Beaches, tide pools and lake beaches with kids around Los Angeles
Los Angeles beaches come in three kinds: harbor beaches like Mother's Beach and the Cabrillo inner beach with no waves, shallow water and summer lifeguards, where a 2-year-old first meets the ocean; big surf beaches like Manhattan Beach and Annenberg, for digging, piers and sea breeze; and the tide pools at Corona del Mar, Crystal Cove and outer Cabrillo that appear only at low tide, with starfish, anemones and crabs for the big kids.
If you'd rather not drive an hour to the coast, Santa Fe Dam has a lake beach and water play area 10 minutes from Arcadia, and Puddingstone Lake in San Dimas has a summer swim beach. At the coast, the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica is the easiest: playground, splash pad, showers and a cafe; the Manhattan Beach pier ends in a free little aquarium; Cabrillo is one beach with two ways to play, next to a free aquarium; and Crystal Cove in Orange County has a shuttle, historic cottages and milkshakes.
- 8 places
- 8 free
- 6 stroller-friendly
- closest is 10 min away
8 places
Drive times from Arcadia
Santa Fe Dam Lake Beach and Water Play Area
5.0Irwindale · 10 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Entry about $10 per car (more on holidays), lot right next to the beach
Cabrillo Beach Inner Harbor and Tide Pools
5.0San Pedro · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Beach lot about $1–2/hour (daily cap on summer weekends), right next to the aquarium
Mother's Beach (Marina del Rey)
5.0Marina del Rey · 55 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: County lot off Admiralty Way, hourly (about $1–2/hour), arrive in the morning on summer weekends
Annenberg Community Beach House
5.0Santa Monica · 60 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Beach House lot charges by the hour (about $3/hour, summer day rate about $12), full before noon on summer weekends
Puddingstone Lake Beach (Bonelli Park)
4.0San Dimas · 20 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Entry about $10–12 per car, dedicated lot at the swim area
Manhattan Beach Pier and Beach
4.0Manhattan Beach · 50 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: County lot under the pier and street meters (about $1.5–2/hour), arrive before 10am on summer weekends
Crystal Cove State Park
4.0Newport Beach · 65 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: State park lots about $15/day per car (Los Trancos, Pelican Point and Reef Point entrances)
Little Corona del Mar Tide Pools
3.0Newport Beach · 60 min drive
2.5 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free street parking on Poppy Ave and the surrounding neighborhood, hard to find after 9am on weekends; or the Corona del Mar State Beach lot (paid)
💡 Good to know
- For tide pools, check the NOAA tide table and pick a negative tide, wear grippy water shoes, and take nothing from the reserves.
- The ocean isn't warm until August; harbor beaches occasionally have water-quality advisories, so check the LA County public health beach page. The coast runs 15 degrees cooler than the Valley, so pack a layer.