Overview
Dockweiler State Beach is hardly the jewel of the California coast – it’s more like LA’s dive-bar beach, and parts of it can be dicey at night. However, if you stay close to the entrance during the day, you can find quiet area to get some rays. At night Dockweiler’s most obvious feature is the fire pits, which attract dancers, fire-twirlers and other Burning Man types; at 10 pm sharp, it gets flooded with beach cops, and all flame must be extinguished. This beach is part of the communities of Playa del Rey and El Segundo—two areas away from the freeways and hustle-n-bustle of the city that can almost make you forget you’re in LA with their neighborhood-y vibe. Both mostly residential, Playa Del Rey and El Segundo are quiet seaside communities (well, except for the airplanes overhead) with a sprinkling of shops and a fair share of local restaurants. If you’re hungry and want to bring a snack to the sand, try Beach Pizza in Playa Del Rey for a relatively inexpensive meal.
The beach starts by Ballona Creek, where you can set your sights on the yachts of Marina Del Rey across the way, and the beach ends three miles south at El Segundo. At this end of Dockweiler, if you catch a whiff of something awful, it’s probably coming from the nearby Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant. The ocean breeze will help temper the smell a bit, but once in a while there’s not much you can do about the stench. The Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors has a website with some pretty basic information about Dockweiler. Visit http://beaches.co.la.ca.us/BandH/Beaches/Dockweiler.htm if you feel like taking a look.
Practicalities
Dockweiler is open daily from 7 am until 10 pm. On most days, especially when the weather is mediocre, you can find parking pretty easily in one of the lots along the beach or on the street. Playa Del Rey has one lot with a fee (a quarter for every fifteen minutes) at the end of Pacific Avenue and one free lot further south on Pacific Avenue. There’s also a free lot by the playground off of Esplanade Street. El Segundo has two lots with fees on Vista Del Mar with entrances near the Imperial Highway. Lifeguard towers are manned on both sides of the beach, and this is also one of the few beaches in the LA area (Cabrillo Beach is the other one) where you can have a bonfire. Go to the area near El Segundo if you want to sit next to a fire pit. If you’re hungry and can’t bear to leave the seaside, stop off at the RC Grill, a concession stand located just north of Imperial Highway. On occasion, a hot dog vendor parks his cart in Playa Del Rey near the parking lot at the end of Pacific Avenue.
Restrooms
One set of public restrooms is located on the Playa Del Rey side of the beach and one set of restrooms is located at the El Segundo area. They are generally kept pretty clean, but as with all public restrooms, sometimes you have to lower your expectations juuust a bit.
Sports
You won’t find a ton of amenities for sports out here, but you can expect to get a good game of volleyball going, and folks do occasionally surf or boogie board as well. The bike path tends to have light traffic passing through this part of the beach. When the sun’s out, you’ll find roller bladers and bikers making their way from Santa Monica to Manhattan Beach and back. There’s also a hang gliding facility called the Dockweiler State Beach Flight Training Park that is perfect for beginners since the bluff isn’t too steep and you have a nice patch of sand to cushion your landing. Windsports runs the program and offers a beginning lesson for $120. You can call 818-367-2430 for more information. The closest parking lot is located off Vista Del Mar just south of Imperial Highway. Expect to pay $2 from 6 am to 9 am, $5 from 9 am to 5 pm, and $2 from 5 pm to closing. The lot directly off of West Imperial Highway has a flat fee of $5 per day.
Dockweiler RV Park
One big draw to Dockweiler for out-of-towners is the RV Park. The unique thing about this place is that it’s right on the beach. You’ll find everything you need here, including hot showers, picnic tables, barbecue pits, RV spaces with hook-ups, dump stations, and a laundromat. Depending on the season and which space you get, expect to pay $24–32 per day to park your recreational vehicle. For an extra fee of two dollars per day, you can bring your pet, too. Make your reservations far in advance since this is a popular spot—you can reserve up to three months ahead of time by calling the office at 800-950-7275, Monday through Friday from 8 am–4 pm. Drive to 12001 Vista Del Mar and enter the park off of West Imperial Highway.
If you find yourself in the area for a summer swim at midnight, go to Main and Imperial in El Segundo for a late-night snack. There are a few 24 hour doughnut shops that cater to the late-night airport workers.