Terranea Beach Sea Cave
Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Details
Distance
1.63 miles
Elevation Gain
210 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Description
Added by Tiffany Nguyen
The Terranea Beach Sea Cave is a short and easy hike and is one of the best caves in the South Bay. This adventure offers up a Scenic rocky shoreline with plenty of tide pools filled with marine life to discover. The best time to visit is during low tide for easy access to the sea cave.
Head to the Pelican Cove parking lot where there’s plenty of free parking right at the trailhead. From the parking lot, take the Terranea Beach Trail and you will see views of the Point Vicente Lighthouse down the coast to your right. Continue on the trail through the luxury Terranea Resort which is home to Nelson’s restaurant, where you can grab a bite to eat after exploring. As you continue, check out the tide pools on your right and take some time to discover the different marine life that calls this area home. Be sure to check the surf report and go during low tide for easy access to the sea cave.
After leaving the tide pools, you’ll pass the restrooms and showers and beach access is not too far in the distance. You can often see dolphins swimming in the distance from the telescopes on the bluffs. One of my favorite parts of this beach is listening to the unique sound of the water rushing back into the ocean as it passes over the irregularly shaped rocks. Once you make it to the beach, climb over the rocks on the far left side to get to the cave. During low tide, climbing down into the cave for a photo op with Catalina Island in the distance is super easy.
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Terranea Beach Sea Cave Reviews
The hikes were on the easier side but the views were amazing. Caves are always cool
5.0
Palos Verde has some surprisingly beautiful hikes! It's crazy to think that the hustle and bustle of LA is just a few miles north.
5.0
Like few mentioned here before, I don’t think the trail that was first mentioned is here anymore or labeled differently. I did try the trails that were available and it felt more like a nice small walk that lasted maybe 10-20 minutes. However, being that it’s at a resort location, the views were nice and clean. However, if you’re making a long drive out here to expect a good hike, I’d suggest somewhere else. Great views though!
3.0
Loved this hike! So beautiful and I love walking across the rocks.
5.0
Really easy hike! Short, simple, and instructions were easy to follow. Beautiful beach! Found the caves and had an amazing and fun photo opt! Pet friendly also. I brought my German/Australian shepherd here. She did really well climbing up the rocks to get to the caves. However she's afraid of water and couldn't climb down to the caves. Overall, I felt like it was a great chill hike! Only complaint was that it was way too crowded on the trail and the trails pretty narrow for the amount of people. Maybe I just went on a busy day. But I would definitely come back!
4.0
I really enjoy coming to this location to get close to the ocean waters and capture the sunset. The sea caves is a good walk from the end of the descending trail on rocky terrain to get around the cove. It's a great place for photos and I would highly recommend this adventure!
5.0
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Nearby
Pelican Cove
Sacred Cove View Trail
Abalone Cove Shoreline Park
Surf Fishing Off Of Inspiration Point
Burma Road Trail & Ishibashi Trail Loop
Bluff Cove
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