Will Rogers State Beach

Will Rogers State Beach
Location	Pacific Palisades, California
Coordinates	34°2′23″N 118°33′37″W
Governing body	California Department of Parks and Recreation
Official website

Will Rogers State Beach is a beach park on the Santa Monica Bay, at the Pacific coast of Southern California. It is located in Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, and is protected as part of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. It is popular within the LGBT community and is therefore considered Los Angeles' unofficial gay beach.

Overview

The beach extends one and three quarters miles along the coast. It has many facilities, including volleyball courts, gymnastic equipment, restrooms, a playground, and a bike path. The bike path is part of the South Bay Bicycle Trail and extends 19.1 miles (30.7 km) along the shore to Torrance, California. The Beach is also a popular surf spot.

Many films and television shows have been filmed at the beach, including Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Kiss, La Belle dame sans merci, Summer Children, Holidays with Heather, and Hangman. Also the television show Baywatch was shot at the beach before it moved to Hawaii.

History

The beach is named after actor Will Rogers. In the 1920s, Rogers bought the land and developed a ranch along the coast. He owned 186 acres (0.75 km²) along the coast in what is now Pacific Palisades. Rogers died in a plane crash in 1935. Then when his widow, Betty, died in 1944, the ranch became a state park.

See also

• Will Rogers State Historic Park
• California State Beaches
• List of California state parks

External links

• official 'Will Rogers State Beach website
• WatchtheWater.org weather conditions
• Los Angeles County Beaches