The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Palos Verdes Estates

Golden Cove is just north of Point Vicente. It lacks a sandy beach but has great tide pools, best seen during low tide. Scuba diving at Neptune's Cove is also popular.

Torrance Beach lies between Redondo Beach and Malaga Cove. The region shared by Torrance and Redondo Beaches is often called “RAT Beach” (short for “Right After Torrance” Beach or “Redondo and Torrance Beach”). This beautiful, soft sand beach has 40 acres of beach and is at the foot of cliffs which extend to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. There restrooms, a concession stand, showers, bike path, beach wheelchairs, and volleyball nets. Torrance Beach is great for swimming, fishing, scuba and skin diving, and surfing.

The dusty blufftop has views of the bay and Catalina Island on a clear day. It’s a wonderful place to relax at the end of the day to catch the sunset. The access trails to Lunada Bay Beach are steep and exposed. The best routes down the bluff are across Paseo Del Mar from Oakley Road and Avenida Mirola. The beach in Lunada Bay is rocky, but has some tide pools to explore at low tides. Around the north point is the rusting shipwreck of the Dominator from the 1960’s that is worth checking out. The Palos Verdes Peninsula isn’t known for it’s surfing outside of local circles and there is a reason for that. It’s called “localism” and this area has a severe case of this disease. Localism is when locals intimidate and threaten non-locals to keep them from visiting places. There are many documented cases of threats, property crimes, and physical abuse of people who have come from outside of Palos Verdes to enjoy these surf spots. The most notorious case involves the “Lunada Bay Boys” that began in the 1960’s as a friendly group and evolved into a thuggish bunch that didn’t want to share their sacred surf spot. Allegations of sexual harassment, intimidation, and violence has even gotten them their own wikipedia page.

At this point in your hike, you'll be treated to sweeping coastal views from the bay.

As you ride along Palos Verdes Drive West, look down into Bluff Cove, a scenic rocky cove popular with local surfers, scuba divers, and snorkelers braveing the shoreline. A hiking trail descends to Bluff Cove Beach, with a steeper trail leading to Flat Rock Point, where you can explore tide pools at low tide. Walking south beyond the cove takes you into Palos Verdes Estate Shoreline Preserve, continuing to Palos Verdes Point and the rusted remains of a shipwreck along the Shipwreck Hiking Trail.

Torrance Beach sometimes goes by another name: locals call the last sandy stretch before the Palos Verdes cliffs "RAT" Beach, meaning "Right After Torrance." Torrance Beach, nestled between Redondo Beach and Malaga Cove, features 40 acres of soft sand at the base of cliffs extending to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. With over 300 parking spaces, many at the end of the Esplinade, the beach offers restrooms, showers, a concession stand, bike paths, and volleyball nets. It's a popular spot for swimming, fishing, scuba diving, and surfing.

Miramar Park, located on 1.6 acres above Torrance Beach, offers pristine ocean views and easy access to the shoreline via a ramp or staircase. Owned and maintained by the City of Torrance, the park was dedicated in 1984 after a collaborative effort with Los Angeles County to secure beach access. It features benches, security lighting, whimsical animal statues, and a plaque marking the historic site of the Hollywood Riviera Beach Club, which existed from 1931 to 1958. The park also includes a “Fido Fountain” for dogs and marks the end of the upper Esplanade.

This lighthouse is still in operation and belongs to the National Registry of Historic Sites. Unfortunately, most days, access to the grounds and the lighthouse is restricted as it's used by the Coast Guard. However, you can still get a pretty good view from this point since the tower is 67 feet tall. After WWII the ceaseless rotation of the beam became a source of annoyance for nearby residents and a potential danger for drivers along Palos Verdes Drive. In response, caretakers took action by applying a layer of white paint to the inner windows facing inland, effectively eliminating the beacon's flash from reaching the windows of neighboring houses. It was during this time that the enigmatic figure known as the "Lady of the Light" first made an appearance. In the subdued glow seeping through the painted windows, a few observers caught glimpses of a tall serene woman in flowing gown, pacing slowly along the tower's walkway.