Will Rogers State Beach

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.

Will Rogers State Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, wildlife watching, volleyball, picnicking, paddleboarding, biking, swimming, snorkeling, skin diving, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, bodysurfing, scuba diving, skin diving, bodyboarding, kayaking, canoeing, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, boating, snorkeling, and parasailing.  Will Rogers State Beach is considerably popular with swimmers because of its gentle waves - a non-profit organization named The Nature Conservancy awarded Will Rogers State Beach an Ocean Oscar award in the “Best Swimming” category in 2010.  Will Rogers State Beach also is popular with surfers because the water here offers fun and consistent moderately-sized surfing waves - this makes it ideal for intermediate and beginner surfers.  A specific portion of Will Rogers State Beach is particularly popular with surfers and bodyboarders - this portion is located near a lifeguard tower named Lifeguard Tower 15.  In addition, Sunset Point Beach (that is located in the northern end of Will Rogers State Beach) is popular with beginner surfers because the waves here are also particularly mild - surfers with longboards particularly like to visit Sunset Point Beach.  If you like windsurfing, kitesurfing, or parasailing, we recommend visiting Will Rogers State Beach in the afternoon because the beach is windy during this time.  Will Rogers State Beach is also popular with scuba divers, skin divers, and snorkelers because the water here has a sandy bottom.  Depending on the time of the year, you can see many marine mammals in the water near Will Rogers State Beach including seals, sea lions, migrating gray whales (during summer and winter), and orcas (during winters).  Please note that seals, sea lions, dolphins, and whales are protected under a law named theMarine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and harming them can result in a civil penalty of up to $11,000 and possible imprisonment.  In addition to marine mammals, you can also see many kinds of fish and marine invertebrates including two-spotted octopus and Pacific seahorses.

If you are planning to surf, swim, kayak, dive, or canoe near Will Rogers State Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and occasional dangerous waves.  In addition, the water here can also occasionally have high amounts of microbial contaminants - we recommend foregoing water activities here after rains because the water is known to be significantly polluted during this time due to the presence of a nearby storm drain.

If you like birdwatching, you can see many kinds of seabirds around Will Rogers State Beach including pelicans, gulls, whimbrels, egrets, and grebes.

Will Rogers State Beach is ideal for visitors looking for a relatively quieter beach experience because this beach sees fewer visitors as compared to other beaches in Santa Monica.

 If you are planning to fish near Will Rogers State Beach,  please follow the local fishing regulations that can be found on the website ofCalifornia Department of Fish and Wildlife.

 If you like biking, skating, or skateboarding, the Ocean Front Walk (also called the Santa Monica Boardwalk) is a long concrete walkway that passes through this beach and it offers an amazing oceanfront jogging, skating, biking, and skateboarding experience - this walkway also passes near some great restaurants and shopping stores.  The portion of this walkway that is located within Will Rogers State Beach is called the Will Rogers Beach Bike Path.  Will Rogers State Beach also has the northern end of another larger biking path named Marvin Braude Bike Trail (also known as The Strand) - this popular 22 mile oceanfront biking and rollerskating trail mostly runs parallel to the coastline of the Santa Monica Bayand it offers a fun oceanfront biking and roller skating experience.  If you are planning to bike in Will Rogers State Beach, we recommend being careful during the afternoon because it can get windy during this time and this makes cycling difficult.

Getting to Will Rogers State Beach is easy - the beach is located near 17700 Pacific Coast Highway and there are multiple paid parking lots near the beach along the Pacific coast Highway.  Some of the paid parking lots near Will Rogers State Beach are located near 14800 Pacific Coast Highway, 15800 Pacific Coast Highway, and 17580 Pacific Coast Highway.  While most of the parking lots near Will Rogers State Beach are usually open between dusk and dawn, some of the parking lots near the beach are open between 6 am and 10 pm.  If the parking lots near Will Rogers State Beach are full, you can park in the free street parking spaces that are located along the Pacific Coast Highway and then walk to Will Rogers State Beach.  We recommend being careful while parking your car at the parking lots and walking to the beach and avoiding leaving any valuables in your parked car because burglaries have been known to occur near this beach.  We recommend visiting Will Rogers State Beach early during summers because this beach fills up quickly during this time.

There are many attractions near Will Rogers State Beach.  Palisades Park is a 26-acre recreational park that offers many amenities including an observation area, benches, a pergola (exhibiting Craftsman-style architecture), petanque courts, picnic areas, restrooms,  and a rose gardens - the park has more than 30 species of plants including Senegal date palms, Mexican fan palms, and yate trees.  This park has many interesting cultural and historic landmarks including a wood sculpture named Gestation III, a statue bust of socialite Arcadia Bandini de Stearns Baker, an American Civil War-era cannon, a statue of the Christian saint Monica, a Native American totem pole, and a sculpture named Beacon Overlook made by Jody Pinto.  This park also has an interesting camera obscura named Santa Monica Camera Obscura.  Will Rogers State Historic Park is a state park that is set within the palatial estate of the acclaimed Hollywood star Will Rogers and it contains Rogers’ ranch house that has many features including a golf course, a roping arena, a stable, horse corrals, and a polo field - the park also has hiking trails, picnic areas, and horse riding trails and it also has a visitor center that has a mini theater and interesting exhibitions.  In addition, visitors can also visit Will Rogers’ former home that has a large collection of Wild West-inspired art, Native American artifacts and textiles, and antique sculptures and furniture.  The state park also has a library - the state park also hosts polo matches and it also offers many fun events and programs including horse-riding tours and horseriding lessons.  Santa Monica Pier is an iconic double-jointed pier that was initially opened in 1909 and it is also designated as a Santa Monica Historic Landmark - this pier has a variety of interesting features including a popular amusement park named the Pacific Park, fun rides for kids (including a 1920s carousel), an arcade, an aquarium (named Heal The Bay Aquarium), a marker denoting the unofficial end of the iconic Route 66, and interesting shops.  This pier also has multiple restaurants and many street performers regularly perform on this pier - the pier offers amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and it is also a popular site for fishing and wildlife watching.  Temescal Canyon Park is a recreational park that offers restrooms, picnic areas, and hiking trails- while the park’s hiking trails offer a strenuous hiking experience, this park is popular with hikers and it offers a fun way to explore the vibrant landscape and rich biodiversity the Temescal Canyon.  This park also offers amazing views of coastal southern California and the Pacific Ocean.  If you are looking for another attraction near Will Rogers State Beach, Bergamot Station Arts Center is one of Southern California’s largest art centers and it houses many smaller art galleries, along with a cafe and a frame shop.  

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Will Rogers State Beach. The Lobster is an internationally recognized seafood establishment located on the Pacific Ocean overlooking the Santa Monica Pier – it is a local favorite that specializes in Maine and California Spiny Lobsters, in addition to entrées composed of fresh, seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients from Chef Govind Armstrong.  The Golden Bull is a popular restaurant that serves excellent steaks, seafood, poultry dishes, and burgers - this restaurant also serves a variety of other delicious American-style dishes including pasta, pancakes, salads, sandwiches, and soups.  This restaurant has also been praised by many publications including the food website Eater and the food-related digital media organization Tasting Table.  Margo’s (also called Margo’s Pizza Kitchen and Bar) is a vegan restaurant that serves delicious pizzas and it also serves other excellent dishes for brunch, lunch, and dinner including French toasts, salads, nachos, sandwiches, and wraps - this restaurant has also offers refreshing vegan cocktails and it has been praised by many vegan-focused publications including VegNews magazine and VegOut Magazine.  Thai Vegan III is known for its modern interpretation of classic dishes and its insistence on only using high quality fresh ingredients.  Thai Vegan III is a cornerstone in the Pacific Palisades community and has been recognized for its outstanding Thai cuisine, excellent service and friendly staff.  Fiesta Feast is another fantastic option for families looking for Mexican-inspired dishes – some of their well-known dishes are their fiesta combos and green chilli chimichangas.  Ronny's Market is another great option for those who crave a wonderful deli-made sandwhich!

If you are looking for a hotel near Will Rogers State Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star Hotel Casa Del Mar was built in 1926 in Renaissance Revival-style architecture and it offers many amenities including a fitness room, beach concierge services, multiple restaurants, use of a hotel car, a spa, a bar, a pool, and bicycle loaner facilities.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star Shore Hotel that offers many amenities including a pool, a hot tub, a fitness center, and a restaurant.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Sea Blue Hotel that offers many amenities including a courtyard that has a direct access path to Santa Monica State Beach (also called Santa Monica Beach), a guest computer in the lobby, and a garden.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Santa Monica Pier Beach, the 2-Star Sea Shore Motel offers many amenities including a sundeck, a restaurant, and beach equipment loaner facility.