Clutter’s Park

Amazing place to check out planes and LAX takeoff area. So many photographers here with telephoto lens hang here to get good shots. Just a nice place to check out at least once or twice –perhaps while you’re waiting to pick someone up from there.

A strip of sidewalk with some benches and a couple tables outfitted with chess boards, located on a small hill overlooking LAX. Close enough to hear the roar of the planes and the bustle of an international airport, this location is perfect for viewing the hub of activity. Pictures don’t do it justice. Flag pole is a nice touch. An interesting mix of people eating lunch or equipped with impressive telephoto lenses. I brought my toddler since he loves to point out airplanes on walks. But keep a good hold of the little ones: this is a sidewalk next to a street, not a park. Free street parking.

One of a kind local experience for anyone who gets a rush from the sights and sounds of an airport in action! Guys with telephoto cameras camping out and chit-​chatting, kids and tourists and people walking by with dogs. Fun and friendly.

Ever since Encounter Restaurant closed I’ve been looking for a good place to watch planes take off and land. I finally discovered Clutters Park which is about 10 minutes southwest of LAX in El Segundo. The ‘park’ is more of a strip of land with a few tables, benches, and 1 binocular stand. Since LAX is a rather high volume airport there is always takeoff and landing action. I must say though it can get crowded and I think the experience can be dependent on how many people are already there taking up the benches and tables. I’ve been there 3 times and each time it seemed kind of crowded so it might not be the best place to take a group of people.
It’s is great to check out after dropping off/​picking up someone from LAX or can be a destination onto itself if you are really into planes and the whole excitement of travel.

Came here to wait for family arrive at LAX for a departure and yes, it’s the perfect spot to watch the planes take off. As for the park, I didn’t really see an area with a playground and restrooms. I did find the tables and chairs with the checker board set-​up at the top of the hill, across from the mortuary, by the bus stop bench. Hidden gem in L.A.

Great little date spot!
One of my favorite places to come as a kid has now turned into a spot I frequently visit if I have some time before a flight, or if I’m early picking someone up.
Clutter Park is also a great place to go if you want to just relax and get your mind off things. I always try to come here at night if I’m in the area after dinner with my girlfriend. On a warm summer night, it’s a great date spot to watch the airplanes land on a clear night.
It’s usually not too crowded and there are two chess tables if you’re into that.
Free street parking as well. Probably wouldn’t recommend for little kids as it does get loud due to the airplanes.

Okay, I’ll admit I’m a geek. I can sit and watch planes takeoff, land, and taxi for hours. If you’re like me, try going to Clutter’s Park! Great place to watch the planes at LAX (day or night). Please keep in mind though that the place gets packed. If you have a decent camera, bring it with you and take some shots. You won’t be disappointed!

Used to come here as a little girl with my mom and we would grab some Chinese take out just to watch the planes depart. One of the best places to see planes from LAX, but the «park» isn’t so nice and there are only a limited number of benches.

My daughter was really sad to see my sister leave when we said bye at the airport. I looked up places to watch airplanes take off to cheer her up. We almost went to In n Out, but my husband didn’t want to go because it gets crowded.
So, I found this place and it was amazing!
We saw all the international flights take off. We saw my sister’s plane way before it took off. She couldn’t see us even though we waved like crazy, but it was fun trying. We saw her plane taxi… and then take off. It was an amazing view! My daughter was in a much better mood.
About the place: there MIGHT be an actual park down the hill, but where we were (where you can watch the planes)…there isn’t much. There are some benches facing the airport and some small tables. It’s a quiet street in a residential area. We were there for over 2 hours and it never got crowded, although people came and went.

Would give a 5 star but it’s not that great for kids. If they are older, then it’s cool but for a toddler, not so cool. Or I should say, it’s cool for about 5 minutes then it’s time to leave. There’s no place for them to really roam around since it’s right along the street.
But overall, cool place to get some cool pics of the planes.

For the 10,239^th time, this is definitely not a park. Its more like, «Hey! Sit here on these benches on the sidewalk!»
This is a great, peaceful spot to take a breather late in the evening. The planes aren’t as close (or loud) as the other LAX spot at the Westchester In N Out, but you still get a decent side view of these aircrafts taking off.
Street parking was easy to find (we came at 845pm).
Bring snacks and some tea or hot chocolate and enjoy :)

It was super amazing to see a park that is literally just a roadside sidewalk. Never experienced anything like it. All-​in-​all an enjoyable time, but not enough that I’ll likely go back. I feel like there’s got to be a closer experience to the planes taking off.

Gotta say it was my first time looking out in a viewpoint specifically located where one can see phenomenal green blue and red lights from the speedway where all LAX airplanes take off in the middle of the night! Great place for tourists to get a glimpse at the south bay terrain headed north into the coast.

Yeah I could live here forever. If I was a bum I’d stay here forever wanderlusting my life away staring at airplanes departing wishing for that jet set life. Anyways I digress.
This particular park isn’t actually a park. It’s a sidewalk area dedicated to a John Clutter? Correct me if I’m wrong. A couple of benches and tables with chess boards on them! You can see the tarmac and the runway perfectly ! Ugh I can’t even describe my weird fascination and interests in being anywhere near LAX and being able to watch planes take off lol. If anyone on Unilocal is like this tell me and we can be great friends ! ((:

We come here a lot to watch the planes. Great views of the south LAX runways. You won’t see much in the way of landings because of buildings and trees that block the view. But you will see the planes taxiing, and the cargo planes turn right in front of you to head to their hangars.
Occasionally you’ll see a big A380 or 747 take off into toward the east, which is a treat.
Parking is typically easy.
Sometimes there are big crowds, especially when it is hot inland.
And sometimes you have to move to get upwind of the cigarette or pot smoke (only rarely and later in the night).
It’s a nice place to enjoy a cup of coffee. Dinner can be difficult (though there are picnic tables) if the wind is blowing.
If only there were such an accessible place on the north side of the airport.

**(Updated below) I had no idea what this little watch area/​park was called. Actually, I didn’t know it was a park, it’s a little great spot to park, walk to and sit down and watch the planes take off. Also a couple of tiny tables to either picnic/​lunch, or quality laptop time. I can’t wait to check this out at night.
Great view of LAX! In saying that, it’s just too small of a statement.
Benches throughout the little viewing area and great place for those who like to watch and also who like to smoke their good quality stogies I’m not a smoker, but I am all for sharing and for health’s sake I find my spot away from it all.
I wonder where the name Clutter’s Park comes from? Hmmmmm… (to be continued)
I just found out about the name — about the man who is named after it, Jim Clutter. (I did see the reviews & photos of plaque, I still wanted to know more, even tried searching through Wiki, but no luck). I did find out more information through a forum/​blog called Aviation Photographers of Southern California. Apparently there was an article written about him in the Beach Reporter, Community website of Beach cities. The link given by the person who posted their comment was no longer available, probably because it was dated from 2009. In any case, we all know he was a former El Segundo city councilman responsible for the «Unsafe Area for Jets» sign, but there are more details. Also from that blog, it appeared up until that year, there was no official name, other than referenced as the hill or lookout point, among other nicknames.
From what I read in another article from LA times dated June 6, 1991 (yes, thank God for archives), he resigned early in his term due to his illness and passed away there short after. I’ve attached the link below, which gives a little bit more info.
Always interesting to find out more about the history. Now go spot those planes!!!

Such an amazing view of LAX. There are a few benches but standing along the fence isn’t bad too. It’s so close to the strip and is definitely a nice place to bring people who are intrigued by planes.

Contrary to its name, Clutter’s Park is not technically a park. It’s actually a lookout at the intersection of Imperial Hwy and Sheldon Street in El Segundo which overlooks the «Southern» runways of LAX (Los Angeles International Airport). It is named after El Segundo councilman Jim Clutter for his «hard work in maintaining the small town atmosphere of the LAX adjacent community» and there is a small plaque dedicated to him.
If you are an aficionado of planes and like to «plane watch» this is probably one of the best spots in the continental United States. The «park» is actually a small fenced area on top of a bluff in El Segundo and it offers incredible views of LAX. There are several concrete benches and tables with «built in» checker/​chess boards painted on the tables. There are also a few swiveling binocular/​telescopes for close up viewing.
Day or night, this lookout always has several people sitting, standing, watching, photographing and videoing inbound and outbound flights. Many of the plane watchers have professional camera equipment with lenses that rival the networks. But there are also many laypeople like myself who simply like to enjoy the awesome SoCal weather while they take in the diversity of aircraft that LAX has to offer.
I have personally spent many days and evenings at this location as I daydreamed that I was on one of those planes, headed to an exotic location such as Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji or Thailand.
If you like planes or just like being outdoors to enjoy the weather, take a ride here and enjoy the scenery. Bring a drink or even a lunch and stay a while. I highly recommend it.

The Best Spotting area around LAX.
This is the spot to be for spotting most of LAX traffic. You will be right in front of the New International building with a dizzying array of airline colors.
This spot is very popular on weekends and the tables and benches get occupied very quickly.
For zoom photography, keep in mind the distances and heat waves that will disrupt the best photo shoot session. I have now enjoyed the nighttime photography with a tripod for the more exotic airlines operations.
Draw back are the trees located across imperial Highway right in the angle where aircraft rotate or turn on the taxiway. several attempts to reach the LAX people have proved fruitless. (I love trees but these need a gentle trim !)
Also scope the place before taking photos as there are many electrical and phone lines invisible while taking photos and would of course appear once you process the shots !
Finally go there on stormy/​rainy days when you can enjoy some reverse pattern (planes landing from the ocean).
There is always a well equipped local photographer with some tips on the possible traffic to come or go or timing for some flights. Dont be shy !
Enjoy the park.

This park provides the best overlook of LAX. Located on a hill south of the airport, it gives you a nice panoramic view of the East to West runways with adjacent terminals on the far side of the taxiways.
Have a seat on one of the benches and watch the aircraft taking off and landing. Daily you’ll find aircraft enthusiasts here taking pictures or plane spotting with binoculars. There’s always activity at LAX with arriving and departing airliners taxiing back and forth.
The park is really just a narrow strip between the sidewalk and fence line with a few benches and tables. On a nice sunny day or even if the sky is overcast (think June gloom) it’s a good spot for lunch.