plus an indoor museum
- ·Part of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County
- ·Outdoor Lake Pit asphalt seep is visible to visitors
State
California
City
Los Angeles (Wilshire Blvd.)
Managed by
Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County
What it is
Ice Age fossil site + museum
What makes La Brea unusual is that it is a working excavation in the middle of a major city. Natural asphalt, sometimes called tar, has bubbled up here for thousands of years; the official site explains that the seeps trapped Ice Age animals whose bones are still being recovered today.
The museum focuses on Ice Age Los Angeles, with specimens of dire wolves, mammoths, and mastodons drawn from the site itself, plus a Fossil Lab where the public can watch researchers clean and study finds. The outdoor Lake Pit shows the asphalt seep in the open air.
Because the site is centrally located, many RV travelers tour it as a day stop while basing at campgrounds outside the urban core. Confirm current hours, ticketing, and parking guidance on the official La Brea Tar Pits site before your visit.
Official sources
Nearby & related
Keep planning California
Sourced costs, campground directories, and the places worth a detour — the next layer of California trip planning.
- California RV rental costFuel · camping · tax, sourced
- California RV-friendly campgroundsHookups, rig limits, booking tips
- Campervan & van rentals in CaliforniaVan-life routes, rules & rigs
- California Pacific Coast Highway 1 RVPickRV Wiki · 12 min read
- RV rentals in CaliforniaPickRV Wiki · 6 min read
- Estuary reservesQuiet coastal reserves
- National grasslandsWide-open prairie drives
- LighthousesCoast-road waypoints
Planning an RV trip near La Brea Tar Pits: An RV Traveler's Guide?
Was this guide helpful?