Torrance Beach

The sand runs about a mile and a half along the base of the Palos Verdes Peninsula cliffs, and it's also where the Strand, the 22-mile beach bike path that runs up the South Bay, begins. Surfers, swimmers, and scuba and skin divers all use the water, and volleyball nets are set up on the sand. Lifeguards are on duty during the day, and a café, restrooms, and outdoor showers sit near the more than 300 parking spaces. It tends to draw fewer people than Redondo, Hermosa, and Manhattan Beach just up the coast.