Rancho Palos Verdes Beach(Founders Park, Ocean Trails Preserve, Palos Verdes Shoreline Park, West Bluff Preserve)

Located below the bluff top of Trump National Golf Club and the Ocean Trails Reserve, Rancho Palos Verdes Beach is a remote beach located on the southern shoreline of Los Angeles County. The southern part of the beach is narrow and rocky while the northern part of the beach is wide and has light brown sand and pebbles.

While a lifeguard is present on the beach during summers, the beach offers no other amenities except restrooms which are located near Trump Golf Club. Dogs are not allowed on this beach. 

Rancho Palos Verde Beach offers numerous activities including surfing, kayaking, canoeing, surfing, boating, beachcombing, sunbathing, kitesurfing, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, snorkeling, and wildlife watching. If you are planning to go into the water, we recommend being careful as the water near Rancho Palos Verdes Beach is known for rip currents. The southern part of the beach has tidepools filled with a variety of creatures including crabs, sea stars, and sea anemones. In addition, the water near the beach is home to a variety of animals including seals, sea lions, and migrating whales between December to April. The northern part of the beach also features an exquisite piece of rock art that can be explored. You can also fish here - salto, croakers, surfperch, and halibut are some of the popular catches here. However, if you are planning to fish here, please ensure that you comply with the local fishing regulations. The nearby Ocean Trails Reserve has numerous hiking trails for exploring the coastal scrub habitat near the beach.

Getting to Rancho Palos Verdes Beach is easy - it’s located near One Ocean Trails Drive. There are paid parking lots near the beach at La Rotonda Drive and Trump National Golf Club. You can access the beach from the parking lots via walking trails leading down the bluff side to Rancho Palos Verdes Beach. 

There are many attractions near Rancho Palos Verdes Beach. The Point Vicente Lighthouse is a part of the United States’ National Register for Historic Places. It is open for tours and visits on the second Saturday of every month between 10am to 3pm. On the first Saturday of March, a local celebration commemorating the annual grey whale migration is held in Point Vicente, which sees cultural performances, exhibitions, and live music being organized near the lighthouse. The Point Vicente Interpretive Centre has fascinating exhibits and features a native plant garden. If you are looking for another attraction near Rancho Palos Verdes Beach, the Western Museum of Flight features interesting exhibits detailing the history of aviation and antique aircraft.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants within a 20-minute drive from the beach. Catalina Kitchen is an upscale restaurant serving delicious grilled dishes including steaks and salmon filets and is famous for its opulent cheese and charcuterie board. The Original Red Onion serves great fajitas and tacos in generous portions. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Rancho Palos Verdes Beach, Chicken Maison which serves fabulous Mediterranean dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Rancho Palos Verdes Beach, there are many great options nearby. The 5-Star Terranea Resort offers numerous amenities including eight restaurants, a spa, a hot tub, a fitness center, a nine-hole golf course, and four pools. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Best Western Plus San Pedro Hotel & Suites which offers many amenities including a pool, a hot tub, fitness center, and complimentary breakfast. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Rancho Palos Verdes Beach, the modestly priced 2-Star Americas Best Value Inn Rancho Palos Verdes is located conveniently close to some of the major landmarks in Palos Verdes Peninsula and features a restaurant.