Topanga Ranch Motel

The old Topanga Ranch Motel might be about the spookiest looking place in Malibu. Closed since 2004, the abandoned motor court nestled at the base of Topanga Canyon on PCH looks more like the backdrop of a slasher movie than some of the most pricey real estate in the world. Decades-old rumors that Charles Manson and his cult once lived at the motel have only added to its creepy lore.

As it turns out, the Topanga Ranch Motel is a vital part of Malibu’s history.

The motel’s earliest iteration dates back to 1924, with the opening of Cooper’s Auto Camp, a modest settlement of tents and bungalows, as well as a small general store, for weary budget travelers passing through the area. However the camp’s beautiful locale and affordable rates were soon a big hit, contributing to the first surge of tourists to the Topanga/Malibu area.

The increased traffic eventually led the State of California to replace the small dirt road which connected Malibu with Los Angeles with the Memorial Highway, which would become PCH.

In 1932 the Los Angeles Athletic Club purchased Cooper’s Camp, demolishing the tents and general store but retaining the original wood cabins, and constructing an additional 10 bunglaows. In 1934 the new motel, called the Topanga Beach Auto Court, opened.

The motel would be renamed the Topanga Ranch Motel in the 1940s, and in the 1950s began offering some of the bungalows for long term rentals as well.

As the counterculture movements of the 1960s gained steam, lower Topanga began to develop a reputation as a refuge for characters living on the fringes of society. The Rodeo Grounds, a creekside stretch of land behind the Topanga Ranch Motel, became a haven for everyone from hippies to motorcycle gangs to runaways to drug dealers. It was soon renamed the Snake Pit, both for its surplus of rattlesnakes and the sketchy characters which frequented the area.

And while he was never a resident of the motel, records indicate that Charles Manson was indeed a resident of the Snake Pit, living in a house on the land called the Spiral Staircase for much of 1968.

Through the 1970s, the Topanga Ranch Motel would continue to operate as a motel. However in 2001, California State Parks purchased the property, planning to into the Topanga Nature Reserve and restore coastal wetlands.

At the time, around 70 people were living in the motel long-term, some since the 1950s and 60s.

After a years-long legal battle, the state was able to evict the tenants in 2005, after agreeing to pay restitution.

Since then, the site has sat vacant, the bungalows becoming the thing of legends and nightmares.