The Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve covers nearly 600 acres of coastal habitat right next to Playa del Rey. Only one part of it is open for walking on your own. That's the Fiji Trail lot, open Wednesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. To get into the salt marsh and dunes on the Playa del Rey side, you go with a hosted group, at a set time, through a locked gate behind the 300 block of Culver Boulevard.
So this fall, getting into the reserve is less about finding an entrance and more about knowing the schedule. Below is that schedule through December 2026, along with the logistics that come with it.
The Front Door Is Behind a Deli
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the West Culver parking lot behind 301 Culver Boulevard is open for guided events only, with no overnight parking. On the event listings, that same spot is "the dirt parking lot behind Local Market" at 303 Culver Boulevard. Most salt marsh tours, restoration days and creek cleanups start there.
That landmark is new. The Local Market opened earlier this year in the former Gordon's Market space. It's an Italian-inspired gourmet market and deli run by Tony Cotrufo, who has owned Caffe Pinguini with his wife Mary for more than 20 years, and Nando de Stefano, who owns The Good Pizza in Playa del Rey. The Hometown News profiled it in March 2026. The deli serves hot and cold sandwiches on house-made focaccia rolls, including the Jon Goti, an Italian combo with Genoa salami, mortadella, capocollo and soppressata. It also sells hot dishes by the pound, such as lasagna and eggplant parmesan. Since every Saturday event at the reserve meets in the lot behind it, it makes an easy stop for lunch after a morning in the marsh.
A little farther up the street, Petros Speakeasy filed for a full on-sale liquor license at 431 E Culver Blvd on September 16, 2026. As of mid-September, state records showed the application as pending. No certificate of occupancy or health clearance was on file, and no opening date had been confirmed.
Two Hosts, Two Different Rhythms
Two groups run most of the public access to the reserve, and their events work differently.
Los Angeles Audubon Society hosts Open Wetlands with staff from Nature Nexus Institute. It runs on the first Saturday and second Sunday of every month except August. Volunteers lend out binoculars, set up microscopes so visitors can look at aquatic invertebrates, and aim spotting scopes at birds along Ballona Creek. You enter through the gate in the northeast corner of the lot behind the 300 block of Culver Boulevard, near Vista del Mar. LA Audubon's bird-walk guidance says to just show up at the listed time and place, with no advance registration.
Friends of Ballona Wetlands runs docent-led tours and volunteer days, and all of them require registration plus a digital waiver. They're free, with a suggested donation of $5 per person. Friends also leads Freshwater Marsh Tours, which start somewhere else entirely, at Ballona Discovery Park, 13110 Bluff Creek Drive.
Here's what's on the published calendars as of early October:
| Date | Event | Host | Meeting point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 10, 9 to 11 a.m. | Fiji Trail Invasive Plant Removal | CDFW | 13730 Fiji Way |
| Sat., Oct. 10, 9:30 a.m. to noon | Ballona Creek Cleanup | Friends | Behind Local Market, 303 Culver Blvd. |
| Sun., Oct. 11, 9 a.m. to noon | Open Wetlands | LA Audubon | Gate behind 300 block of Culver Blvd. |
| Fri., Oct. 16, 3 to 5 p.m. | Community Habitat Restoration | Friends | Behind Local Market |
| Fri., Oct. 23 and Sun., Oct. 25, 10 a.m. to noon | Freshwater Marsh Tour | Friends | Ballona Discovery Park |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 9:30 a.m. to noon | Community Habitat Restoration | Friends | Behind Local Market |
| Sun., Nov. 1, 10 a.m. to noon | Salt Marsh & Dunes Tour | Friends | Behind Local Market |
| Fri., Nov. 6 and Fri., Nov. 20, 3 to 5 p.m. | Friday Habitat Restoration | Friends | Behind Local Market |
| Sat., Nov. 7 and Sun., Nov. 8, 9 a.m. to noon | Open Wetlands | LA Audubon | Gate behind 300 block of Culver Blvd. |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 9:30 a.m. to noon | Ballona Creek Cleanup | Friends | Behind Local Market |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Birding with Bob | Friends | Del Rey Lagoon west-side lot, 6520 Pacific Ave. |
| Sat., Nov. 21, 9:30 a.m. to noon | Community Habitat Restoration | Friends | Behind Local Market |
| Sat., Dec. 5 and Sun., Dec. 13, 9 a.m. to noon | Open Wetlands | LA Audubon | Gate behind 300 block of Culver Blvd. |
The Friends calendar also lists more Freshwater Marsh Tours on November 7, 13 and 22. The October 10 Fiji Trail session is the most casual option on the list. You sign up on site with a volunteer form and waiver, parking is free on a first-come basis, and there's a place to lock up bikes. December looks thin for now. The Friends' December page doesn't list any events yet, and CDFW hasn't published a November calendar. Both calendars change over time, so check them again before late-year plans.
The Rules That Turn People Away at the Gate
Because these events run on a fixed schedule, the logistics carry more weight than they would at a regular park. The Friends' tour page states the biggest one plainly:
"The ecological reserve gates are LOCKED during all Saltwater Marsh events and late arrivals will find themselves locked out."
The other conditions, collected from the event and reserve pages:
- Register and sign the waiver first for any Friends event. Restoration days and cleanups also ask you to watch a safety video.
- Check the age guidance. Tours, community restoration and cleanups are recommended for ages 7 and up. Friday restoration is recommended for 12 and up. Rules on when kids need an adult with them differ from event to event.
- Watch the weather. Friends cancels salt marsh events when it rains and posts cancellations on its website and social media.
- Wear close-toed shoes. They're required. Friends also suggests long pants because some of the plants are prickly.
- Bring water. The reserve has no public restrooms and no drinking water, and public parking is very limited.
- Leave the dog, the bike and the stroller at home. CDFW bans pets, bikes, horses, and drones flown without a permit. LA Audubon asks that visitors not bring strollers to Open Wetlands.
Fishing follows its own rules. It's allowed only in marked areas on the north side of the creek, along the Ballona Creek Bike Path, and you need a valid CDFW license, which isn't sold at the reserve.
What the Scopes Have Been Picking Up
The fall dates line up with shorebird migration. In its October 1, 2026 seasonal report, LA Audubon said shorebird numbers across the county rose in August and September. Some of the more notable sightings came from inside the reserve. The report logged a Red Knot, which it calls quite scarce in the county, at the Ballona Salt Pan in Playa del Rey on August 25, and two Black Terns at the same spot on August 21. It also noted an early Northern Harrier at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh on August 1.
Those are past sightings, so there's no promise of seeing those birds again. They do show what the Open Wetlands spotting scopes along the creek might pick up, and why a hosted morning at the salt marsh in October or November can turn up more than a quick look from the road.
Why the Schedule Will Stay This Way for a While
The current setup isn't a short-term arrangement before construction starts. The large-scale restoration hasn't begun. In September 2026 reporting by Community Sentinel, CDFW regional manager Erin Wilson-Olgin said the department was working to finalize the administrative draft of the revised environmental impact report so it can be released to the public. Once it's released, the Coastal Commission will review it and accept formal comments. Under the state's Permit Streamlining Act, the commission has up to 270 days to bring a completed permit application to a hearing. CDFW says permits, including one from the Army Corps of Engineers to modify the Ballona Creek channel, have to be in hand before any restoration work can begin.
The restoration plan would change access considerably. As described in the planning documents, it would bring back roughly 300 acres of tidal wetlands and add walking and biking paths, boardwalks, bridges, viewing areas and multiple entry points from surrounding neighborhoods. Separately, CDFW is drafting a Land Management Plan to guide how the reserve is managed over the next 20 to 30 years. It held an in-person public meeting at the Westchester Municipal Building on July 9, 2026, ran an online survey from June 30 through July 26, and is still analyzing the survey results. Anyone who wants updates can join an email distribution list.
Until those plans move forward, access works the way it does today. There's the Fiji Trail on weekday and Saturday mornings, Open Wetlands on the first Saturday and second Sunday of each month, and Friends events with registration and a waiver. The next date on the Playa del Rey side is Open Wetlands on Sunday, October 11, starting at 9 a.m. at the gate behind the 300 block of Culver Boulevard.
The Grady Group keeps up with the details of Playa del Rey life, from the reserve calendar to which storefronts on Culver Boulevard are changing hands. If you'd like a local's read on the neighborhood, or private access to properties that never go on the open market, we're happy to talk. Work with us and get access to exclusive off-market listings.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
