Will Rogers State Beach — Attraction in Los Angeles

Sandy and swimmable, unlike a lot of the rocky surfer/focused beaches further north around malibu. water smells like seawater, not the cleanest in the world but not dirty by any means. sand is clean and plenty of trash receptacles. also a stinky bathroom and outdoor rinsing area, though it was flooded and nonfunctional when i went. plenty of parking at affordable day rates under 10$

the beach wasnt too busy when i went in mid-october, water was the perfect temp on an 84 degree day. not too cold, just refreshing. so lovely for a dip and then bask in the sun.

good beach for families and big groups bc theres a lot of space especially in months like october, and it's consistently hotter than the more southern beaches like manhattan beach, so more swimmable late into the season/fall. if you swim, BEWARE THE WAVES!

waves can get big and riptide is real. lifeguards arent super stacked in the off season, just in the higher up posts that cant rescue ppl as easily. i imagine there are more lifeguards in the summer season. if youre a good swimmer, go with a group of ppl, or just wade it's a nonissue. but if ur not a great swimmer i would advise against anything more than wading. look what other ppl are doing and decide that way.

personally i am TALL and a GOOD SWIMMER so i was confident i could handle going in chest deep. the big waves did batter me around and at one point i got sucked under for a good 10 seconds caught in the tide. not a big deal at all if you know how to handle that sort of situation, i was fine. but inexperienced swimmers beware. west coast waves very different...

This beach is clean, beautiful and extra safe thanks to city staff and diligent, well-qualified lifeguards. There’s even free street parking up on Chataqua Blvd if you don’t mind walking 5-10 minutes.

The sea surface temp was 72 degrees and refreshing. The waves were large and fun here—I couldn’t stand in one place without getting pushed around a little, which automatically put a smile on my face and magically turned me into a kid again.

Views of world-famous Santa Monica pier on one side and Malibu on the other. The constant slight breeze felt so good.

Finally, the ocean is always the best place to fight the summer heat. It was an oppressive 93 degrees in Hollywood, and I watched the outside temp drop 22 degrees as I drove west along beautiful, tree-lined Sunset Blvd to the ocean. Ended up at 71 degrees with sunny skies and light onshore winds all afternoon—just a perfect August day!

ps. This is the only beach in LA that has rainbows painted on two adjacent lifeguard stations and an historical plaque documenting its history. From Mae West’s time (who lived there decades ago) to today, this beach remains the most inclusive, diversity-oriented LA beach I’ve been to since moving here...

If you have handicap plates on your car you're free to get in the parking lot on weekdays. However on weekends the charge can be $15 to get in the parking lot. On the weekdays it's only a few dollars. Well worth it for such a beautiful beach. Huge parking lot, huge beach, lots of volleyball nets, deep sand that is kept pretty clean. There is a broad sand beach area between the parking lot and the area where most people choose to place their beach umbrellas and beach equipment. The sand get pretty hot on a warm sunny day. Hot enough to burn your feet if you are not wearing "water shoes" or at least beach slippers. I heard kids complaining to their insensitive parents that the sand was burning their feet as they did the "ouch, ouch dance" hoping for relief. I wanted to cross a sacred parental boundary and intervene. Shame on me, I did not. Just provide your kids with a cheap pare of "water shoes" and they will be glad you did. It's a wonderful beach in the Malibu area( lots of traffic) once you get under your beach umbrella in your comfortable beach chair with cool beverage in hand, you will be glad you navigated your way to your spot. ...