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    Palos Verdes Beach

    4.6 (47 reviews)
    Open 5:45 am - 9:00 pm

    Palos Verdes Beach Photos

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    Reviews With Photos - Palos Verdes Beach

    Haggerty's Beach:  between PV Beach Club with the pool & The Neighborhood Church (next building to the south)
    Joan S.

    SURF'S UP! Yowsa, is it ever. Experienced surfers were here en masse today, havin' a ball between rainstorms. This place is known to locals as Haggerty's Beach surf spot, between RAT Beach & The Neighborhood Church in lower Malaga Cove. Palos Verdes Beach & Athletic Club is right there. Big free parking lot is above, by Roessler Point (the gazebo). A paved path leads down to here & to RAT. Or...a steep narrow dirt path to the south, between Roessler & the church, for the bravest ones. So, who is Haggerty anyway? Well, we misspell the name Haggarty & have done so forever. J.J. Haggarty, originally from London, built what is now The Neighborhood Church (spectacular) in 1928...as his summer home! The Olmsted Brothers did the landscape design, not too shabby. Haggarty's main residence, enormous "Haggarty Castle" with its Tiffany windows, was in West Adams district, tragically demolished in 1971. Where'd he get all that money? He owned a chain of designer clothing stores. You don't even want to know, speaking of money, that the Malaga Cove residence sold in 1951 for 60K, to the church members. Astonishingly, there was a lack of interested buyers. It's one of the most stunning properties I've ever laid eyes on. I want it. Yeah, when pigs fly. Until then, I'll have to settle for admiring it as I watch surfers, with my camera in hand, on the beach below. Dunno if I'd even call this a beach, though. It's all rocks. Hardy surfers have to climb over them to get to the water. And they do. These people are serious athletes. I watched them navigate the rocks carrying boards, paddle out thru the high surf, then ride the big waves. The parking lot was loaded, a small crowd of onlookers stood on the bluff & it was glorious. Until it started to pour rain. But I took a million photos before that happened. I also checked out Bluff Cove & the waves were much better here. So, Mr. "Haggerty", you've got the best surf spot in South Bay named after you. I hope you're watching from somewhere cuz everybody had a great Sunday Funday time here today.

    Maruko X.

    The beach is very quiet and it is the best spot to observe the sunset in this area, right below the Palos Verdes Beach & Athletic Club. The beach is also good for exploring tide pools at low tide, at the north end there is a wider sandier beach, where the rough trail providing access down the steep bluff.

    Ocean
    Natalie C.

    Gorgeous area! I found this area just by stumbling across it. I had never driven across from LB to Palos Verdes and decided to do it. Drove past the trump golf course (ew) was not going to stop there - and saw a lighthouse up ahead. Drove a tiny bit past the lighthouse and there was parking there. Long trails that went down the coast. Unfortunately I did not come across any access points down to the actual beach. But it is an amazing view for sunset and to get some fresh air. They also have a visitor center open during the day!

    Yes please
    Zach H.

    Big parking lot at the top and it's free. Walk down the ramp to get to the beach. Great views and it's never really too crowded. People surfing usually on a good day. Epic scenery.

    :)
    Tiffany J.

    LOCAL'S FAVORITE. PROS This beach is very secluded and very private. This beach doesn't get too crowded and it's pretty quiet. There's also one area where you can make a bonfire and some other hiking trails and trails that connect to the other beach. This is also one of the perfect places for a photo shoot because of the natured background. CONS There is a lot a lot of seaweed around. You have to walk down a hill to get to the beach. It's not bad, unless you forget stuff and have to make the trip going back up :P The tide isn't that high for those that wanna surf, more like beginner tides. LOCATION Follow the address and it's right next to the PVPUSD building. If you see costume closet, you're right there. :)

    Beach!
    Ana T.

    The beach here is not over populated and tranquil. I was so relaxed, I had a hard time keeping my eyes open. Invited to a birthday party at the beach and it was nice to be surrounded by chill people and chill waves.

    trail along the cliffside
    Melanie D.

    This review is for a hike starting from Friendship Park and continuing on to Palos Verdes Beach. We started at the Deane Dana Nature Center. The hike we did is not actually one designated trail, but sort of a mix of multiple trails put together. It was about 5 miles roundtrip. There was not much difficulty overall, but the last hill was tough. The trail is wide and smooth and is a mixture of dirt and pavement. Most of the way to PCH was downhill. Once we reached this point, we crossed the road and continued west toward the water. There were some inclines that were a bit steep, but for the most part the hike was pretty easy. This portion of the hike was along the cliff side overlooking the water. It was an overcast day, so the views were limited but still beautiful. There are multiple trails in this area and many ways to get to the beach. It would be difficult to get lost. Once we may our way down to the beach, we noticed the golden sand and a rocky area with crashing waves. It is very picturesque. The hike back was very pleasant, until reaching the very last hill near the Nature Center. This is a monstrous thing that is pretty steep. Although tough, it was a nice, lower body workout parking - free parking at the Nature Center

    Michael F.

    Great place to meditate, and rejuvenate. One of my most favorite healers is mother nature, and I often like to go to the beach for meditation and healing. I like to come here especially when the sun is setting, listen to some Brian Eno's ambient music on my Ipod and just bliss out. :o) Yes!

    Rat beach

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    11 months ago

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    Good spot for sunset for sure! I went during weekday and it was pretty empty. Take you loved ones and go!

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    3 years ago

    Peaceful and beautiful! The waves are perfect and the water super nice to have fun with family and friends!

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    8 years ago

    Less crowded than usual beaches and great cliffs available to explore. Getting down to the beach is a hassle but definitely worth it.

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    13 years ago

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Palos Verdes Beach

    Review Highlights - Palos Verdes Beach

    . This place is known to locals as Haggerty's Beach surf spot, between RAT Beach & The Neighborhood Church in lower Malaga Cove

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Terranea Cove Sea Cave

    Terranea Cove Sea Cave

    4.9
    (29 reviews)
    4.4 mi

    After spending time at the cove, we had a very nice lunch and the service was excellent. We could…read morenot have wanted better attention and more delicious food. We got our table right by a TV so we could watch the England vs Norway game, which is just what we wanted! Wonderful afternoon.

    A friend said it, "Beautiful cove in Rancho Palos Verde" and it couldn't be more true. Spending a…read moreday exploring Terranea was a great way to beat the heat with bae. The beach cove and sea cave are open to the public and super fun to explore though the closer you get to the cave the rockier the incline so be careful, watch your step and have on some sensible foot attire. The cliff side mountain structure is beautiful as well, the formation of various shades of earth, gorgeous brown, orange, beige, gray and truly cool hues. There are some wooden Adirondack chairs apart of the resort, free to use lots of patches of sand and rocks to spread out a small blanket or sit on and views upon views of the ocean. Picnic friendly, but very quaint. You can see a lot of look out points and paths close by and just before you decline there is one final pool area (for guest)with tables on the outside for public use. It's very serene, peaceful and even with packs of adorable families and energetic kids very relaxing. The waves and breeze kind of make everything calm (holding the hand of someone special for a beat doesn't hurt either). Unfortunately pets aren't allowed in this area and there is a bridge with a pup corner with rails to leave your dog as well as bowls for water. Felt bad for the one we saw wanting to play with their family, but I'm optimistic they got spoiled after. Definitely will get lost in this cove meets cave meets beach again in the near future.

    Photos
    Light house
    Light house
    View of the cove
    View of the cove
    Terranea Cove Sea Cave

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    Right at Torrance "Rat" Beach

    Right at Torrance "Rat" Beach

    4.4
    (48 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    Sometime last year my wife and I stumbled across Rat Beach by accident and when we decided we…read morewanted to hit one up last week to hangout, eat some snacks, and read, we figured why not spend the morning at Rat Beach? We showed up here around 8am on a Sunday and this place already had a good amount of people laying out, surfing, and just hanging out. The free parking seemed to be gone so we turned into the main lot and found a spot no problem. It was far from a hot day, but the perfect day to put some beach chairs down, read a book, and just enjoy the wonderful pacific ocean. We spent about two and a half hours just relaxing and it was a really enjoyable time. Overall, Rat Beach is not one of those California tourist beaches packed with people and super loud, oh no, it's a quiet place to hang out and have a relaxing time. I'll absolutely be back here with some more snacks and books soon.

    Love this beach and will come here more often. Some of the major state beaches can be so overrated…read moreand too much of a hassle when all you want to do is arrive and sit at the beach. This beach is a big, long stretch of land. It is clean and has more of a peaceful, and intimate atmosphere. More of the locals frequent this beach. At the parking lot, there is a white railing bordering a cement pathway to head towards the beach. I believe there are some other ways to enter the beach from the opposite ends though I've not tried them. Came to surf and was surprised by how fun the waves were. There are several pockets of waves to ride throughout the entire stretch of beach but you just have to look for those spots. Be mindful that if you do plan to go in the water, there is a separate swim and surf zone and orange flags indicating boundaries. I did not know this and the signs are hard to miss. The lifeguard on duty was attentive letting me know to shift a little more to the left and I appreciated the alertness to keep safety at hindsight

    Photos
    Rock pillar
    Rock pillar
    Right at Torrance "Rat" Beach
    Right at Torrance "Rat" Beach

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    Malaga Cove Beach

    Malaga Cove Beach

    4.4
    (8 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    Malaga Cove Beach has plenty of parking, a fantastic view, and is not crowded, allowing you to…read moreenjoy wandering on the beach, taking in the views, and smelling the ocean. A nice place to visit!

    Malaga Cove is one of five neighborhoods in Palo Verdes Estates, named after the famous city of…read moreMalaga, located in the Costa del Sol region in Southern Spain. Per Google Maps, it is also the small body of water (inlet) that is just offshore of Malaga Cove Beach, Malaga Creek and Falls (which sometimes empties in this area), Malaga Canyon, and Malaga Cove Trail. The beach is the rocky shoreline that is just SW of the sandy RAT (Right After Torrance) Beach. The Malaga Cove Trail connects it to RAT and the rest of the Redondo Beach. There is a free, plentiful, parking lot above on the bluffs, with Roessler Point and Gazebo being a great vantage point. As for the beach itself, it is very rocky and is used as an entry point for SCUBA enthusiasts. There is a very steep, paved walkway (also can be used by emergency vehicles) that connects the parking area to the beach. You can then walk the trail to get to RAT beach (where there are sandy entry points and lifeguard stations). Instead, we chose to put down our mat in the shadows of the bluffs right as we came down to sea level. It was a great shady area, and still close enough to hear the crashing of the waves against the rocks. It also provided a very clear view of the Los Angeles shoreline, all the way to Santa Monica and Malibu. Redondo Beach was not crowded at all. We even got to see a pod of dolphins playing in the ocean near where we stayed.

    Photos
    Malaga Cove Beach
    Malaga Cove Beach
    Malaga Cove Beach

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    JoAnn DeFlon Real Estate

    JoAnn DeFlon Real Estate

    4.7
    (43 reviews)
    2.4 mi

    Malaga Cove is a very popular place for photographers and bloggers to visit because of its…read morebeautiful architecture and friendly community. It's a small plaza that has businesses in finance, real estate, restaurants, antiques, and a small local market. I like walking my dog here and I feel safe knowing the police station is right around the corner. If you're looking for a quiet nice neighborhood to visit with a short distance to the beach, this place is a must visit.

    My original FTR of Malaga Cove was posted 12 years ago, so time for an update…read more I can see from some other reviews that people unfamiliar with the area don't realize that Malaga Cove is not just the name of the ocean cove itself, but the area (in Palos Verdes Estates) surrounding it...bordered on the north by Torrance/Redondo & on the south by Lunada Bay (also an area of PVE). To clear up another point of confusion: the Malaga Cove hiking trails are in the hills above PV Dr West. As stated in my 2008 review, directions to trailheads are found in my old photo captions. I frequently see wedding & model photo shoots in Malaga Cove Plaza. There are signs stating that a permit is needed for professional shoots there. PVE City Hall (Civic Center) is half a block south from the plaza so they could offer more info. The small sand beach at Malaga Cove is actually RAT Beach (Right at Torrance or Redondo at Torrance). RAT Beach can be accessed from a path next to Roessler Point gazebo (in lower Malaga Cove area) as well as from the north end of the beach that is Torrance. Someone recently asked "can I bring my dog?" (to Malaga Cove). To the area, of course. To RAT Beach, no. Technically, dogs are not allowed on any beaches, even leashed. The only official dog beach I'm aware of is in Long Beach. However...I've seen leashed dogs being walked down the steep trail at Bluff Cove (also in the area of Malaga Cove, PVE). It's not really a beach but rather a rocky shoreline, beautiful place, part of Palos Verdes Estates Shoreline Preserve. So you can walk with your dog in PVE Shoreline Preserve in multiple oceanfront parklands along PV Drive West & also Paseo Del Mar. All that said, this review update was intended to focus on peafowl! Let's get to it. This is mating season & they're all over Malaga Cove (area, not ocean shoreline). They're around the Malaga Cove Library today en masse. We refer to both sexes of peafowl as "peacocks" but....the males are peacocks & the females are peahens. Males have the colorful plumage, females don't. Their offspring will be paraded through the area when they're the size of chickens. Drivers need to slow the F down!! This morning I saw cars & work trucks speeding on quiet residential streets, narrowly avoiding hitting peafowl or running over long peacock trains. This was so disturbing to me that I didn't stay long. Yes, peafowl can fly & you'll see them up in trees. And their shriek is so loud it can be heard blocks away. They sit on roofs & on porches & they eat your plants. Males are currently displaying full plumage when the "ladies" are nearby. Wherever the girls are, the boys are, following them around, mostly being ignored. Hang in there, boys. Those girls are busy feasting on people's landscaping but eventually they'll mate with you. Girls appreciate patience. ( ; I appreciate the photo ops in this peacefully magical place.

    Photos
    JoAnn DeFlon Real Estate
    Oh there's also a cute little library up the hill
    Oh there's also a cute little library up the hill
    Offices

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    Palos Verdes Beach - beaches - Updated July 2026

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