Bonfire on the Dockweiler Beach

One of the rarest beaches in Los Angeles area where you can visit with your four legged friends. We drove about 45 minutes from Glendale with almost no traffic on Sunday and were surprised to find the beach not too crowded which was just perfect for having a relaxing time with our 3 dogs who could run and have fun without bothering others. The water was super warm unlike in other beaches we usually visit and the sand was somewhat clean. You could see some seaweed thrown on the beach but not so much to bother. Overall it was a great experience with the dogs and I definitely added to my favorite spots to visit.

As always it is amaizing..so beutiful, full of birds, tranquility, it is a great place to chill and rest. I think is my favorite beach in L.A.

This is one of my top go-to beaches in Los Angeles County for several reasons. I love Venice and Santa Monica, but sometimes traffic is just more than I can deal with, and parking can be almost impossible on busy weekends or holidays. I've never had that problem at Dockweiler. It will get a little busy and if you're using the paid parking you may have to wait awhile but compared to other places in Los Angeles County it's just not as bad. There's a park on Vista del Mar overlooking dyockweiler and Playa del Rey and there is no cost for parking there. You'll want to get there well before sunset though because those free spots will fill up pretty quickly. The same goes for the neighborhood down the street off of Waterview. If you've seen very many Los Angeles beach pictures on social media there's a real good chance you've seen some taken from this neighborhood and for very good reason. All of this area is great for shutterbugs like me. It still gets pretty busy, however relatively speaking traffic and parking are much easier to deal with in general at Dockweiler and the aforementioned spots off of Vista del Mar. There are a number of other reasons why you can get some great pictures in this part of the bay. Some of the other hassles you might run into in the more crowded beaches are far less pronounced here... I mean it's L.A. so some things just go with the territory, but if you haven't been living in a complete vacuum you should be just fine here. You can see all the way to the Santa Monica Pier and the Santa Monica Mountains so if you have the right lens you might save yourself some of the common hassles most tourists will deal with. There's a great deal of paid parking right down on the beach. I've never seen it jump up in price as crazy as it does in the more famous beaches, although, like all of the beach parking in the area, prices do vary from day to day. One of the greatest things about Dockweiler Beach is that they have pits specifically for fires. I've seen plenty of people bringing RVs and grills and cooking out on the beach, or in the parking lot, on more than one occasion. It is one of the only, if not the only beach in Los Angeles County that you can have a fire. Keep in mind that is contingent on environmental conditions and sometimes, due to dry conditions, fires temporarily will not be permitted. Along with the fire pits, and easy access, there's so much more space available... So it's not uncommon to find fun stuff going on here after dark. In a previous job I rented members of a famous band a generator and ended up getting invited to a private birthday party where they performed that night down on Dockweiler. That sort of thing is pretty common at this beach. Between the overlooking park (with playground), easy access from above with footpaths, lots of relatively affordable parking, plenty of bathrooms, great views, bike paths fire pits and lots of fun activity after dark, Dockweiler really has something to offer everyone. Be safe and have fun!

I love this beach. My favorite not much people always clean and affordable parking rates. I've been coming during daytime, evening and night and really enjoy every time I go. The best!

Busy, clean beach ⛱️ with several lifeguards on duty. Parking was plentiful today with daily parking $9. Loved watching the planes departing.