The Best Plane Spotting Location At LAX Los Angeles International Airport Is Clutter’s Park
November 24, 2023
Plane Spotting Clutter’s Park Location At LAX
The highlight of my many personal trips to Los Angeles, California, is visiting Clutter’s Park. This nondescript park is located just south of LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) in the El Segundo neighborhood. I discovered this park through the L.A. Flights YouTube channel, where the energetic brothers Josh and Peter, regularly share their plane-spotting adventures multiple times a week. As an aviation photographer, I couldn’t pass up the chance to experience it myself. I have visited, 5 times, what is undoubtedly the ultimate plane spotting location at LAX. A truly unforgettable experience for the #AVgeek.
Bat Bridge Plane-Spotting LAX Location
“Bat Bridge” on the north side of LAX is on Westchester Parkway and not near anything else. There is NO close parking. This location is isolated and is near the LAX airport police station. Plane spotting here allows you to see the first 1/3 runways 24R and 24L directly in front of you. Arrivals will land directly in front of you, but departures are only about half way to V1. Due to its isolation and lack of any parking, this is not a great location for plane spotting. It was fun to try, however.
Economy Parking LAX Location
The economy parking lot just east of Los Angeles International Airport offers a fantastic vantage point for watching takeoffs and landings on runways 24L and 24R. The multi-level parking garage sits directly in the approach path of 24L, offering incredible opportunities to capture underbelly shots of aircraft just seconds before touchdown. Check out my economy parking plane spotting page linked above.
Clutter’s Park – By Far The Best Plane Sptting Location At LAX For Departures
Clutter’s Park is a small sidewalk park perched atop a hill with a panoramic view of LAX. It’s an ideal spot for photographing planes taking off and landing on runways 25R, 25L, 7R, and 7L. Positioned almost perfectly at the midpoint east to west, the park offers excellent views of every departure on the southernmost runways. 25R is used for departures while 25L is used for arrivals. Due to several cargo buildings blocking the view, you can’t see many arrivals touching down from Clutter’s. You can see many of them as they slow to taxi speed, however.
Clutter’s Park give you a bird’s eye view of LAX. You can see from the east end near Economy Parking all the way to the sandy mounds to the west of the runways. Directly in the middle is Tom Bradley’s International Terminal and the LAX west gates. Both are home to the largest passenger aircraft in the world. To the east are the domestic terminals. To the west are giant hangars owned by American Airlines, Qantas, and others.
The views of the airpot and aircraft are spectacular here. I suggest trying different times of day to find the lighting you like the most. While dusk makes it hard to photograph planes, it is cool to see the thousands of airport lights come on. Night departures and arrivals are always incredible.
There is plenty of free street parking available on Imperial Avenue, often directly behind the park. There is also a 7/11 within 1/4 mile. Although, there are no public restrooms nearby.
In-N-Out Burger LAX Sepulveda Boulevard
The In-N-Out Burger at the northeast corner of the airport is an ideal lunch or dinner spot for aviation enthusiasts and plane spotters. Although it’s one of the busiest In-N-Out locations, it’s well worth the visit. Parking can be limited around the restaurant, and expect heavy foot traffic from nearby hotels and the airport. Just across the street, there’s a small park located directly beneath aircraft landing on runways 24L and 24R, offering a prime spot for plane watching.
The Best Plane Spotting Location For Aircraft Arrivals At Los Angeles International Airport LAX
Overview Of LAX Plane Spotting
In September 2023 I traveled to Los Angeles for a weekend of tourist activities and sightseeing. For more than 10 years I have wanted to spend a weekend in LA touring Hollywood studios, going to the beach, and visiting tourist attractions. Additionally, I wanted to combine the trip with the goal of plane spotting At LAX. On this trip, I accomplished both. Plane spotting arrivals at LAX is an amazing opportunity if you know where to photograph from.
On three separate days, two daytime and one dusk, I visisted two lendary plan spotting locations around Los Angeles International Airport LAX. Being part of some of the best plane spotting in the world was amazing for this aviation photographer. Once I landed at LAX, I got my rental car and headed toward the south side of the airport. Clutter’s Park, centered on runways 25R and 25L, sits at the top of a hill on a residential street in the El Segunda suburb. It is a tiny “park” that has a widened sidewalk and a black fence. There are a couple of benches and tables. That is all. People visit this park for the view. As an aviation photographer, it doesn’t get any better than Clutter’s Park and LAX.
Photographing LAX Arrivals At Economy Parking
But I am here to talk about plane spotting from the LAX Economy Parking. The top floor of this parking garage is absolutely amazing for arrivals on runway 24R. While plane spotting arrivals on the northernmost runway at LAX, you can also catch non-stop departures on the airport’s longest runway, 24L. You can watch turn-and-burns happen, and follow the planes all the way to the west end of the ruway when they lift off into the air.
When spotting from Economy Parking, it is important to know a few things. First, this is a paid parking garage. It can cost between $8 and $35 depending on how much time you spend in the garage. Second, the top floor is usually fairly empty. The three times I have visited (including September 2025) I was able to park alone at the north west corner of the top floor. And third, there is no shade or restrooms, Be prepared.
Economy Parking Plane Spotting View
What Can You See From Economy Parking
In terms of spotting arrivals at LAX, this is a great spot. The Airbus A380s almost always land 24R as do most of the 777s and 747s. To catch the planes you want, consult FlightAware or FlightRadar24 as a guide. The parking garage is more parallel to 24L, but it is still very close to 24R. While the planes don’t go directly overhead, I’d challenge you to find a better plane spotting location anywhere. Even with a short lens such as a 70-200mm, you can get very close to the planes.
As the planes pass you, they will cross over a street and some giant palm trees. I prefer shooting between dinner and sunset to get the great glow from the western sun plus the shadows on the east side of the aircraft. It makes for a more dynamic photo.
My Personal Experiences Plane Spotting At LAX Economy Parking
I was able to watch hundreds of commercial planes take off, land, and taxi for hours. See these feats of engineering lift off in front of the mountains surrounding LA was amazing. I saw many 737s, 777s, 787s, and A380s. The most amazing was to see the Qantas A380 being taken to a hangar and being behind an Asiana A380 as it took off from runway 24L by In-N-Out Burger. Economy Parking sees the arrivals about 5 seconds before they pass over the In-N-Out on Sepulveda Boulevard.
My first time at Economy Parking, I watched as plane after plane passed over my head while on final approach to LAX. The best moment at the LAX plane spotting location was, by far, a Lufthansa 747, queen of the skies, landing directly over my head. From the parking lot to touch down is approximately 1 mile. Lastly, I could not believe that I witnessed my favorite 747 landing!
Check out my other Los Angeles International Airport plane-spotting posts here!
