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July is National Parks & Recreation Month, and all month long LAist will be featuring a hand-selected park a day to showcase just a few of the wonderful recreation spaces--big or small--in the Los Angeles area.
Ever driven near the beach in Santa Monica and wondered about that sliver of green in between Ocean Ave. and Pacific Coast Highway? Allow LAist to introduce you to Palisades Park. Sitting atop a scenic bluff from Colorado Boulevard (to the south) and San Vicente Boulevard (to the north), Palisades Park is the one you hardly notice as you're craning your neck to see the beach that you just drove an hour to reach.
The park boasts stunning ocean views, easy beach access (via stairs and ramps across Pacific Coast Highway), a beautiful rose garden, and the super cool Camera Obscura. On weekends and weekdays, the park's wide, well-maintained walking paths play host to uber fit-joggers and workout groups.
If you're not inclined to exercise, simply sit on a bench, watch the eye candy go by, and be soothed by the sound of the waves without getting sand in your shoes. Leashed dogs are welcome, bikes have their own lane on Ocean Ave.
