Manhattan Beach Pier

About this spot

The pier points west over the open Pacific, and the sun sets into the ocean beyond the octagonal Roundhouse at its end. Twice a year, around mid-November and late January, the sun lines up between the pier's pillars, an event locals call Pierhenge, best seen from the sand below the pier. There is metered parking along Manhattan Beach Boulevard at the start of the pier, plus the town's lots nearby, and they fill up on summer weekends. The small Roundhouse Aquarium at the end of the pier is free but usually closes before sunset.