Santa Monica - North Beach(Ocean Park Beach, Sorrento Beach)

Located in the popular coast city of Santa Monica, Santa Monica Beach - North Beach (which is also called Santa Monica North Beach) is a large and wide beach with light brown sand that is part of a larger three-and-a-half mile long beach named Santa Monica State Beach.  The northernmost portion of Santa Monica Beach - North Beach is also sometimes referred to as Sorrento Beach - this portion of the beach received this name because there used to be a restaurant near it named Sorrento Grill.  

Santa Monica Beach - North Beach and the area around it have many amenities including lifeguards, bike rental facilities, showers, restrooms, picnic tables, volleyball courts, a paved bike path, a recreational grassy area, tennis courts, a children’s play area named the North Beach Playground, and basketball courts.  Dogs are not allowed on Santa Monica Beach - North Beach. 

Santa Monica Beach - North Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, biking, basketball, tennis, scuba diving, volleyball, wildlife watching, picnicking, swimming, surfing, bodysurfing, skating, skateboarding, bodyboarding, kneeboarding, skimboarding, kayaking, paddleboarding, canoeing, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, boating, parasailing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, and birdwatching.  Santa Monica Beach - North Beach is popular with all kinds of surfers because the water here offers fun, manageable, and consistent surfing waves.  In addition, the southern end of this beach is popular with scuba divers and snorkelers - the area around the Santa Monica Pier is particularly frequently visited by scuba divers and snorkelers. 

If you are planning to swim, surf, kayak, canoe, bodysurf, bodyboard, or paddleboard near Santa Monica Beach - North Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here has dangerous and unpredictable rip currents. 

Surfers should also note that surfing may be seasonally restricted in certain portions of Santa Monica Beach - North Beach during the summers - you can ask the lifeguards posted at the beach for more information regarding the portions of this beach where surfing is allowed.  In addition, please also note that in 2022 a non-profit organization named Heal the Bay rated the water around the nearby Santa Monica Pier as having one of the highest levels of pollution and bacterial contamination in California.    

If you like biking, skating, or skateboarding, the Ocean Front Walk – also called the Santa Monica Boardwalk – is a long and wide concrete path that passes through Santa Monica Beach - North Beach and offers an amazing oceanfront jogging, biking, and skateboarding experience.  In addition, the Marvin Braude Bike Trail – which is also known as The Strand – is a popular 22-mile oceanfront biking and roller skating trail that runs parallel to the coastline of Santa Monica Bay and offers a fun oceanfront biking and roller skating experience. 

In addition, there is a historic community center near Santa Monica Beach – North Beach named Annenberg Community Beach House that is open to the public, and has many amenities including a splash pad, a playground, courts for beach volleyball, watersports equipment rental facilities, sandy areas for beach soccer, a deck, and a seasonal pool that is open mostly during summers. 

Santa Monica Beach - North Beach also offers accessibility to people with disabilities.  There are multiple wheelchair-friendly pathways that lead to the beach, and these are located near 200 Santa Monica Pier, near 1200 Pacific Coast Highway, and near a community beach center named Annenberg Community Beach House (that is located near 415 Pacific Coast Highway).  In addition, loaner facilities for beach wheelchair services are also available near Santa Monica Beach - North Beach - you can book complimentary electric and manual beach wheelchairs from Perry’s Café and Beach Rentals.  In addition, please also note that the North Beach Playground (which is located near 810 Pacific Coast Highway) also offers accessibility to children with disabilities

Getting to Santa Monica Beach - North Beach is easy - the main paid parking lot for this beach is located near 200 Santa Monica Pier near the western end of Colorado Avenue and this parking lot is easily accessible from Interstate 10 and Pacific Coast Highway.  We recommend visiting Santa Monica Beach - North Beach early during summers and weekends because this beach can get crowded during this time.  There are paid parking lots near the beach - once you park your car here, you can then easily walk to Santa Monica Beach - North Beach.  As an alternate parking and access option, there is also another parking lot near Sorrento Beach at 800 Pacific Coast Highway

As an interesting fact, Santa Monica Beach - North Beach was immensely popular during the late 19th century, and a public bathhouse was also located near this beach during this time - this bathing house was named North Beach Bath House, and it was in service until its demolition in 1911. 

There are many attractions near Santa Monica Beach - North Beach.  The iconic and famous 1,650-feet long Santa Monica Pier, built in 1909 and designated as a Santa Monica Historic Landmark, is several hundred feet away.  The pier is popular with locals and tourists and offers a large variety of things to do, including a popular amusement park named Pacific Park that has the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel, fun rides for kids including a 1920s carousel, an arcade, an aquarium at the end of the pier named Heal The Bay Aquarium, and interesting concessions and shops. 

Rustic Canyon Recreation Center is a recreation center with outdoor and indoor recreation areas. It also has many amenities including a kids’ play area, tennis courts, a stage, a seasonal pool, basketball courts, a baseball field, and barbecue pits.  Tongva Park is a six-acre recreational park that has many amenities including an amphitheater, a playground, a playground, a water play area, a music wall, an observation area, fountains, picnic areas, restrooms, and interesting sculptures and gardens containing native plants and trees.  The park also has a gathering space for the local community that is named Gathering Hill.

If you are looking for another attraction near Santa Monica Beach - North Beach, Will Rogers State Park has a golf course, a stable, a polo field, a roping arena, hiking and horse-riding trails, a library, picnic areas, and a visitor center that has a mini theater and exhibitions.  In addition, Will Rogers’ former home – which is located within the state park - also has a collection of Wild West-inspired art, antique sculptures, and Native American artifacts and textiles.

The Lobster is an internationally recognized seafood establishment on the Pacific Ocean overlooking the Santa Monica Pier – it is a local favorite specializing 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 Santa Monica landmark that opened in 1949 – it has excellent steak, ribs, seafood, pasta, and burgers, and is open for dinner and brunch on the weekends.  Margo’s is a casual plant-based 100% vegan restaurant serving delicious pizza and other great dishes for brunch, lunch, and dinner including French toast, salads, nachos, sandwiches, and wraps. If you’re looking for another restaurant near Santa Monica – North Beach Cassia is a casual spot for upscale French-Asian fare & seafood that is served indoors or on their outdoor patio. 

There are many great nearby options if you are looking for a hotel near Santa Monica Beach  - North Beach.  The 5-Star Santa Monica Proper Hotel has a vibrant decor and a relaxed ambiance - this hotel also offers many amenities including a spa, a gym, a bar, a restaurant, a pool with poolside cabanas, and complimentary rentals.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star The Huntley Hotel Santa Monica Beach which has a modern decor and a relaxed ambiance and has a restaurant, a gym, and complimentary bike rentals.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Ocean View Hotel which offers many amenities including car rentals and tours and nearby fitness center and spa services.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Santa Monica Beach - North Beach, the 2-Star Rest Haven Motel has a courtyard with sitting areas.