You can still hike scenic Palos Verdes. Here are 5 safe trails that avoid the landslides
• But you can still get your hike in: Here are five alternative trails in the area that remain open and safe — and offer opportunities for great workouts, ocean views and new adventures.
With its wide network of challenging trails and uninhibited views of the Pacific Ocean, the Palos Verdes Peninsula has long been a favorite hiking and mountain biking destination in Los Angeles County. But this year’s unprecedented landslide activity, which has damaged homes and left hundreds without power and gas service, has also impacted the most popular trails on the peninsula.
About 13.5 miles of trails in the Portuguese Bend, Abalone Cove, Filiorum and Forrestal reserves are temporarily closed “for public safety due to land movement,” says Rancho Palos Verdes spokeswoman Megan Barnes. There are no plans to reopen them anytime soon.
The good news is, there are plenty of trails on the peninsula that remain open and safe for hiking. The peninsula has more than 1,600 acres of open space within the four cities comprising it: Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills Estates and Rolling Hills. Some of the trails aren’t well-marked or require stretches of walking on residential streets, but many offer ocean views, a diverse array of native plants and even geological lessons that shed light on the peninsula’s unique terrain.
Bill Lavoie, a long-time trail leader for the Sierra Club’s Palos Verdes-South Bay group, regularly leads weeknight conditioning hikes in the area. He and his cohorts miss the unique beauty and cardio-friendly elevation gains of Portuguese Bend, but they have learned to embrace other trails in the area and happily shared some of their favorites.
Here are five Palos Verdes Peninsula hikes that are more than just worthy substitutes for the closed trails. All of them offer a good workout, interesting scenery and a window into a fascinating, often-overlooked area of Los Angeles County.
Keep in mind that trails within the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve typically close between dusk and dawn daily and for at least 48 hours after a rainfall. For updates on trail conditions and closures, go to rpvca.gov/trailalerts.
Vicente Bluffs Reserve to Lunada Canyon
To add a cardio kick, I continue north on Palos Verdes Drive West another mile to the Lunada Canyon Trail at Paseo Lunado and Via Rivera. It’s a well-maintained, single-track trail that winds through two canyons — Lunada and Agua Amarga — that were once destined for development. Now they’re part of a 59-acre nature reserve flourishing with coastal sage scrub and other native plants that provide a habitat for the threatened coastal California gnatcatcher.
At Via Rivera, look for a small green marker identifying an otherwise unmarked trail heading east. After a short, steep climb, the trail levels out and follows a mostly flat eastern trajectory that ends at a residential street near Fred Hesse Community Park. Ocean views accompany you most of the way back to Via Rivera, along with a seasonal stream at the bottom of the canyon.
It’s a wonderful experience while the sun is setting, but keep in mind that the reserve closes one hour after sunset. There is free street parking near the Lunada Canyon trailhead if you want to skip the Vicente Bluffs portion.
Miraleste Loop
For this multiple-loop hike, park on the street around Miraleste Plaza and pick up the Cañada Trail at Palos Verdes Drive East and Miraleste Drive. This connects with the Lorraine Trail, which heads south and offers the first of many views of San Pedro and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. From here, you can pick up the Colinita Trail, which brings you to Palos Verdes Drive East for a short road walk, then connects with the Frascati Trail. This leads back to the intersection with the Colinita Trail. From here, the Siena Loop Trail offers a final shaded trek that leads back to Miraleste Plaza.
Please be respectful and leave no trace as you hike through this largely residential neighborhood, and don’t let the multiple trail names intimidate. Most of the trails are less than a mile long and link back up with one another or the main roads of Palos Verdes Drive East and Miraleste Drive.
Landfill Loop
One of my favorite things about this hike is it’s easy and dog-friendly. There’s free parking at Chandler Park in Rolling Hills Estates and clear signs and markers the entire way. The Peter Weber Equestrian Center near the trailhead is a reminder of the peninsula’s long-standing equestrian heritage; many of its hiking trails began as bridle trails and are still used regularly by horseback riders.
Before it became a landfill in the 1950s, the surrounding area served as a quarry and open-pit mine for diatomaceous earth, a sediment left by single-cell algae called diatoms on the ocean floor. (Palos Verdes, along with the entire Los Angeles basin, was once upon a time buried under the Pacific Ocean.) When the landfill closed for good in 1980, there was talk of turning it into a golf course, but for now it’s a peaceful place for a walk, run or horseback ride.
To extend this hike by a mile or two, take the Moccasin Trail under the Crenshaw Boulevard tunnel and pick up the dirt trail that skirts the South Coast Botanic Garden, a hiking destination in its own right. The half-mile Botanic Garden trail leads to Linden H. Chandler Nature Center and a moderate one-mile loop trail.
Boundary Trail Loop to Butcher Hill
From its east end, a short, steep incline leads to Via Nivel and then Via Pinzon. At the end of Via Pinzon, an unmarked trail brings you to Butcher Hill and one of the best viewpoints around, stretching from Zamperini Field (Torrance’s municipal airport) to downtown L.A. and the San Gabriel Mountains.
Butcher Hill and nearby Ernie Howlett Park were also once part of the diatomaceous earth mine that operated in the area during the early 20th century (see Landfill Loop), as evidenced by the trail’s soft, powdery tread.
From here, you can pick up Valmonte Canyon trail, which winds by more horse stables and backyards, then connects with the Boundary Trail via the south side of Palos Verdes Drive North.
Malaga Cove/Douglas Trail
Stay to the right on the unmarked Olmstead Creek Trail as it winds upward to Del Cero Fire Road. Follow the paved fire road west above Spanish-tile roofs and the Malaga Cove Library. A short walk on the residential Paseo del Sol brings you to the Douglas Trail, a single-track path with ocean views that stay with you until it ends at Palos Verdes Drive West.
From here, you can turn around and retrace your steps (be prepared for some strenuous uphill climbing), or pick up the Blufftop Trail and Paseo del Mar east for even closer views of the Pacific. Either option makes for a lovely, uncrowded way to spend a morning.
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