Palisades Park
Park
22 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome · Photo: Richard Wang took this photo and has released it under the GDFL. · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Santa Monica
Santa Monica has 9.3 miles of mapped trails, 1.1 for every square mile of land
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Palisades Park (2.5 mi), Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (1.4 mi), Tongva Park (1.4 mi). 7% of Santa Monica’s land is conserved, about 387 acres.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #353 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
387 acres · of 8.4 sq mi of land
Trails
9.3 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
235 ac
2.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
66 mi
39 mi lanes · 8.8 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Santa Monica?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Santa Monica have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Santa Monica is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #353 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Santa Monica’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land2.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (235 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 70%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 58%
Water is more than half of Santa Monica’s area (9 of 17 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 Palisades Park, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Managed by National Park Service
244 acres1.4 mi of trail
Bay Street Path
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lot
All 23 parks & preserves
Palisades Park22 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation Area244 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsTongva Park6 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsVirginia Avenue Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsOcean View Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsReed Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Douglas Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHotchkiss Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsClover Park19 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAirport Park13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMarine Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBarnard Way Linear Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBeach Park 13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsIshihara Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJoslyn Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCrescent Bay Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGandara Park3 acres
DirectionsColorado Center Park3 acres
DirectionsLos Amigos Park3 acres
DirectionsSouth Beach Park1 acres
DirectionsOzone Park1 acres
DirectionsBeach Green1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
387 conserved acres
7% of Santa Monica’s land. Water is left out: Santa Monica has 8.4 square miles of land and 8.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Santa Monica’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city383 ac
Private owners2 ac
County1 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 211 acLocal Park · 142 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 27 acLocal Recreation Area · 3 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica State Beach Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 207 | Open |
| Palisades Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Woodlawn Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Clover Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| San Vicente Median Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Virginia Avenue Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Airport Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Marine Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Tongva Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
68 places to go in Santa Monica
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Santa Monica
Palisades BeachIn Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Santa Monica
Playgrounds in Santa Monica
Douglas Park PlaygroundIn Douglas Park
DirectionsOld Muscle BeachIn Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
DirectionsSouth Beach Park playgroundIn Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Directions41 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Santa Monica
Airport Dog ParkIn Airport Park
DirectionsDOG PPLFee
DirectionsHerb Katz Dog ParkIn Joslyn Park
DirectionsPacific Street Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Santa Monica
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Santa Monica
6 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Santa Monica
Airport Avenue Demonstration Gardens
DirectionsIshihara Park Learning GardenIn Ishihara Park
DirectionsMarine Park Community GardenIn Marine Park · City of Santa Monica
DirectionsYale Street Urban Garden
DirectionsPlus 2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.3 mi
Copeland Court0.1 mi
Bay Street Path0.1 mi
Biking & sports
66 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
39 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
8.8 mi
off-road bike paths
18 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
56Tennis
44Basketball
20Beach volleyball
10Baseball
7Soccer
4Football
3Tracks
3Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Horatio West CourtBuilding · listed 1977
About itParkhurst BuildingBuilding · listed 1978
About itHenry Weaver HouseDistrict · listed 1989
About itCharmont ApartmentsBuilding · listed 1996
About itSovereign HotelBuilding · listed 1997
About itClub Casa Del MarBuilding · listed 2000
About it27th Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2009
About itBay Street Beach Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2019
About itIsaac Milbank HouseBuilding · listed 2023
About itSanta Monica Civic AuditoriumBuilding · listed 2024
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Santa Monica: 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 | 64 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 71 | 74 | 76 | 75 | 73 | 69 | 64 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 2.4 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 3.6 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Santa Monica →
Next door
Santa Monica and its neighbors
Santa Monica has the second most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica | 7% | 1.1 | 3 | 95% | B+ |
| Los Angeles | 15% | 1.5 | 9 | 83% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Santa Monica
Where can I hike in Santa Monica?
The longest trail networks: Palisades Park, 2.5 miles; Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, 1.4 miles; Tongva Park, 1.4 miles; Clover Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Santa Monica is conserved land?
7% 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 Santa Monica’s trails?
Palisades Park and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Santa Monica?
66 miles of bike routes are on the map: 39 of painted or protected lanes, 8.8 of off-road paths and 18 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Santa Monica?
31,836 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Santa Monica or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 235 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Santa Monica have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #353 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 Santa Monica 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 →