Los Angeles Santa Monica Beach Run to Will Rogers and a John Reed Pass
Updated October 3, 2026
A 9.5 km run from the Third Street Promenade crosses to the beach path and follows it north past the old Marion Davies estate to Will Rogers State Beach. The way home climbs Entrada Drive and the 4th Street Stairs.
The beach path is where Santa Monica runs, and most visitors only see its busy stretch by the pier. Head north instead and the crowds fall away: the path hugs the sand below the bluffs, with surfers on one side and the mountains of Malibu ahead. John Reed's Santa Monica club sits on the Promenade, two blocks from the bluff. Its locker rooms have space for a carry-on while you run, though some passes cover only one visit, so ask the desk about coming back in. As of October 2026, Bounce lists Los Angeles bag storage from $2.25 a day for anything bigger.
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The run: Santa Monica beach path to Will Rogers State Beach
The way out is flat and right beside the sand, and it gets quieter once the pier is behind you. The return climbs about 50 meters on Entrada Drive and the stairs, so expect a slower last third. Cyclists share the beach path, so keep right and listen for bells. The stairs have courtesy hours from early morning to mid evening, and homes sit right beside them, so keep your voice down.
- Distance
- 9.5 km (5.9 mi)
- Start
- John Reed Fitness, Santa Monica
Leave the club on Wilshire Boulevard and head west to Ocean Avenue. Turn left through Palisades Park, then take the stairs and footbridge over the Pacific Coast Highway, a few blocks north of the pier. Join the beach path and run north past the Annenberg Community Beach House, where a white Georgian guest house survives from the estate William Randolph Hearst built for actress Marion Davies. Past Santa Monica Canyon, stay on the beach path to Temescal Canyon Road and turn there; the mapped line runs along the parking lot lane beside it. Come back along the path to Santa Monica Canyon, take the pedestrian tunnel under the highway and a short stretch of sidewalk beside it, then climb Entrada Drive. Near the top, go up the 4th Street Stairs to Adelaide Drive, run south on 4th Street to Montana Avenue and finish down 3rd Street to Wilshire. If the tunnel is flooded, run back along the beach path the way you came and climb to Palisades Park at the footbridge, which is about the same distance.
Open the route mapA 45,000 square foot club with live DJs, an outdoor functional training deck, cycling and group studios, a snooze room and a juice bar. Members say the locker rooms have showers but no shower towels, so bring your own.
- Price
- As of October 2026, a day pass is $50, bought at the front desk
- Showers
- Yes
- Hours
- Daily 5 am to midnight
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