Location maps for
PALOS VERDES PENINSULA
Note: Most of the Palos Verdes trips described here
require at least a mile of hiking.
Click on one of the following sites for more detailed directions:
Portuguese Bend Landslide
Smuggler's Cove
Pillow Basalt
Livingston Quarry
Point Fermin Landslide
Directions to the Portuguese Bend Landslide
Continue on Palos Verdes Drive South for about 3-4 miles until you reach Schooner Drive.
Turn right on Schooner Drive, but make an immediate left onto the road that parallels
Palos Verdes
Drive South. Park on the side of the street somewhere near the end of this short road.
A good overview of the landslide is also seen from two other nearby locations. One
is found by driving west on Palos Verdes Drive West for about 2 ½ miles until you reach
a stoplight at Hawthorne Blvd. Turn right on this and drive for about 1 mile. On the right will
be a scenic turnout that is indicated by a road sign. This is one overview. A better one is found
by continuing to drive on Hawthorne Blvd. until you reach the 2nd stoplight at
Crest Road. After about 1 ½ miles, you will reach Crenshaw Blvd. Turn right.
(An interesting
fact is that if you don't turn onto Crenshaw Blvd, you will reach a small valley that
parallels Crest Road. This valley is the "Crenshaw
Extension" and was formed as a result of the most northern extent of
the ancient landslide.)
About 1000 feet
down on the right will be Del Cerro Park. Park in the parking lot and take a short walk over
to the far end of the park. This is a good spot to view the Portuguese Bend Landslide, the Abalone
Cove Landslide, and several ancient marine terraces.
Click HERE to visit the Portuguese Bend Landslide
Field Trip Site!
Directions to Smuggler's Cove
PLEASE BE WARNED THAT THIS SITE IS FREQUENTED BY NUDISTS.
Even though it is illegal
to sunbath nude at Smuggler's Cove, you will almost certainly encounter them on any sunny day.
Park in the same location and walk down Palos Verdes Drive South as described above.
Continue walking on Palos Verdes Drive South for ¾ of a mile until you see Peppertree
Drive on the right side of the road, which is gated. Carefully cross the street, and follow one of
numerous paths to the beach below. Once on the beach, walk to the point on the right to see the
fault.
Click HERE to visit the Smuggler's Cove Field Trip
site!
Directions to the pillow basalt
Park in the same location and walk down Palos Verdes Drive South as described above.
About 150 to 200 feet beyond the sign on the road that reads "PORTUGUESE BEND LANDSLIDE
AREA CONSTANT LANDSLIDE MOVEMENT NEXT 0.8 MILES - USE EXTREME CAUTION"
is a small gated dirt road.
Walk down this road for about ½ mile until you see a small trail leading up the hill near
two steel posts on the right side of the dirt road. If
you see a corrugated pipe about a foot in diameter with the top half removed on the right side
of the road, then you have
walked too far. Just turn around and look for a trail going up the hill near to where the pipe
is whole, and crosses under the dirt road. This trail is shown in this
picture:
Follow this smaller trail until it ends at another
dirt road. Turn left on the dirt road, and walk about 100 feet. On the right will be a small trail
that leads up a gully. Follow this trail. It parallels the base of the scarp that has the pillow
basalt exposed.
Click HERE to visit the pillow basalt field trip.
Directions to Livingston Quarry
Do not park in the same location described above. Instead, turn right on Forrestal Drive,
which is about ¼ mile to the east of Schooner Drive. About a ¼ mile up Forestal is a
gate. Turn left into the driveway just before this gate. This is Ladera Linda Community Center.
NOTE: The driveway's gate is locked at dusk! Park at the parking lot, and walk back up the driveway
to Forestal Drive. Turn left on Forestal and walk past the gate. To get to the
east end of the quarry, walk about a ¼ a mile past the gate.
There will be a fenced off path to the left of the road. Just to the left of the path is
a small opening allows hikers to procede. Follow this path to explore this side of the
quarry.
To access the middle part of the quarry and the dolomite deposit, walk about a ¼ mile
past the gate on Forestal Drive until you see a large boulder off to the left near a
telephone pole. The boulder should have some small dolomite crystals on the side facing away from the
street. Follow the path just to the left and beyond the boulder. The best crystals are on the
left side of the cliffs. The basalt sill shown on the
Livingston Quarry is above the dolomite deposit, and to the left about 100 feet.
The west side of the quarry is found by continuing on Forestal Drive until it ends. There is
a path that continues in the same direction. Follow this path. After walking roughly 150 feet beyond
the end of Forestal Road, head to the cliffs on the left to find the barite deposit. Unfortunately,
this site
has been heavily picked over by mineral lovers, and it's unlikely that you will find any barite.
Click HERE to visit the Livingston Quarry Field Trip
site!
Directions to the Point Fermin Landslide
From Long Beach State, take the 405 Freeway north until it hits the 110 Freeway. Take the
110 Freeway south until it ends at Gaffey St. Turn left (south) on Gaffey. Instead of turning
righ at 25th
St., continue driving straight until Gaffey ends at Paseo Del Mar. Turn left at Shepard Street.
When Shepard Street ends, turn right on Pacific Ave. This street ends in a few hundred feet. On
the left is a small parking lot. Park there. The Sunken City is to the left if you face the
ocean. The submarine canyon deposits are exposed at the base of the slide and just to
the left of the slide if you are facing the mainland.
Directions are also shown on the map below:
Click HERE to visit the Point Fermin/Sunken City
VISIT ONE OF THESE
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS
GO BACK TO THE MAIN MAP
Livingston Quarry Point Fermin Landslide
A good overview of the landslide is also seen from two other nearby locations. One is found by driving west on Palos Verdes Drive West for about 2 ½ miles until you reach a stoplight at Hawthorne Blvd. Turn right on this and drive for about 1 mile. On the right will be a scenic turnout that is indicated by a road sign. This is one overview. A better one is found by continuing to drive on Hawthorne Blvd. until you reach the 2nd stoplight at Crest Road. After about 1 ½ miles, you will reach Crenshaw Blvd. Turn right.
(An interesting fact is that if you don't turn onto Crenshaw Blvd, you will reach a small valley that parallels Crest Road. This valley is the "Crenshaw Extension" and was formed as a result of the most northern extent of the ancient landslide.)
About 1000 feet down on the right will be Del Cerro Park. Park in the parking lot and take a short walk over to the far end of the park. This is a good spot to view the Portuguese Bend Landslide, the Abalone Cove Landslide, and several ancient marine terraces.
Click HERE to visit the Portuguese Bend Landslide Field Trip Site!
Even though it is illegal to sunbath nude at Smuggler's Cove, you will almost certainly encounter them on any sunny day.
Park in the same location and walk down Palos Verdes Drive South as described above. Continue walking on Palos Verdes Drive South for ¾ of a mile until you see Peppertree Drive on the right side of the road, which is gated. Carefully cross the street, and follow one of numerous paths to the beach below. Once on the beach, walk to the point on the right to see the fault.
Click HERE to visit the Smuggler's Cove Field Trip site!
Follow this smaller trail until it ends at another dirt road. Turn left on the dirt road, and walk about 100 feet. On the right will be a small trail that leads up a gully. Follow this trail. It parallels the base of the scarp that has the pillow basalt exposed.
Click HERE to visit the pillow basalt field trip.
To access the middle part of the quarry and the dolomite deposit, walk about a ¼ mile past the gate on Forestal Drive until you see a large boulder off to the left near a telephone pole. The boulder should have some small dolomite crystals on the side facing away from the street. Follow the path just to the left and beyond the boulder. The best crystals are on the left side of the cliffs. The basalt sill shown on the Livingston Quarry is above the dolomite deposit, and to the left about 100 feet.
The west side of the quarry is found by continuing on Forestal Drive until it ends. There is a path that continues in the same direction. Follow this path. After walking roughly 150 feet beyond the end of Forestal Road, head to the cliffs on the left to find the barite deposit. Unfortunately, this site has been heavily picked over by mineral lovers, and it's unlikely that you will find any barite.
Click HERE to visit the Livingston Quarry Field Trip site!
Directions are also shown on the map below:
Click HERE to visit the Point Fermin/Sunken City