Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Boulder hop along a rugged stretch of the Palos Verdes coastline in Los Angeles County.

Forged by local uplift of the seafloor roughly two million years ago, today's Palos Verdes peninsula lay surrounded by the ocean for hundreds of thousands of years. Later, the alluvium that covers today's Los Angeles Basin rose above sea level and connected the peninsula to the mainland. In one sense, though, Palos Verdes remains an island today. The peninsula rises above the mind-numbing suburban and industrial sprawl of greater L.A. like an island of serene opulence and scenic beauty.

To get a sense of Palos Verdes' "otherness," try the following rock-hopping expedition along the peninsula's northernmost coastline. With near-vertical cliffs on one side and foamy surf on the other, you'll truly feel as if you're treading the wild edge of the continent.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Wear shoes or boots with good ankle support, and realize that they might get soaked with saltwater. Allow nearly two hours to complete the two-mile journey that takes you south along the coast over wave-rounded boulders and back to the start via city streets. Time your visit so that it coincides with low tide, or better yet extreme low tide. Strongly negative tides are scheduled to occur during the afternoons on the following remaining days this year: Thursday through Sunday, November 11-14; Thursday through Sunday, November 25-28; Friday through Tuesday, December 10-14; and Friday through Monday, December 24-27.

To get to the starting point, Malaga Cove, which is just south of the city of Torrance, turn north on Via Corta from Palos Verdes Drive West. After 0.5 mile, make a right on Via Arroyo. One more right turn, on Paseo del Mar, takes you to a parking area in front of the Malaga Cove Intermediate School.

Find the top of the paved pathway at the far end of Paseo del Mar and walk down to the beach. Turn left along the shoreline and make your way over the obstacle course of wave-pounded rocks. After a short mile you arrive at Flat Rock Point, a popular area for tidepooling when the tide is low. Wide, curving Bluff Cove lies just ahead. From there, take the pathway on the left going back up the cliff to Paseo del Mar. You can then return to your car by strolling the four long blocks of Paseo del Mar leading back to the school. Lining both sides of this street are some of Palos Verdes' most attractively landscaped dwellings -- reminiscent of those in similar neighborhoods in La Jolla.

Practically the entire west-facing coastline of the Palos Verdes peninsula is walkable at low tide. You can proceed south to Lunada Bay and beyond if the spirit moves you.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons

His music is a blend of technical excellence and not-so-subtle humor
Next Article

Looking back at race relations in Coronado

A former football player recalls the good and the bad

Forged by local uplift of the seafloor roughly two million years ago, today's Palos Verdes peninsula lay surrounded by the ocean for hundreds of thousands of years. Later, the alluvium that covers today's Los Angeles Basin rose above sea level and connected the peninsula to the mainland. In one sense, though, Palos Verdes remains an island today. The peninsula rises above the mind-numbing suburban and industrial sprawl of greater L.A. like an island of serene opulence and scenic beauty.

To get a sense of Palos Verdes' "otherness," try the following rock-hopping expedition along the peninsula's northernmost coastline. With near-vertical cliffs on one side and foamy surf on the other, you'll truly feel as if you're treading the wild edge of the continent.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Wear shoes or boots with good ankle support, and realize that they might get soaked with saltwater. Allow nearly two hours to complete the two-mile journey that takes you south along the coast over wave-rounded boulders and back to the start via city streets. Time your visit so that it coincides with low tide, or better yet extreme low tide. Strongly negative tides are scheduled to occur during the afternoons on the following remaining days this year: Thursday through Sunday, November 11-14; Thursday through Sunday, November 25-28; Friday through Tuesday, December 10-14; and Friday through Monday, December 24-27.

To get to the starting point, Malaga Cove, which is just south of the city of Torrance, turn north on Via Corta from Palos Verdes Drive West. After 0.5 mile, make a right on Via Arroyo. One more right turn, on Paseo del Mar, takes you to a parking area in front of the Malaga Cove Intermediate School.

Find the top of the paved pathway at the far end of Paseo del Mar and walk down to the beach. Turn left along the shoreline and make your way over the obstacle course of wave-pounded rocks. After a short mile you arrive at Flat Rock Point, a popular area for tidepooling when the tide is low. Wide, curving Bluff Cove lies just ahead. From there, take the pathway on the left going back up the cliff to Paseo del Mar. You can then return to your car by strolling the four long blocks of Paseo del Mar leading back to the school. Lining both sides of this street are some of Palos Verdes' most attractively landscaped dwellings -- reminiscent of those in similar neighborhoods in La Jolla.

Practically the entire west-facing coastline of the Palos Verdes peninsula is walkable at low tide. You can proceed south to Lunada Bay and beyond if the spirit moves you.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Hip-hop artist Don Elway makes movies for his music

Not Ordinary EP tells a story of life on the streets
Next Article

Celebrate Holi, Borrego Springs Music Festival

Events March 23-March 27, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.