I lived all my life in California, and this was the first time I got on the Marvin Braude Trail between these two iconic beaches. Santa Monica and Venice Beach.

For most of this story, I’ll share what I seen, what I liked, and tell you about my experience on this beach trail, and why I loved it.

I rode my skateboard, but this trail isn't exclusive to skateboarding. There’s tons of people here, and most of them are on foot. You'll see people walking, plenty getting in a run, and everyone else on rollerblades, bikes, scooters, and skateboards.

The trail attracts an incredible diversity of people. You'll see families stopping at the parks and attractions I'll mention later. Couples walking hand in hand, enjoying each other's company. Locals surf, play soccer, toss frisbees, fly kites, and hang out at the parks.

There's so much activity happening all at once, and it’s this diversity that creates this warm and welcoming California beach culture.

And it all begins with a ride from Santa Monica Pier to Venice Beach Boardwalk and back to the pier for the nighttime lights.

Length: 2.4 miles (3.9 km)

Walk time: 11 minutes

The full length of this trip was about two-and-a-half miles. You can easily walk this stretch in under an hour, bike it in 11-minutes, or somewhere in between if you jog, run, or skate. But if you’re anything like me, you’ll take twice as long if you stop to enjoy the scenery, or any of the cool stuff going on along the way.

Wide shot of an open space muscle beach playground.

At first, I thought this was just a playground for kids. I seen the families out here, moms pushing their kids on the swings, having a good family time. But just to the side of it, I noticed a shift in the crowd and the retro gymnastic structures.

There was these long 25—30 ft ropes hanging from these tall bars, and several people were climbing their way to the top. They also had parallel bars, traveling rings, and high bars that you’ll see gymnasts and acrobats use.

Original Muscle Beach is the original outdoor fitness playground of Southern California. It sits just south of the Santa Monica Pier and has been a gathering spot for gymnasts, acrobats, and strength athletes since the 1930s.

Unlike the more famous Venice weightlifting area, this one is focused on:

It feels more like a performance space than a traditional gym.

Everything is spread out with wide lanes of open sand in between, making the whole area feel massive. Each station has lots of space, so you never feel crowded or feel restricted on attempting some gymnast maneuvers or wild little stunts. And of course you got all the sand, making it a safe splash zone compared to solid ground.

What’s funny is that I didn’t know this was muscle beach, let alone Original Muscle Beach. I never heard of that before, but you can immediately tell, there’s a lot of fitness people here doing some cool acrobatic things. I only wish I had captured some pictures to show you the people actually working out here.

It was fun to watch, if not try out for yourself. It’s a fun little spot for the entire family, and for anyone that wants to play around a little here or just watch everyone else. No one really minds.

Fun Facts

Historical Fun Facts

Throughout this stretch of the trail, there are a lot of little spots where you can stop and just hang out, and that's something I loved about it. The ride never felt too long because there was always something going on. You'll pass food vendors, restrooms, picnic areas, and parks along the whole way, and you're always right next to the beach, so you can look out at any point and spot an open patch of sand if you want to set up for a simple beach day.

First up is Ocean Park.

Ocean Park is a wide open area with a clear view of the beach, lined with tall palm trees and plenty of space to hang out. The park has a large grass area, picnic benches, and volleyball nets set up about 30 feet from the path, close enough that you can hear the game going on from under the palms.

There's also a large parking lot nearby, making it an easy stop whether you're coming from the trail or driving in.

I hung out here for a while, pulled out some protein bars, rehydrated, and just watched people passing by. It was one of those spots where you don't plan on staying long, but then you sit down, feel the breeze off the ocean, and suddenly 20 minutes have gone by without you noticing.

At Ocean Park you'll find:

It’s a great place to relax.

Second up was South Beach Park.

South Beach Park is another stop worth knowing about, especially if you're out here with kids.

It has a cool little playground built to look like a ship that's run aground on the sand, with fabric sails stretched overhead for shade. Beyond the ship structure, the park has open grass, benches, water fountains, and restrooms close by. Everything you'd need to make an afternoon out of it. The park sits right along the beach path with the ocean right in front of you, so kids can run around the playground while everyone else watches the waves roll in or takes a seat on one of the benches.

It's a simple setup overall, but I think the ship design gives it its own personality. There's something about a ship in the sand, right next to the actual ocean, that makes this a cool little playground.

At South Beach Park you'll find:

It’s a great spot for families.

Then there’s Dorothy Green Park.

Dorothy Green Park is a grassy, open park right along the beach path with picnic areas and plenty of space to hang out. It sits closer to the Venice end of the trail, so by the time you reach it, you've already passed through the busier parts and the energy starts to settle down.

The park is named after Dorothy Green, a well-known California water activist and environmentalist who spent decades fighting to protect the state's water resources.

I didn’t stop here, as the sun was already sinking in the horizon, and I wanted to hurry up towards Venice Beach Skatepark before then. Although, this was a beautiful area, with far less people, which is great if you want to avoid the larger crowds.

At Dorothy Green Park you'll find:

It’s a great spot if you want something calm and quieter.

Most of the crowds bunch up around the piers, Venice Boardwalk, and the bigger parks. But in between those spots are long stretches of shoreline where you won't find many people. Just open beach where you can set up, relax, and hang out without fighting for space.

When most people go to the beach, they usually visit the most well known areas. But that also means you'll be in larger crowds, and not everyone wants that. Sometimes a nice little outing for relaxation is all I want. So it was cool to see that you can find a lot of open space in between the pier and the boardwalk.

Another cool thing is that there are multiple parking lots to drive right up to these quieter areas, or you can haul a cooler with wheels or a beach wagon along the trail. There's tons of space on the trail, and you can always park at one of the bigger parking lots at each end and wagon your stuff over.

There's really no excuse you can't enjoy a comfortable day at the beach.

There was a cool little surprise when I arrived at Venice Skatepark.

I always knew there was a skatepark at Venice, but I didn't know that just across the path from it, people gathered for an open skating ring too. It was a fun little discovery. With the sun going down and the lights starting to come on, the whole area shifted in energy. Music was playing, people were dancing, and skating was happening on both sides of the path. The skatepark on one side, the skating ring on the other, and a crowd of people just soaking it all in. This area came the most to life out of everything I saw on the trail.

It was an amazing spot to hang out, whether you wanted to join in or just watch. I think this was the one place that really brought home that feeling of being outdoors and being around people at their best. To see everyone out, having fun, letting loose, and just enjoying life. It was one of those moments where you completely forget about your worries and just get immersed into the atmosphere around you.

As I was skating into the skatepark area, I noticed a good-sized group of people dancing on a smooth, wide concrete section just across the path from the skatepark. It looked like an open skating ring right there in the open air. Music was playing, people were dancing and rolling around on skates, and on the other side of the path you could hear the rumble of skateboards shredding through the bowls. Both things happening at the same time, right next to each other, with the night settling in and the lights coming up around the whole area. It made the entire spot feel incredibly alive.

I ended up hanging out there for about 30 minutes just watching people hanging out. There was plenty of people grooving to the music, laughing, and genuinely having a good time.

I could see why people love to come out here.

About the Venice Beach Skatepark

Venice Beach Skatepark is one of the most well-known skateparks in the world, and if you've never been, it lives up to the reputation. The park sits right on the sand next to the beach path and is free and open to the public. It features a series of concrete bowls, banks, ledges, and wide open concrete that attracts skaters of all levels, from beginners to pros.

On any given evening, you'll see serious skaters doing tricks while tourists and locals gather along the edges to watch.

Fun Facts

The boardwalk is within view from the skatepark, only a few minutes away by foot.

Venice Boardwalk is officially known as Ocean Front Walk, but everyone just calls it Venice Boardwalk. It runs right along the beach and is one of those places that has a little bit of everything going on at once. Tourists are checking out the shop, locals are getting in their daily run, vendors are set up along the strip selling art, clothes, sunglasses, and all kinds of cool things.

There's food, there's music, and people are just out here soaking in the sun on bikes, on boards, and on foot. The whole stretch has this easy, laid-back energy.

Unfortunately, I was too late for the full experience of the boardwalk.

The performers show up and just do their thing right in front of whoever stops to watch. You’ll find musicians, comedians, painters, people doing stunts, and none of this are scheduled shows. It's just part of the dynamic Venice atmosphere.

And the vendors are lined up practically the whole length of the walk, selling handmade goods, vintage gear, and local art. It's one of the few places left where you can actually browse and discover something unexpected just by walking through.

The trail felt like a safe and fun place at night.

Skating back to the pier at night was a completely different experience than the ride going out. The whole trail had lit up with shops, hotels, and restaurants. It glowed all the way down the path, and every now and then someone would roll past with lit up bike wheels or lights strapped to their body, adding to the whole atmosphere moving through the dark.

I was surprised by how many people were still out here between 7 and 8 pm. The energy never really died down. There was something really cool about that, there were lots of people out here, enjoying the same stretch of beach at night.

What I really loved was seeing families and kids still out here having a good time. Everyone looked relaxed and happy, not worried about anything. The only real thing to watch out for was someone skating by in the darker stretches of the path. I slowed down and stayed more alert once the lighting got thinner between spots. I didn’t want to run into anyone.

I'm definitely coming back to skate further along the trail and stay out longer into the night.

This was one thing I knew I had to try before I left the beach. A funnel cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream. And it was so good too.

I'm a sucker for funnel cakes. It's a guilty pleasure whenever I visit a place like this. I only have them maybe once or twice a year, so when the opportunity is right there in front of me, I'm not passing it up. That's probably exactly why I still love them.

Coming back to the pier at night was a completely different experience than leaving it earlier in the day. The whole thing lights up with neon signs, carnival rides, and a buzzing crowd of people still out enjoying the evening. Just walking through everything was good enough for me. I passed a large arcade that I genuinely wish I had stuck around longer for, and the roller coaster and Ferris wheel were running well into the night with people lined up to ride.

Santa Monica Pier is one of the most iconic landmarks in Southern California. It stretches out over the Pacific Ocean and has been drawing visitors since it first opened in 1909. The pier is home to Pacific Park, an amusement park built right on the water, and it's one of the few places in the world where you can ride a roller coaster over the ocean. At night, the rides and the neon glow reflecting off the water make the whole pier feel like something out of a postcard.

At the pier you'll find:

Fun Facts

Here’s a cool little illustration of what I did on this trip. It was such a fun experience, I’ll be coming back to do it again next week. Except, this time, I’ll cover far more of this 22 mill trail. I’ll see how far I go, but I think I’ll ride a bike next time around.

See you in the next one.

Until next time,

Amado Aguilar