Palos Verdes Bluffs (Abalone Cove)
Rancho Palos Verdes · near Rancho Palos Verdes / San Pedro · Los Angeles / SoCal
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 4 miles
- Elevation gain
- 500 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Year-round
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit; paid parking at Abalone Cove Shoreline Park. A bluff-and-tidepool loop on LA's most dramatic, least-'LA' stretch of coast.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Dramatic sea cliffs & coves · Rich tide pools · Sacred Cove & Inspiration Point · Escape from the city
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Check a tide table and go at low tide to explore the tide pools at Abalone Cove and Sacred Cove — they're among the best in LA County. The descents to the shore are steep and rocky; wear real shoes. Combine with a drive along the peninsula's coast road for more overlooks.
The guide
The Palos Verdes Peninsula is Los Angeles's great coastal secret — a rugged headland of uplifted marine terraces, sea cliffs, a…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Palos Verdes Bluffs (Abalone Cove) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.738, -118.376