The Best Dog Beach Near L.A. Is in Huntington Beach, Not Long Beach

Ranked by what each beach's own posted rules allow, how many hours dogs get each day and what parking costs.

The best dog beach near L.A. is in Huntington Beach, and it isn't close. Huntington Dog Beach is open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the year, and dogs run loose once they hit the sand.

I put three beaches that take dogs, in and near L.A., in order by what each one's own page allows (leash or no leash, the hours, the season) and by what parking costs. Huntington wins on every count it posts. Rosie's Dog Beach in Long Beach is second. Leo Carrillo State Park is third, and as of Friday afternoon it's closed.

1. Huntington Dog Beach, Huntington Beach

The rules come from the Preservation Society of Huntington Dog Beach, the nonprofit that looks after it. Dogs stay leashed on the walk in and the walk out, then come off on the sand, as long as they stay in sight and under control. It's open year-round. There's no off-season.

Parking is the only charge, the nonprofit says: two lots on Pacific Coast Highway between Seapoint and Goldenwest streets, $2 an hour, cards only. Three hours costs $6. The sand runs on donations. The lot runs on your debit card.

The fine print: no puppies under 4 months, no dogs in heat, and every dog needs a collar, current tags, a license and up-to-date vaccinations.

2. Rosie's Dog Beach, Long Beach

Rosie's is 4.1 acres of sand on Ocean Boulevard between Granada and Roycroft avenues, open to dogs 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, according to the City of Long Beach. The same page says the area isn't fenced and is "not a dedicated 'dog beach,'" and it allows one dog per adult.

It loses on the clock. Huntington opens an hour earlier and closes two hours later, and that adds up to 21 more hours a week. Parking is harder to score. The city sends drivers to metered spaces in the Granada Avenue lot but doesn't post the rate, so there's no number to set against Huntington's $2 an hour.

3. Leo Carrillo State Park, Malibu

On a normal day, California State Parks allows dogs on North Beach, north of Lifeguard Tower 3, and in the park's day-use areas and campground. The sand south of that tower is off-limits to them, and so are the trails up into the backcountry. Parking is $3 an hour or $12 for the day, so three hours costs $9, and the day-use lot is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Right now none of that applies. The state says the park, campground included, is closed because the Bryson fire is nearby, and its day-use parking is shut under fire evacuation warnings, according to a notice on the park's page last checked at 3:09 p.m. Friday.

The state says it'll post reopening news on that same page. When the lot opens again, the posted rate is $12 a day. Until then, the winner's meter is $2 an hour.

Source: dogbeach.org, retrieved October 16, 2026. Other sources: longbeach.gov, State of California.