Best Surfing Beaches in Los Angeles

Located in Westside Los Angeles, Sunset Point Beach, also known as Sunset Beach, is the northernmost part of a state park known as Will Rogers State Beach. Sunset Beach is separated from the rest of Will Rogers State Beach by a stretch of rocky shoreline. Sunset Point Beach has light brown sand, and manmade rocky embankments have been fixed throughout the beach shoreline to prevent erosion. The beach has a variety of amenities including lifeguards, showers, and restrooms. Dogs are not allowed on this beach. 

Located in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, Point Fermin Park Beach is a rocky beach with some sandy parts. This beach is situated below a blufftop park named Point Fermin Park, which also has the Point Fermin Lighthouse. Towards the east of this beach are the ruins of a residential neighborhood which collapsed due to a landslide in 1929. These ruins are now locally known as "The Sunken City." As an interesting fact, the area around this beach was named "Point Fermin" in the late 18th century by the eminent explorer Captain George Vancouver. Vancouver named this area in honor of his friend and Spanish Franciscan missionary Fermín de Francisco Lasuén. While Point Fermin Park Beach does not have lifeguards, the beach and the park above it have many amenities including picnic tables, barbecue spots, a children’s playground, walking and biking trails, and restrooms. Dogs are not allowed on the beach.

El Segundo Beach is a wide, sandy Los Angeles County beach located in the coastal city of El Segundo. This Southern California beach spans around one mile in length along the picturesque Pacific Ocean coastline. With its convenient location near Los Angeles International Airport and the major city of Los Angeles, El Segundo Beach is a popular beach destination for both locals and visitors.

Located in the neighborhood of Playa Del Rey in Los Angeles, Dockweiler Stat Beach – also known as Dockweiler Beach – is a three-mile-long and wide west-facing beach with light brown sand.  The southern part of this beach is known as Dockweiler State Beach – South Beach.  Dockweiler State Beach was earlier known as Moonstone Beach and Venice-Hyperion Beach State Park.

This beach was listed as one of the cleanest beaches in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Times and it was also listed as one of the best beaches in Los Angeles by Time Out and Conde Nast Traveller magazines – it is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.   

The beach is open between 6 am and 10 pm.

Located in the upscale, wealthy community of Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles County, South Will Rogers State Beach is a 1.75-mile-long and wide golden sand beach. The beach is the southern part of the famous Will Rogers State Beach, positioned along the Santa Monica Bay coastline near Santa Monica Pier, and has a beautiful backdrop of the Santa Monica Mountains.  South Will Rogers State Beach is promoted as an ecotourism destination and managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, encouraging people to maintain the beach's cleanliness and protect its ecosystem.

Visitors to Will Rogers Beach should note that thousands of homes and other structures burned down in January of 2025 due to a devastating fire called the Palisades Fire.

Located in the Westside region of Los Angeles County, Will Rogers State Beach - sometimes also known as Will Rogers Beach - is a large and three miles long beach with light brown sand, a few rocky breakwaters, and a few rocks. The approximate area of this beach is around 103 acres. This beach is located in the neighborhood of Pacific Palisades - it is important to note that despite this beach’s name, Will Rogers State Beach is actually managed by the County of Los Angeles. The southern portion of this beach is wide and sandy and the central portion of this beach has a series of short rocky breakwaters. The northern portion of this beach is significantly narrow and this portion is also rockier than other parts of Will Rogers State Beach. The northernmost portion of this beach is named Sunset Point Beach and it is also known as Sunset Beach. In addition, there is also another portion of Will Rogers State Beach that is known as Ginger Rogers Beach - this beach is located near the southernmost portion of Will Rogers State Beach. Ginger Rogers Beach is located just south of the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Entrada Drive - this beach is popular with the local LGBTQ+ community. Will Rogers State Beach is named after famous Hollywood actor and cowboy Will Rogers - Will Rogers initially owned a portion of this beach area and he also owned an estate nearby. After Rogers’ death in a plane crash in 1935, his wife Betty inherited his estate and properties. Betty in turn donated Rogers’ coastal land to the State of California. Will Rogers State Beach was dedicated to the public by the State of California in 1942. In 1975, the County of Los Angeles took over the management of this beach from the State of California. There is a rock on Will Rogers State Beach that has a bronze plaque commemorating Will Rogers. Will Rogers State Beach should not be confused with another separate state park named Will Rogers State Historic Park- this state park is located near Will Rogers State Beach. As an interesting fact, many movies and television shows have been shot on Will Rogers State Beach including the popular television show Baywatch, the 1954 movie Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the 1950Humphrey Bogartmovie In a Lonely Place. A creek named Rustic Creek flows in the southern portion of Will Rogers State Beach - once this creek passes the beach, it flows into the Pacific Ocean. Will Rogers State Beach has lifeguards - the lifeguards here are deployed from sunrise to sunset. In addition to lifeguards, Will Rogers State Beach also has many other amenities including picnic tables, a children’s playground, concession stands, restrooms, a walking path, showers, volleyball courts, and a biking path. Dogs are not allowed in Will Rogers State Beach. Beach wheelchairs for visitors with disabilities are available at Will Rogers State Beach on a first-come-first-serve basis. If you want a beach wheelchair, you can contact the lifeguards posted at Will Rogers State Beach for more information regarding the wheelchair booking process.

Please note that as a result of the Palisades Fire in January 2025, many of the businesses and homes near Will Rogers State Beach have been destroyed, and we recommend not visiting this beach due to unsafe water conditions and poor air quality.

Located in the city of Malibu, Castle Rock Beach is an iconic beach situated along Pacific Coast Highway and is a popular picnicking destination. A 30-foot-tall rock named Castle Rock stood as a landmark between the beach and the mountains on the other side of the highway before the rock’s demolition in 1945.  Castle Rock Beach is half-a-kilometer in length and provides restroom facilities. Swimming is the only activity available at the beach. Castle Rock Beach is conveniently located off 17750 Pacific Coast Highway that provides an easy access to the beach. There is free parking along Pacific Coast Highway.

Please note that as a result of the Palisades Fire in January 2025, many of the businesses and homes near Castle Rock Beach have been destroyed, and we recommend not visiting this beach due to unsafe water conditions and poor air quality.