Sand Dune Park
Park
9 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Evanthomas1 at English Wikipedia · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Manhattan Beach
9% of Manhattan Beach’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 3.4 miles of mapped trail cross Manhattan Beach, 0.9 per square mile of land. 9% of Manhattan Beach’s land is conserved, about 238 acres.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #313 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
238 acres · of 3.9 sq mi of land
Trails
3.4 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
115 ac
3.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
18 mi
5.9 mi lanes · 2.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Manhattan Beach?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Manhattan Beach have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Manhattan Beach is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #313 of 847 in California. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Manhattan Beach’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land3.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents (115 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 63%
Water is more than half of Manhattan Beach’s area (6 of 10 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Sand Dune Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Marine Avenue Park
Park
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Sand Dune Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Marine Avenue Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Live Oak Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWater Tower Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Polliwog Park18 acres
DirectionsManhattan Heights Park3 acres
DirectionsBruce’s Beach1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
238 conserved acres
9% of Manhattan Beach’s land. Water is left out: Manhattan Beach has 3.9 square miles of land and 6.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Manhattan Beach’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city142 ac
County95 ac
Local Park · 180 acLocal Recreation Area · 52 acLocal Other or Unknown · 6 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan County Beach Local Park | County | 95 | Open |
| Polliwog Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Veterans Parkway Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Marriott Municipal Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Restricted |
| Mira Costa High School Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Restricted |
| Live Oak Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Marine Avenue Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Marine Sports Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Pacific Elementary School Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Restricted |
| Manhattan Beach Pier Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
38 places to go in Manhattan Beach
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Manhattan Beach
35 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Manhattan Beach
Marine Ave Dog ParkIn Marine Avenue Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Manhattan Beach
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
18 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.4 mi
off-road bike paths
9.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
98Beach volleyball
44Tennis
25Basketball
12Baseball
5Soccer
5Volleyball
2Football
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Manhattan Beach: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 65 | 65 | 66 | 68 | 69 | 71 | 74 | 76 | 75 | 73 | 69 | 65 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.2 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 3.3 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Manhattan Beach →
Next door
Manhattan Beach and its neighbors
Manhattan Beach has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan Beach | 9% | 0.9 | 3 | 99%+ | A− |
| El Segundo | 4% | 0.4 | 4 | 99%+ | B |
| Hermosa Beach | 15% | 1.9 | 5 | 99%+ | A |
| Redondo Beach | 5% | 0.8 | 2 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Manhattan Beach
Where can I hike in Manhattan Beach?
The longest trail networks: Sand Dune Park, 0.4 miles; Marine Avenue Park, 0.3 miles; Live Oak Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Manhattan Beach is conserved land?
9% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Manhattan Beach’s trails?
Sand Dune Park and Marine Avenue Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Manhattan Beach?
18 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.9 of painted or protected lanes, 2.4 of off-road paths and 9.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Manhattan Beach?
6,713 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Manhattan Beach or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 115 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Manhattan Beach have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #313 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Manhattan Beach neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →