Dockweiler State Beach

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.

Dockweiler State Beach has many amenities including lifeguards, fire rings, restrooms, showers, drinking water facilities, volleyball courts, picnic tables, a nearby paved bike path named the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, and barbecue areas.  Dogs are not allowed here.

Dockweiler State Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, volleyball, hiking, biking, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, skimboarding, swimming, surfing, waterskiing, jet skiing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, paragliding, hang gliding, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching.  

This beach is ideal for beginner swimmers because the clear water here has gentle waves – the Dockweiler State Beach reviews for swimming are very favourable.  This beach is also popular with surfers because the water here sometimes offers good surfing waves – the southern end of the beach is a particularly ideal surfing site.  

If you are planning to swim, surf, kayak, or kitesurf here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have dangerous and unpredictable rip currents and hazardous waves.  

This beach is popular with fishermen – the rocky jetties at the north end of this beach are particularly ideal for fishing.  Bonfires are also allowed here – if you want to organize a bonfire, please visit the official website of Los Angeles County for more information regarding the Dockweiler State Beach bonfire rules.  Dockweiler State Beach is also popular with hang gliders – many hang-gliders launch themselves from nearby blufftop areas and then glide above the beach.  

If you like RV camping, this beach has an amazing RV campground.  If you like taking Dockweiler State Beach photos with beautiful views, this beach offers amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and the southern California shoreline, particularly during sunsets.

Dockweiler State Beach has a mobility mat for visitors in wheelchairs.  In addition, six complimentary beach wheelchairs are also available for visitors between 9 am – 5 pm.  These wheelchairs are available at the Dockweiler Youth Center, which is located at 12505 Vista Del Mar.  You can contact the authorities at the center by phone at (310) 726-4128 – you need to call at least 24 hours before your visit to reserve a beach wheelchair.

Getting to Dockweiler State Beach is easy – the entrance to this beach is located near the western end of Imperial Highway, near its intersection with Vista Del Mar.  Once you reach the beach’s entrance, you will encounter a road that turns right and eventually leads to three paid parking lots – the fee for these lots varies seasonally between $7 and $13.  You can park at these lots and then easily walk to Dockweiler State Beach.  In addition to the parking lots, there are free street parking spaces near the beach.  

We recommend visiting this beach early during summer because it gets crowded.  Please also note that, unfortunately, beachgoers also leave their trash here (please don’t do this and respect our beaches).  At times, the beach gets noisy from airplanes overhead due to its proximity to Los Angeles International Airport.  In addition, you can also encounter sticky black tar while visiting here – this tar comes from natural underground deposits and can be hard to clean once it sticks to the body.  Please note that access to some portions of this beach is restricted for the general public because the endangered western snowy plover uses them as seasonal nesting sites.

Dockweiler State Beach received its name from Isidore B. Dockweiler, a prominent local politician, lawyer, and community leader who was also a member of California’s State Board of Parks and Beaches.  This beach has also been featured in many television series and films, including the 1991 Keanu Reeves movie Point Break, the 1987 movie Lethal Weapon, and Seinfeld.  Many Dockweiler State Beach events are also organized here, including running events and volleyball competitions. 

There are many attractions near Dockweiler State Beach.  You can check the Dockweiler State Beach map to see the nearby Clutter’s Park – this recreational park that offers many amenities, including a recreational grassy area, picnic tables, tables with built-in chess boards, and benches.  Del Rey Lagoon Park is a 14-acre recreational park that has a lagoon and it also has many other amenities including baseball fields, basketball courts, restrooms, and a children’s playground – it is also a popular bird watching site.  Fisherman’s Village is built as a replica of a New England fishing village and it has many fun things to do and explore including shopping stores, restaurants, an escape room, historical exhibits, and an art gallery.  El Segundo Museum of Art is an experimental art museum and an “Art Laboratory” that has a unique method of exhibiting artwork – the museum’s artistic exhibits are based on experience-oriented “themes” rather than historical and chronological classifications or styles.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Flight Path Museum and Learning Center is a museum that has a variety of exhibits on aerospace and aviation including a large collection of aviation-related accessories and uniforms, aircraft models, aviation-related memorabilia, and space exploration-related exhibits.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Dockweiler State Beach.  Playa Provisions offers a variety of interesting dishes including California coastal cuisine, breakfast dishes, seafood, sandwiches, chicken dishes, and soup.  SALT Restaurant & Bar is an upscale restaurant that serves a variety of delicious dishes for brunch and dinner including steaks, seafood, sandwiches, poultry dishes, ravioli, short ribs, eggs, tacos, salads, pancakes, and French toasts.  Dinah’s Family Restaurant serves a variety of excellent dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including its famous fried chicken, pastas, seafood, poultry dishes, steaks, beef livers, pork chops, pancakes, burgers, and eggs.  Rocks & Brews El Segundo is a rock-and-roll themed restaurant that serves excellent American comfort food and alcoholic beverages – the restaurant also has rock-and-roll themed artwork.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Senor G’s Mexican Food is a Mexican restaurant that offers many amazing dishes including tacos, burritos, tostadas, nachos, and quesadillas – it also serves delicious American breakfast dishes and refreshing beverages.

If you are looking for a hotel near Dockweiler State Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey offers many amenities including a saltwater pool, a tennis court, a basketball court, two restaurants, a fitness center, a spa, bicycle rental facilities, poolside cabanas, a gift shop, and a jewellery shop.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star H Hotel Los Angeles, Curio Collection By Hilton which offers many amenities, including a restaurant, a pool, and a fitness center.  The 4-Star Los Angeles Airport Marriott is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities, including multiple restaurants, a pool, a hot tub, a gift shop, a convenience store, a hair salon, and a fitness room.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Embassy Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport South, which offers many amenities, including a fitness center, a pool, an onsite restaurant, airport shuttle service, complimentary breakfast, and a complimentary evening reception.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Hampton Inn & Suites LAX El Segundo offers many amenities, including a pool, a fitness center, a restaurant, and complimentary breakfast.