Waterfront Park Near Me: Tidal Swimming Beach at Long Beach's Colorado Lagoon

Colorado Lagoon, at 5119 E Colorado St. in Long Beach, is a 29-acre city park wrapped around a saltwater tidal lagoon, with a sandy swimming beach, turf picnic areas and parking on both the north and south shores. Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine runs it, and it is the rare waterfront park near me search result in LA County where you can actually wade in on a summer afternoon. The catch for 2026 is construction, so read the access notes below before you go.

The lagoon began as an arm of the sea. The city's own history notes that it was originally open to the northwest end of Alamitos Bay, until a bulkhead and tide gate installed in 1929 allowed Colorado Street to be built across the corner of the bay. The land was part of Recreation Park, which the city purchased in 1923, so the lagoon has been public parkland for about a century.

Its most surprising chapter is athletic. A multi-story diving platform at the lagoon was used in the 1932 Olympic Trials and stayed in use until the 1950s. Later, in the 1960s, the open channel to the bay was replaced by a 900-foot underground culvert so the freeway could be built. That buried link to the bay is what the current restoration is digging back out.

The cleanup has been a long project. A restoration feasibility study was completed in 2004, the environmental impact report was certified in 2008, and Phase 1 of the restoration took place in 2009. The current phase replaces the old culvert with an open channel to Marine Stadium, and the area around it has been closed to vehicles and pedestrians since November 2022. According to Longbeachize, the cost rose from $26.3 million to $32.5 million, and as of October 1, 2026 the project was still under construction.

In June 2026 the city warned that the lagoon would be temporarily disconnected from Alamitos Bay while the culvert work proceeded, that temporary odors were expected, and that aerators were going in the week of June 8. Throughout, Public Works has stated that the Colorado Lagoon remains open for recreation.

The core attractions are simple: the sandy swimming beach, turf picnic areas and an inclusive children's play area that the city says is designed for ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12. The city also lists a Wetland and Marine Science Education Center. Bring a blanket, claim a patch of grass facing the water, and let younger kids dig at the edge of the sand while older ones swim off the beach.

A small building on the shore has served as a model boat shop since 1948, and it was remodeled and expanded in 2008. The city describes a drop-in program for children 7 and up with races on Friday afternoons, but the shop opens during the summer only, so do not count on it in fall.

The best way to understand the place is to spend a morning with Friends of Colorado Lagoon, the volunteer group that cares for the wetland. Its Second Saturdays work days run from 10 am to 12 pm on the second Saturday of each month, and the remaining 2026 sessions fall on November 14 and December 12. Expect planting, weeding and trash pickup, and wear closed-toed shoes that can get dirty, which the group lists as required. In summer 2026 the group also ran its Summer Science Shack on Saturday afternoons.

The one rule worth taking seriously is about rain. The Long Beach Health Department advises people to avoid all ocean water contact for at least 72 hours after rainfall, and it names lagoons along with storm drain outlets and river mouths. Skip the swim after a storm, full stop. The department posts recreational water sampling results online, and its May 14, 2026 update listed both Colorado Lagoon West and Colorado Lagoon East as open. For questions, the office answers at (562) 570-4132 on weekday business hours. Because the city samples the west and east ends separately, read both entries rather than stopping at the first one.

Colorado Street has reopened along the lagoon, according to the October 1, 2026 Longbeachize report, but Eliot Street on the southern side of the project, where it touches Marine Stadium, remains closed. Use the parking on the north and south shores rather than trying to cut through the work zone, and expect fencing along the channel area for a while yet.

There is one piece of the project you can already enjoy. Public Works said the field at Marina Vista Park would open to the public in late July 2026, once the new sod had finished establishing, so the green space next to the work zone is growing back. My honest take: this is a neighborhood swimming hole and picnic lawn, not a destination beach, and it shines on warm weekday mornings when the families from the surrounding blocks are the only crowd. If you want big surf or a long boardwalk, skip it and drive to the coast instead.

The lagoon is a natural starting point for a longer outing. Marine Stadium, at 5255 Paoli Way, is a 106.4-acre city waterway that hosted the 1932 Olympic rowing competition, and the city notes a sand beach, restrooms and picnicking there. It is the obvious plan B when the lagoon beach is crowded, though its water also sits beside the construction zone.

To the north, Recreation Park at 4900 E. 7th St. is the historic park whose 1923 land purchase included the lagoon area. Together the three make an easy loop for a family that wants water, shade and a playground in one afternoon without driving to the coast.

The park phone is (562) 570-3215. The model boat shop is summer-only. Avoid water contact for 72 hours after rain, and look at the health department sampling page before swimming. Volunteers need closed-toed shoes. Parking is on the north and south shores. Eliot Street remains closed near Marine Stadium during the channel work.