To celebrate July National Parks & Recreations Month, friends and I took advantage of the moon’s gravitational offering of mid-morning to early-afternoon low tide by checking out White Point/Royal Palms County Beach. This less touristy tide pool located in San Pedro is a secret coastal treasure known to locals interchangeably as White Point or Royal Palms.

At the entry to White‘s Point, such urban comforts of restrooms, children’s playground and a nice picnic area are readily available. However, our group met at the bottom of the hill, where ample beach-side parking was met with rough rocky terrain (aqua socks/water shoes and bandages are necessities for when your little ones inevitably injure their shins) and the absence of sunscreen, food and souvenir vendors that we were normally accustomed to.

No worries, we packed our lunches, brought heavy picnic blankets, wide-brimmed hats and sunscreen, and lots of drinking water, enough for us to enjoy the day at White Point.

We explored the natural big boulders, rocks, warm water vents in the shallow tide pools, as well as say hello to various sea creatures in their natural habitat during the low tide.

We also explored the northern part of the beach, which houses a modern restroom facility, along with remnants of what was once a beautiful 1915 resort and recreational facility for local fishermen. It must have been a beautiful building back in the day.

The kids especially enjoyed chasing the local birds and playing chicken with the waves as they crashed against the rocky coast.

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White Point/Royal Palms County Beach
1799 W Paseo Del Mar (Access via Western and 25th Streets)
San Pedro, CA 90732
http://www.sanpedro.com/sp_point/roylplms.htm or
beaches.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dbh/home/detail/?current=true&urile=wcm:path:/dbh+content/dbh+site/home/home+detail/white+royal+1

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