Plane spotting in Los Angeles: all LAX spots beyond Imperial Hill and In-N-Out

Think of plane spotting in the US and you almost automatically end up in Los Angeles. Two names always come up: the In-N-Out Burger, over which widebody jets float in on final, and Imperial Hill in El Segundo with a view of the south runways. Both are rightly famous – but plane spotting in Los Angeles has more to offer. This guide introduces you to all the proven locations around LAX, explains when each one works and shows how to turn runway direction in use, light and coastal fog into a sensible daily plan.

LAX in brief: why the trip is worth it

Los Angeles Airport lies in the Westchester neighborhood right on the Pacific coast, about 29 kilometers southwest of downtown. It is operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a city agency. In 2025, LAX counted around 73.7 million passengers and just under 581,000 aircraft movements.

For spotters, the traffic mix is what matters most. LAX is a hub for Delta, United, American and Alaska Airlines – and at the same time one of the most important US gateways to East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The share of widebody aircraft is correspondingly high. Add cargo airlines such as Atlas Air, Kalitta Air and Polar Air Cargo, which run LAX as a hub.

The runway system: the key to every spot

LAX is a textbook example of a parallel runway system. Two runway pairs lie north and south of the horseshoe-shaped terminal area, all four running east–west.

Runway pair	Runways	Length	Typical use with westerly operations
North complex, outer	06L/24R	2,721 m	landings on 24R
North complex, inner	06R/24L	3,318 m	takeoffs on 24L
South complex, inner	07L/25R	3,939 m	takeoffs on 25R, longest runway for heavy long-haul
South complex, outer	07R/25L	3,382 m	landings on 25L

The basic rule is simple: land on the outside, take off on the inside. That keeps approaching aircraft away from the terminals and makes your planning easy. If you want landings, you go to the outer runways; if you want takeoffs, you look at the inner ones. Deviations occur during construction, closures or traffic peaks. How runway numbers come about is explained in the article Runway designations at airports.

Westerly operations, over-ocean and easterly operations

You should know three operating modes:

• Westerly operations: the normal case from 6:30 a.m. to midnight. Takeoffs go out over the Pacific, landings come from the east over the city – over the In-N-Out Burger and Aviation Boulevard.
• Over-ocean procedure: between midnight and 6:30 a.m., for noise protection reasons, landings also come in from the sea. The city gets less noise, and you get nothing to see at the east spots.
• Easterly operations: with an east wind, typically in Santa Ana conditions in fall and winter or in some weather situations, the whole operation flips. Aircraft then land from the west over the coast and take off toward the east.

How to predict the runway direction in use in general is covered in the guide Understanding runway direction in use at airports. For Los Angeles, a look at the wind forecast and current weather in the morning is often enough – more on that in Reading METAR and TAF.

The two classics in brief

Both spots have detailed profiles of their own with us. Here only the essentials, so you can fit them into your daily plan.

In-N-Out Burger on Sepulveda Boulevard (east)

At the In-N-Out Burger in the Westchester neighborhood, landings on 24R come in at low altitude over a small green space opposite the restaurant. You are not standing next to the runway but directly under the approach path. You shoot from the public park; the restaurant including its parking lot is private property for customers. Good front light is available from late morning. For the low-flying jets, a standard zoom is often enough – even with a smartphone you get impressive pictures here.

Imperial Hill aka Clutter’s Park (south)

Imperial Hill is a small, elevated park in El Segundo between Imperial Avenue and Imperial Highway, today officially Clutter’s Park. You look north at the south runways: on 25L, landings roll out; on 25R, departing aircraft lift off toward the Pacific. Because the sun is behind you almost all day, this is the most relaxed all-rounder at LAX. According to the Los Angeles Explorers Guild, the park is open from one hour before sunrise until 10 p.m.; parking is at the curb.

The other spots around LAX

This is where it gets interesting for anyone who has already been to the two classics – or needs an alternative with easterly operations. The list is a starting point: access roads, parking rules and construction sites change constantly around LAX.

Vista del Mar Park (west)

On the east side of the coastal road Vista del Mar is a small park directly in the departure area over the Pacific. With westerly operations, departing aircraft from the inner runways climb over you and out to sea. You get climb-out shots with the landing gear retracted, partly with a coastal backdrop. In the afternoon and evening the sun is in the west – then you increasingly shoot the aircraft passing over you against the light. In the morning, the lighting conditions for belly shots are usually more balanced, provided there is no fog.

Dockweiler Beach (west)

West of the airport stretches Dockweiler Beach, a public beach on the Pacific. With westerly operations, departing aircraft pass out over the sand and to sea here; with easterly operations and in the nighttime over-ocean procedure, landings come in from the water. The beach is a nice change from the fence: waves, surfers and widebody jets in one picture are not something you find often. Plan for wide-angle to light telephoto here and expect wind and salty air – pack lens protection.

Sidewalk on Sepulveda Boulevard (east)

Around In-N-Out, Sepulveda Boulevard runs directly under the approach to 24R. From the sidewalk you get classic belly shots when the aircraft pass over the street. The street is a main artery at the airport: stay on the sidewalk, don’t obstruct anyone and don’t let traffic distract you. With a high sun around midday, the underside of the jets is often in shadow; in the afternoon it gets more detail.

Aviation Boulevard and the east side of the south runways

The approaches to 25L also come in from the east over the city, along Aviation Boulevard. In this area is the restaurant The Proud Bird, which spotters have regarded for decades as an address for landings on the south runways. You should check beforehand whether and at what times it is open. Basically the same applies here as at In-N-Out: on private property you are a guest; for longer photo sessions, find public areas.

Theme Building in the middle of the terminal area

The Theme Building of 1961, with its four curved legs, is the landmark of LAX and a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. It is no longer a spotting platform: inside it is not accessible to visitors, and the observation deck is closed. As a subject it belongs on every list anyway – best from the central terminal access road, with a jet in the background. Expect construction sites: the airport is being comprehensively modernized ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.

Flight Path Museum on the south side

On Imperial Highway on the south side of the airport is the Flight Path Museum LAX in the former West Imperial Terminal. It shows aviation history, models, uniforms and airline memorabilia. For a long time, the Douglas DC-3 “The Spirit of Seventy-Six,” built in Santa Monica in 1941, stood in front of the building; since 2025, however, it has been moved to the California Science Center, so don’t assume it is still on site. The museum is open only a few hours a week. For spotters, the museum is a good supplement to the nearby Imperial Hill. Check opening hours and access on the museum’s website before your visit.

Spots at a glance

Spot	Location	What you see	Operating mode	Light
In-N-Out Burger	east, Sepulveda Blvd	landings 24R from below	westerly operations	from late morning
Sepulveda Blvd (sidewalk)	east	belly shots 24R	westerly operations	mostly afternoon
Aviation Blvd / Proud Bird	east of the south runways	landings 25L	westerly operations	from late morning
Imperial Hill	south, El Segundo	takeoffs 25R, landings 25L, taxiing traffic	westerly and easterly operations	good almost all day
Vista del Mar Park	west, coastal road	climb-outs over the sea	westerly operations	mostly morning
Dockweiler Beach	west, beach	takeoffs with westerly, landings with easterly operations	both	depending on direction
Theme Building	middle of the terminal area	landmark with jets behind it	both	depending on vantage point
Flight Path Museum	south, Imperial Hwy	exhibition on aviation history	–	–

Light and weather in Southern California

Los Angeles lies at about 34 degrees north, so the sun is higher at midday than in Central Europe. For LAX’s east–west runways, the same basic logic applies as at home: if you stand south of the runway and shoot toward the north, you have the sun at your back. That is exactly what makes Imperial Hill so strong. On the north side of the airport, you will increasingly work against the light during the day. How to calculate this for your travel date is shown in the article Planning the sun position.

You should plan for two Californian peculiarities:

• Coastal fog: especially in early summer, a low cloud deck often lies over the coast in the morning; locals call it May Gray and June Gloom. It usually dissolves in the course of the morning. Use the gray hours for getting there, breakfast or the museum.
• Heat haze: over the long concrete of the south runways, the air shimmers on warm days. If you shoot from Imperial Hill at the far runway 25R, you notice it quickly. Tips are in the article Heat haze in aircraft photography.

Fall and winter often bring especially clear air, but shorter days and, on Santa Ana days, easterly operations. In summer, in turn, the sun sets so far in the northwest that it can briefly get difficult at Imperial Hill in the early evening.

A spotting day in Los Angeles: how to plan it

With the logic of runways, runway direction in use and light, a day at LAX can be structured well. The pattern below assumes westerly operations – with an east wind you swap east and west.

So that you are in the right place at the decisive moment, flight tracking helps: how to see what is approaching via ADS-B is explained in the guide Flight tracking with ADS-B for spotters.

What traffic to expect

The home airlines and domestic traffic

Most movements are flown by the four hub airlines with their narrowbody fleets – you see the Boeing 737-800, 737 MAX 8 and Airbus A321neo every minute. Add Southwest with its operating base, regional jets of the Express brands and connections to Mexico and Latin America.

Long-haul from Asia, Oceania and Europe

The real highlight is the widebody aircraft. On the Pacific routes, airlines such as Korean Air, EVA Air, China Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, ANA, Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Air New Zealand fly. From Europe and the Middle East come, among others, Lufthansa, Swiss, British Airways, Air France, KLM, Emirates and Qatar Airways. Which airline comes with which aircraft changes with every schedule change – check the current status before your trip.

Among the types, the Boeing 777-300ER, 787-9 and 787-10, and Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 dominate. The Airbus A380 can still be seen at LAX again and again, for example at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. If you want to tell the widebody jets apart with confidence, you will find help in the articles A350 or Boeing 787? and Telling the Boeing 777 and 787 apart.

Cargo

Besides the cargo hubs of Atlas, Kalitta and Polar, FedEx, UPS, Cargolux and the cargo divisions of several Asian airlines, among others, are represented at LAX. Freighters such as the Boeing 777F and the 747-400F are therefore part of the normal picture. How to recognize them is covered in the article Identifying cargo aircraft.

Getting there and where to stay

Since June 6, 2025, LAX has had its own rail connection to the Metro C and K lines at the LAX/Metro Transit Center east of the airport. Shuttle buses run to the terminals, and the SkyLink people mover is in test operation. For the spots, that helps only to a limited extent: from Imperial Hill, the Aviation/Imperial station on the C Line is about three kilometers away, and the coastal spots in the west are laborious to reach without a car.

For a spotting day, a rental car is therefore the most practical solution. Plan parking carefully: around Imperial Hill you park at the curb of residential streets, where street cleaning with a parking ban applies on certain days. At In-N-Out the restaurant parking lot is for customers. In California, parking violations are enforced consistently – read every sign.

If you are traveling without a car, it is best to choose a hotel south of the airport within walking distance of Imperial Hill. General tips on rental cars, entry and luggage are collected in the article A plane spotting trip to the US.

Rules on the ground

Photographing from public areas is generally allowed in the US, and the LAX spots have been established for decades. That does not replace consideration, though. What you should bear in mind around US airports is summarized in the article Plane spotting in the US: rules.

If you are approached, stay friendly and explain what you are doing. A big lens makes you stand out – how to resolve such situations calmly is covered in the article Big telephoto lens, big suspicion. For drones, see the guide Drones at airports.

Gear for LAX

Los Angeles is a rewarding airport for gear. At In-N-Out and on Sepulveda Boulevard, 24 to 200 millimeters is enough, sometimes even a wide-angle. At Imperial Hill, you need medium focal lengths for the near runway; for registrations and details on 25R, a telephoto zoom up to about 400 millimeters helps. A 100–400 mm zoom thus covers almost all situations. More on choosing a focal length in the article Lenses and focal length for plane spotting.

Also pack sun protection, water and a cap – in the park at Imperial Hill there is hardly any shade and no refreshments.

Combining LAX with other West Coast destinations

Los Angeles is an ideal starting point for a West Coast loop. In San Francisco, the Bayfront Park in Millbrae awaits; everything else is in the guide Plane spotting in San Francisco. In Las Vegas, Sunset Park is the classic, with more in Plane spotting in Las Vegas. If you are looking for more legendary destinations, you will find them in the bucket list of spotting locations worldwide.

Conclusion

LAX is one of the most plannable major airports in the world: land on the outside, take off on the inside, westerly operations almost always during the day. The division of roles among the spots follows almost by itself. In the east you experience the landings from below, in the south at Imperial Hill the all-round view with the sun at your back, in the west the climb-outs over the Pacific. If you also keep coastal fog and the Santa Ana wind in view, you get more out of a day in Los Angeles than at many other airports in a week.