Santa Monica State Beach
Santa Monica State Beach is a California State Park operated by the city of Santa Monica.
The beach is located along Pacific Coast Highway. It is long and has parks, picnic areas, playgrounds, restrooms, as well as staffed lifeguard stations, the Muscle Beach, bike rentals, concessions, a few hotels, a bike path, and wooden pathways for beachgoers with disabilities. Visitor activities include volleyball, surfing, stand up paddleboarding, and swimming. Smoking at the beach is prohibited.
Activities
At the foot of Colorado Avenue lies the Santa Monica Pier, which dates from 1909. The pier has a National Historic Landmark -– the 1922 Looff Hippodrome Carousel.Just south of the pier volleyball courts is International Chess Park with public chess tables and a human-scale chessboard set into the sidewalk.
Palisades Park is located atop Santa Monica's cliffs, providing a vantage point to see the Santa Monica Beach and the Pacific Ocean.
The beach is the one featured in the album art for Umbrella Beach by Owl City.
The beach will host beach volleyball and surfing during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Wildlife
s nest on the beach.In November, 2023, the city announced a plan to restore an additional of beach north of the pier into a native coastal strand habitat.
The California Office of Environmental [Health Hazard Assessment] has developed a safe eating advisory for fish caught in the Santa Monica Beach based on levels of mercury or PCBs found in local species.