Bluff Cove, Palos Verdes

Los Angeles, California, USA

Description

Bluff Cove is the kind of place that feels otherworldly. Here, almost 90-degree high cliffs made of yellow clay meet an emerald-green cove. You can hardly believe your luck as you walk the trail and come closer to the cove. What a find! To top off the magic, the shore is made of rocks, some covered in crystals as pretty as the rocks you'd find in a museum. Because there's no sand, the ocean smells even more fresh than usual, like you're in Nice, France.
Surfers seem to have a consistent, nice break here, at four surfspots with names such as Middles and Boneyards. It's less crowded than usual in the surf here because of the strenuous walk back up when you're done for the day.
As you walk home after your explore at the beach, the trail seems almost like a yellow-brick road. It is such a deep yellow and soft beneath your feet, squishy in some spots like clay. The cliffs above are majestic and breathtaking. You feel you've visited the beach where "The Piano" was filmed in New Zealand, not a beach in South Bay, LA!
After your walk, stop for some refreshments at Malaga Cove Plaza nearby, where's there's a gorgeous statue and a good deli. To look down at Bluff Cove from the other side, check out Paseo Del Mar Clifftop Walk.

Photo Gallery

Flowers along Paseo del Mar.	The beginning of the trail down to Bluff Cove.	The water's lovely shade of green.
The strange geography.	At the rocky beach.	The sun breaks through the clouds.
Looking north from Bluff Cove.	Surfers enjoying the consistent waves.

Directions

This is an interactive map, you can zoom and move it.

Bluff Cove is accessed via a dirt trail that you can see here on the map. The red pin is located at the beginning of the trail. It takes about twenty minutes to walk down and longer to walk up! Park your car along the road for free at Paseo Del Mar.
From Highway 1, turn south on Palo Verdes Blvd. This is a beautiful, wooded drive. Turn right at the triangle on Palos Verdes Dr West. Malaga Cove Plaza will be on the right at you drive along. Turn right on Paseo Del Mar and immediately right again on Paseo Del Mar. Soon you can park along the road where all the surfers are parked and take the trail down.