Let's just talk about the beach area - not the aquarium or the boat launch or the bbq area. It's questionable - like how you ask? -food trash all over especially the shore line -loud ass music blaring...no rest for the weary -my favorite thing is the parents constantly yelling and physically threatening their kids. -kids and adults wearing inappropriate clothes for swimming = see thru underwear -dogs peeing all over grassy area between the beach and lot. -the water is scary thanks to the adjacent L.A. and Long Beach ports. P.s. The one nice thing I saw on this beach was a small memorial of people singing 'Glory, Glory Hallelujah' in spanish sad but touching. P.p.s. it was a baptism - two guys jumped into the water with suits! Parking is a few dollars and close to the beach. The beach has no waves so it's good for kids. That's why this place is crowded during summer weekends. read more

Cabrillo Beach - Sad but touching memorial service :( - Beaches Near Me - San Pedro, California

This beach is one of the most toxic, ghetto-a$$ beaches I've ever been to....it's dirty as hell. The only thing I love about this beach is that it's GREAT for BON-FIRES! THAT's ALL! I had a friend who went fishing here and caught a bunch of big-ass fish, right? BUT...the damn water was so pollutted, we couldn't even eat the damn fish because it had all sorts of toxic crap and chemicals! I honestly, would rather go to Redondo Beach because it's wayyyyy bigger, better parking and a whole lot more to see. This beach needs a big-ass Brita Water filter. read more

Beautiful natural beauty of the California coastline. However, the lack of sufficient security has led to many unsavory characters hanging out in the parking lots and picnic areas. read more

When I'm visiting family in SoCal I usually stay in San Pedro. This beach is a 2 minute walk from my sisters place. Two sections one is the calm side with steady waters and the other has waves. I prefer the wave side. But I see many people doing water activities in the calm side such as paddle boarding. Parking is not free, but we just walk so not an issue. They have a free Aquarium near by worth checking out if you're in the area. The beach is fairly clean, but lots of seaweed everywhere. Bonus free wifi on the beach lol. read more

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Cabrillo beach is located in the corner of San Pedro. Home of the grunion run & well .... anyone really. I gave it 4 stars because i have mad love for this beach, it brings back so many good childhood/adulthood memory's. The Cabrillo aquarium is located right next door walking distance). There is parking inside (1 buck per hour..closes at 10pm)& free street parking. Theres many things to do such as take a swim, picnic tables, fire pitts & a nice board walk where you can take a walk or go fishing. I would've given it the full 5 stars but this beach has a rep for having not so clean water, idk i still jump in & never got sick or a rash like i did in Santa monica..*shivers at thought* This beach is good for anyone, children (theres a jungle gym), party people (restroom/bath house), love birds, seniors, large groups & so on. read more

Cabrillo Beach - Would you like it on the rocks? - Beaches Near Me - San Pedro, California

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Love it!Not crowded and clean.Tide pools are great and so many interesting things to see and do.

Great beach for family reunions and the average picnic outings as there's tons of benches and lots of grass areas for that. Parking fees aren't too bad either, coming in at about $1 per hour. That's a lot cheaper compared to most beach parking (ehem... $15 for Huntington). I'd come here if I wanted to do a mini picnic or something I guess, but as for the beach itself... not sure. The water looked rather dirty. I don't know if it's because it's located right next to the Port of Los Angeles, but it just wasn't water I'd get into. The pier isn't bad though. It's nice walking all the way to the end, checking out the waves and currents against the breakwaters. Lots of ships going by, either from the port or people just casually boating. Also, when you're on the pier, it's wonderful looking back towards inland at the cliffs and hills of San Pedro. Beautiful sight, I must say, especially on a sunny day. There is also a tide pool area right below the cliffs that you could check out - the Point Fermin Tide Pools, they call it. You're not going to see much though, as far as little sea creatures go. It's a whole shoreline of rocks and sand, along with concrete ruins of what looked like used to be stairs. I'm going to assume this once belonged to homes or businesses that went crashing into the ocean during a major landslide many decades ago (i.e. go see Sunken City). There were lots of them, it was incredible and a bit sad. While it may just be rocks at the tidepools, it's awesome being there, just looking out to the sea. There were some random kids at the far end (near what looked to be a sewer of some sort... or a secret tunnel related to Fort MacArthur?) who didn't look like they were up to any good (drugs? lol). But other than that, it's neat. It's still quite peaceful being there. read more

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This beach is small and quaint. It's one of the few beaches around where you can have a bonfire. This is also a great place to catch the grunion run or explore the tide pools and if that's not enough you can pop over to the Cabrillo Marine Museum which is conveniently located on the other side of the parking lot read more

Ah, Cabrillo Beach. When I tell people about this one, they're usually surprised with the idea of a beach in San Pedro. San Pedro, [aka: Dro-town] is where you can find this isolated little stretch of sand. We locals like to refer to it as "where the ghetto meets the sea". Imagine white sand [trucked in from Lancaster] and palm trees. A mini aquarium filled with jellies and mini-sharks. Tide-pools, kayaking and a 1920's historic "bathhouse". It's one of those beaches you see in old black and white movies, and it's only getting better. Cabrillo is in the middle of a HUGE restoration project put on my the port, with new lifeguard stations, a bigger fancier bike/pedestrian path, a grass amphitheater and a more user-friendly parking lot. It's easy to spend a day here, especially if you're into the beaches most popular sports : windsurfing and kayaking. Cabrillo has the only boat launch between Redondo Beach and Long Beach, so it is frequented by all sorts of boaters. From the Catalina-bound weekend warriors to the kayak fishermen, the water surrounding the beach is usually packed with everything from mega-yachts to tiny inflatable rafts. But be advised... if you're not from Pedro, you might be shocked at the patronage. You WILL stand out if you're wearing a bathing suit. Expect Baptisms in the water on Sundays. Expect a packed barbeque area on weekends. Expect vendors selling $1.00 tamales and champurrado out of a cooler. Do expect a good time. Especially from your local friendly lifeguards :) read more

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THE PIER IS CLOSED DUE TO COVI-19. Drove out here to go fishing on the pier. The website didn't say it was closed so we went anyway. Only to find that there was a fence put on the pier entrance with police tape. What a bummer! You can still access the beach and fish off the side, or on the rocks but it's not the same. Also, since you aren't technically fishing off the pier, make sure you have a fishing license! The fish and wildlife warden passed through and checked us all. Glad we had ours, but a bunch of people got busted. I plan on returning to give this place another shot, but it may be a while until the pier is opened again with everything going on right now. :( read more

Beautiful beach, first time here and I love it. Nice walkway to the rocks n water to get a little closer. Will definitely be back with my hubby. read more

Cabrillo Beach - Walkway on Cabrillo Beach - Beaches Near Me - San Pedro, California

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Came back after 6 years of being away and it's still one of my favorite gems in LA. It's one of the least touristy beaches in LA and there are tide pools! The parking is exceptionally reasonable at $1/hr, especially compared to the $20 parking at Venice Beach. Like the last time I came here, families are still BBQing and setting up hammocks. It's super laidback and I still love that there's so much to do nearby. read more

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Ok city beach. Not the most scenic. My family wanted to "go to the beach" and I was in charge of taking them there. Unfortunately, my mind-reading abilities were off that day. We left from Disneyland heading to the closest shore. After failing with a first stop at Long Beach, we drove towards Cabrillo Beach to see an actual beach. Unfortunately, Cabrillo was also a bad stop. Traveling from Long Beach, you will pass by the Port of LA. You will still see part of the port from one side of Cabrillo Beach. Nice sand, but not very scenic. The good thing is that the beach is on a corner of land, so you can easily cross over to the other side. The bad thing is that there was a nice cliff overlooking the ocean, but as you see across a large part of LA, it was tagged by a gang. Not the cleanest beach we have seen. There is a big bathhouse, and I was able to use the restroom. The women's restroom was outside. I finally found that my family wanted Venice Beach, which is in a more lively area. If you want a quieter beach and beach area, visit Cabrillo. read more

Cabrillo Beach. Is a great spot to chill and enjoy God ac. The breeze here feels so good to ya. I enjoy how quiet and peaceful it is here. Was very hot today was in bearable but when I arrived here it was like wow. So nice and cool here I was very happy to stop by and enjoy the ocean beach read more

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I only saw this beach in the middle of the night, trying to catch the grunion run, a first attempt in my 20+ years in Los Angeles! (Guess what, we either missed it, or they didn't run that night. See my review on Grunion Run) Beach overlooks the industrial sights of San Pedro and Long Beach. Not sure how that would look in daylight. There were hundreds of people there this night, lots of screaming wee ones, and people with mining lights strapped to their foreheads and large buckets milling about at midnight. Surreal. Ah, pure L.A. Parking was free at night and plentiful. Easy walk to the sand. Grassy areas too.Their was the little bay (no waves) and the beyond the jetty, crashing waves at the real beach. Not a large expanse of sand on this beach, so I am sure it crowds up mightily in the day time. Facilities close by, and adjacent to Cabrillo Marine sanctuary/ aquarium read more

I like cabrillo. I have tons of memories here as a child. As an adult I've only been out here with my dog or a few friends. Last time I was here was for a bonfire. They have several firepits just to the right of the main entrance. It's really clean but can get crowded. There was a group next to us trying to steal our pit but eventually they backed off, they should've gotten there in the morning like we did. Their change area/rest rooms are pretty clean considering the amount of people that go there. It's kinda gross (to me) having to walk thru the change/rinse area to get to the rest rooms. I saw lots of butts that I could've done without seeing. Also who lets their 12 yr oldish son change in the womens section?!? I'd be traumatize if I were in his shoes. If you don't want to pay for parking there's plenty of street parking a block before you enter their lot. There's also a couple of stores minutes away for those last minute bonfire needs :) read more

Cabrillo Beach - Trash your friends not the beach lifeguard house - Beaches Near Me - San Pedro, California

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One of my favorite places in being in California I have grown up in the South Bay Los Angeles. I love to see the waves and see hermit crabs and other sea life the only problem I have is the litter but other than that it is great I also love the Cabrillo Aquarium next door read more

I'm not a beach fan, but at least it's an okay place to hang out with friends in the afternoons. * Cool breeze as sunset comes * I hate that you have to pay $1.00 for every hour of parking * Pretty much all California beaches are dirty. :p read more

Cabrillo Beach - Beaches Near Me - San Pedro, California

This was by far the most filthy and smelly beach I have ever stepped foot on. I was so disgusted with the dirty water. I mean, what do I expect it's located right on the ships port. I was so nervous allowing my boys to enter the water, but boys will be boys, and of course, they didn't listen. The restrooms were filthy and smelled really bad. I will NEVER step foot on this beach again! read more

Cabrillo Beach - I don't think it was a good idea allowing them to enter the filthy water. - Beaches Near Me - San Pedro, California

Pretty sleazy, and the water is murky. You shouldn't really swim in it at all especially from all the diapers I've seen around. It attracts a lot of homeless and there's tagging everywhere. No lifeguards on duty so swim with the sharks at your own risk. Besides that, it has some cool fire pits, a lot of sandwich shops a short drive away so you can have a picnic. And it's always nice just to have the beach at your feet and hear the waves. Also, make sure you leave on time, the cops made their rounds telling people that one night and forgot to tell us, so all the gates were locked and I had to go off roading up into the park above and try not to smash into any trees, homeless or benches! read more

Cabrillo beach is a nice spot if you don't want to be in a over crowd beach like Santa Monica or Venice beach!!! They have barbecue grills and tables to enjoy quality time with the family. They have a play area for the kids as well. Definitely, look forward to being out there again. read more

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Endlessly Fascinating. A Beach with vollyeball tents, firepits, and easy access with lots of nature. San Pedro has lots of cliffs and hills but this is one park that is worth the drive all the way up the hill. Hidden away this is the ultimate place to come on a cloudy day (yes not a sunny day) or on a balmy day like today its amazing. The pale grey clouds are haphazardly strewn across the blue sky, and the sunlight is bright, but not too bright. A great place to visit by yourself or with friends. You can't help but feel a sense of joy in both sunny and cloudy weather. Even wrote a few poems. Enjoy! ------------- THE WIND The wind speaks softly After losing its force and settling low It whispers gently across the sea and carries its voice down below "You are finally free" The wind calmly speaks The wind has carried us through When we were both strong and weak The wind has no need to blow for it has finally found release. The wind is now free with our embrace and together, we have both found inner peace. ----------------------------------- Forgetting Someone Forgetting someone is like forgetting to open your fast during Ramadan when the sun has finally set You are tired and weak for such a long time You learn to deal with the pain You forget how long it has been But then you hear the call to prayer and then you remember. ------------------------------- read more

One of the worst beaches ever! This place is so ghetto half the people here didn't even have swimwear on they were getting into the water with clothes and it is infested with gross little sand fleas or flies or whatever you call them! We decided to come check this beach out after someone called it. "A Hidden gem" please this is a gem you want to stay hidden! This is by far the ugliest beach that I have ever been to! YUK read more

Cabrillo Beach - Beaches Near Me - San Pedro, California

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So, I'm not going to lie, this isn't the prettiest beach you'll ever go to, but it's also not the ugliest. I'm not really sure how to word this review...I want to be sensitive to the locals...pft, yeah right. I've been coming to this beach since I was in middle school so I can basically say whatever I want. Booyah! Truth, this place is for the stoners, crack addicts, occasional lovers, homeless, aquarium lovers, military folks, heck..I just described San Pedro residents! I kid, I kid. Anyway, if you want to come to a semi-secluded part of the beach to just kick back and have a bonfire, this is your spot. Note to the penniless, this beach charges for front row parking (other parking consists of parking at the top of the hill and walking down). Another sidenote, I do not recommend swimming in the water. I remember people telling me how they found needles in the sand and water!! Is it true? Who knows, but do you really want to find out? With that being said, enjoy the craptastic (literally) water, and the endless view of the Pacific Ocean. read more

If I could give this beach no stars, I would. One of the (if not the only) nastiest beaches I've been too, broken glass in the dirt near the trees, trash everywhere, people walked right next to it & didn't bother picking anything up, I picked up what I could. The bathrooms were beyond nasty, no toilet paper, I'm assuming no trash cans, the trash in there was on the floor, piled high between two stalls, all kinds of trash, pads, diapers, just nasty stuff. Safe to say I'll never be going back. read more

Who doesn't like the beach right? Nice clean beach. Saw families enjoying the cooking areas. A lot of nice spots to go swimming and surfing. Only downfall was the restrooms. Not clean but I guess expected since we are at the beach. Hoping the aquarium was open. I'm afraid of crossing BIG bridges but I made it. Overall nice enjoyable day! read more

Cabrillo Beach is truly one of San Pedro's little known gems. I know when I think of San Pedro, I think of the harbor, fishing and the main seaport of the Pacific Coast. I would still have no idea that there was a beach in San Pedro, if it weren't for my grandparents. I always looked forward to spending time with my grandparents, because during the summers, we would always plan a day at the beach. They were so close to Manhattan Beach, but would always drive the extra distance to go to San Pedro. The part of the beach we went to was the little quarrantined off cove section that had rocks on each side of the about 500 foot span of beach. It was fun, safe, and easy for my grandparents to keep an eye on my brother and I. We would always start off our day at the Cabrillo Museum first, and then spend the rest of the day at the beach. I can't wait until the summer comes to go back and visit! read more

Nasty Beach, no waves, very very dirty. I came to check it out because it's what I do I go to different beaches, this one was one of the worst I've been to. read more

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This beach is disappointing in that on one side (you can walk up a little bridge/path) you have all these amazing tide pools (lots of kids on field trips) teeming with life--not to mention an aquarium on the property, yet directly next to it at the actual beach/park, there's quite a bit of litter surrounding what could be a nice beach area (and up the sidewalks as well). It's more of a local hangout, with kids, families, teens hanging out etc. I'm not local but stopped by several times during a couple day stay in the area. I did manage to find a nice quiet spot to relax, and it's the Pacific so of course it's beautiful looking out into the waves. Just saw people littering and leaving behind trash - take pride in where you live! Also super busy, like buuuusy, even on a 65 degree day. Like the other reviewers, I suggest keeping that in mind if you're looking for something more tranquil. I DID love the tide pools and nearby aquarium though. That was an amazing experience! read more

A tourist destination? Definitely not! You have to drive through some really ghetto areas to get to this beach, although the beach itself is nice. I live in Long Beach, which is ghetto itself, and I wouldn't swim in the water here as I wouldn't swim in LB water, but on the right side of the beach is a really cool rock-beach-walkway thing. It appears you can pretty much go as far as you desire, and it's really cool, you feel like a bit of an adventurer. Also a beautiful view of Catalina as this is prob some of the closest you'll get to it from mainland. There is a nice park for kids. There is also (as so I am informed) a free aquarium. The beach itself is small and ok. Definitely a non-standard beach view which can be good or bad depending upon the mood you're in (looking at a lot of oil tankers and whatnot). For people in LB, the closest nice beach imo is Seal, if you're in San Pedro it's probably Redondo, but this is a nice option to have, especially if you have kids who want to use the playground, or are in the mood to walk on rocks. read more

I like this beach specifically because you can drive up to the beach and not worry about having to hike to get to where you want to go. Its parking is normally $1 an hour, but because it was the holiday weekend, it was a flat fee of $9.00. There was plenty of parking and even a boat launch here. It is connected to the Cabrillo aquarium and there are fire pits and bbq pits around for families. The only thing I didnt like was that it was VERY windy. It could have just been this day. I will definitely go back. They even have a walk way to the side that leads to a rocky area with tide pools. BUT check the tide calendar to know when it is best to go out there. I will personally be going back soon. read more

Cabrillo Beach - Beaches Near Me - San Pedro, California

This is an all in one beach. You get a little park style grass to sit on and cool off, you get ocean and waves, sand and beach, mostly clean. And you get to go to an aquarium for FREE. What else could you ask for?!... There is a section for surfing, kayaking, paddle boarding. There are couple of bun fires, and BBQ. In the corner, they have a boat dock and parking's. So if you like jet skiing this is a great place too. Many bathrooms, and out door shower for surfers. I am cheap :-), but I always park in their lot and pay for it. Because I like the way they maintain this beach and that is my contribution. This is my go to spot on rainy evenings in winter. Walking under the rain by enormous mad waves slapping the rocks melt away any impurity in my soul. Give this beach a try. read more

This beach is ok at first sight. That's until you get up close and personal with it. This beach is actually considered one of the dirtiest in California (even the country) -- Thanks to massive bird droppings, garbage left over from bonfires/parties, and harbor pollution from the nearby marinas and the sport fishing boats. http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/30/slimy-summer-the-10-dirtiest-beaches-in-america/ Read it (#2) and weep :( read more

The beach is a nice place to chill out, a long, lovely pier, so many boats, volleyball court, 2 children's playgrounds, bathrooms and grass area with shade trees for chilling. The aquarium and the beach were not too crowded and the breeze was perfect on this summer day. I cannot wait to come back. read more

I come here often because it's local and there is so much to do here with the kids. The positive: - 2 Volleyball nets - Lots of room for playing other sports - Firepits (one of two in LA County that allows bon fires) - Never crowded on the side with the firepits - I like to take a scenic walk to the tidepools - Huge bathroom with showers and a dressing room - Walk to the Cabrillo Aquarium and nursery.. so many activities for kids there. - You can easily find free parking on the street during on the week days. - The other side of the beach has a playground and a LOT of picnic tables. The negative: - Dirty beach water.. I don't recommend swimming, just a little wading. - A little on the ghetto side.. you'll see people swimming fully dressed. - The bathrooms close early. - The side with the playground gets crowded. I stay away from that side. read more

My review is for this whole little nook, because if it was for the actual beach part-that is two stars yuck! You can park right before the cashier in the residential area if you find any open spots for free. Otherwise you pay per hour (no idea how much). Phone service is usually pretty bad down here. There is a pier for fishing, two beaches that do not have many waves since it is port water, the aquarium, a venue/ daycare &summer camp, and an area where boats leave out of. I like to start a long walk (or cruise on your bike!)from the Double Tree area (which also has free parking) and walk all the way to the pier/ beach and back. The aquarium over here is wonderful, it is free and purely works on donations. It is a great little area, unfortunately a gross beach, a lot of rowdy crowds, and trash :( My advice is to see the aquarium or go for a walk/ bike ride, but don't bother with the beach. read more

Just a really great beach. Sure you can go to Redondo, Manhattan, OC beaches, but what a pain! Parking is plentiful and cheap. Great place for bon-fires, bodyboarding, and wind surfing. There are two beaches. The man made one and the real one. I'm not sure I would feel comfortable going into the man made one as it's set next to the harbor and doesn't seem to have the same degree of water moving in and out. I haven't encountered broken bottles or syringes on the beach... Life guards are plentiful, "no dogs on the beach" rule is strictly enforced. All in all it's a great value to Los Angeles. read more

Came here today for a friends bonfire party. Parking was a fair price ($5 for 6hrs) and the view is alright. The tide pools are just around the other side of a bridge and they have an aquarium there along with some food caterers. The sand on the other hand next to the bonfire pits was very dirty. I guess I should've expected that. But didn't think I would find glass and nails in the sand while walking barefoot. Definitely not safe. Needles to say, just watch your step when walking around in the sand here. read more

Bathroom area is disgusting smells like urine. No type of sanitary service. The beach overall is nice and peaceful but places to use the bathroom always needs to be clean at all times. Big concern for our health. read more

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What a nifty little spot. I'm actually quite shocked that no one has reviewed this beach.I know this sounds weird but this beach has an open space. The sky just seems bigger. Well to be technical its actually two beaches. You'll just have to see for yourself. Its too bad I did not have any cash on me! I would have done way more exploring. I took advantage of the first 20 minutes are free perk. Next time I have a lot of stuff to check out like the aquarium, the Salinas de San Pedro salt marsh habitat, and more of the beach. It was just so pretty, so nice... Just begging to be photographed. Now where are my models??? Check this place out for some good fun at a beach that does not get as much traffic but has plenty of room for people in case it gets packed. I felt like I was back in time here. Any minute Bettie Page was about to pop up in one of her (in)famous bikini poses. Oh no! Keep that whip away! Its for indoor use only! read more