You can’t beat the beach! Clean Beaches Week falls from July 1-7th, 2026. We’ve put together a list of some of the very best beaches in the LA area for your summer staycation. Whether your idea of a vacation involves a tide pool exploration or sand-covered rest and relaxation, we’ve got a beach for you.
Beaches Within the Bounds of LA:
Dockweiler Beach – Located only 10 minutes from LAX, this popular beach mixes an eclectic group of visitors. With so many unique visitors comes the great chance to beachcomb and discover some great finds. From seashells to lost gems, there are ample opportunities to discover some cool finds and clean up the beach while doing so.
Cabrillo Coastal Park – Located just down the way from the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, this beautiful span of coastline offers wonderful tide pool viewing. You can glimpse the unique creatures that call these pools home or even trek to a nearby salt marsh for more unique wildlife. The best time to view is during low tide and you can find out when that is using Cabrillo’s Tide Chart.
Venice Beach – This world famous beach has appeared in so many movies that you may feel like you know it, even if you’ve never traipsed the boardwalk. What you may not know is that this beach offers great opportunities to comb for some wonderful items, while enjoying the culture that Venice Beach has built up over the years.
Down In the Cities of the South Bay:
El Porto Beach – The north end of Manhattan Beach is known as El Porto, and it truly is a port to the waves for surfers of all experience levels. But if you’re more of a shore-stroller, this beach also offers some great combing opportunities as you’re watching those surfers hang ten.
Golden Cove Beach – These tide pools in Rancho Palos Verdes are not for the faint of heart or small children. The rocky shoreline may not have a beautiful sandy beach, but these rocks hide all sorts of wonderful wildlife. With numerous coves (Honeymoon Cove, Christmas Tree Cove, and more) in the area, there is no shortage of pools to explore.
Ocean Trails Reserve – Located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and with nearly 100 acres protected for conservation, this area is a wonderful way to get away from the crowds. It also features breathtaking views of the channel and Catalina Island on clear days. Depending on the time of year, you may even spot a few migrating whales!
And Northward Up Malibu Way:
Leo Carillo Beach – Located 28 miles northwest of Santa Monica on Pacific Coast Highway, this beautiful beach is part of a state park that offers guided hikes, camping, and tidepools. Enjoy the beautiful sandy beaches or relax in the shade of the Sycamore trees. Whatever you’re looking for, this place has it all.
Point Dume State Beach – Point Dume is a gem of the coast. Located just north of Malibu, this state beach has got it all: cliffs, coves, Marine Protected Areas, and frequent dolphin sightings. Keep in mind that parking is limited and dogs are not allowed.
El Matador State Beach – Just a few miles north of Point Dume, this pristine piece of coastline is a great spot to get away from the crowds and enjoy some peace and quiet and beauty. Whether for a romantic getaway or a solitary day out, this beach offers a rugged coastline with a beautiful sandy beach, perfect for a stroll.
Plus a Spotlight on Santa Monica Bay:
There are a number of City-operated low-flow diversions, funded by Proposition O in the 2010s, that ring Santa Monica Bay. These structural efforts help to divert polluted urban runoff flowing through storm drain channels to the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant for filtration and treatment, instead of it discharging directly into the Pacific. These low-flow diversions are summer’s unsung heroes, keeping many of LA’s beaches clean during these dry months.
LA County Flood Control District also oversees low-flow diversions throughout Santa Monica Bay. You can learn more about their efforts here.
…To All the Beaches: Hip hip hooray!
No matter which beach you visit, it never hurts to give back to the places that you cherish. Remember that the ocean really begins in your neighborhood because trash on our city streets will eventually flow through our storm drain system to a local beach. And consider joining one of the many community based organizations striving to make a positive impact by keeping our local beaches clean.
Our environmental partner Heal the Bay offers monthly beach clean ups. You can also take a peek at Heal the Bay’s 2025-26 Beach Report Card. They’ve assessed the pollution levels at beaches all along the coast, from near Tijuana to Washington, to help protect Best Coast beachgoers from yucky bacteria.
While many of our LA-area beaches came back with glowing report cards, a few tested areas didn’t quite ace it (looking at you, Santa Monica Pier.) This is a clear reminder that stormwater has meaningful, day-to-day consequences. So, stormwater supporters, keep doing your part to keep trash and pollutants out of our storm drains. That way, we’ll keep SoCal’s beaches healthy for many summer staycations to come!
We’d love to see your staycation snapshots! Email photos of your favorite local waterways to LAStormwater@LACity.org.
This article is one of three in our 2026 Summer Staycations series highlighting LA’s beaches, lakes and rivers. To learn more about LA’s Lakes and Rivers, visit Summer Staycations: LA’s Lakes and Summer Staycations: Rivers and Creeks of LA.
