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Abalone Cove Beach

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About Abalone Cove Beach:

The official name is Abalone Cove Shoreline Park and it's actually two beaches in one place: Abalone Cove and Sacred Cove. Its location on the Palos Verdes peninsula gives it some of the best views of Catalina Island you'll find anywhere.

The tide pools at Abalone Cove are full of sea creatures, protected as a State Ecological Preserve which make taking of protected animals and marine life illegal.

Abalone Cove is closed on January 1, Thanksgiving, December 24-25.

Abalone Cove Beach Fees:

Abalone Cove charges a parking fee but no entrance fee. There's no charge for seniors Labor Day through Memorial Day. It's hard to find parking anywhere else in the area and somebody's gotta pay to maintain the place, so your best bet it to just pay up.

Creature Comforts at Abalone Cove Beach:

  • Restrooms (on top of the bluff)
  • Picnic tables, but barbecues and fires are not allowed
  • Dogs not allowed

Abalone Cove Beach Activities:

  • Tide pooling
  • Hiking map
  • Swimming, lifeguard at Abalone Cove summer hours and weekends only
  • Abalone Cove is only good for surfing once in a while, and that's mostly in summer - and when it is, locals don't like to share
  • Pacific Wilderness has information about scuba diving at Abalone Cove
The tide pools at Abalone Cove are full of all kinds of fascinating sea creatures including colorful starfish, giant slugs, periwinkles, hermit crabs and anemones - but unfortunately, not the abalone the cove is named for. Get a look at some of them here. To see them, you need to go at low tide, which you can check at Surfline.

Highs and Lows at Abalone Cove Beach:

The main part of the park is on top of the cliffs and it's a long walk from the parking lot to the beach, which makes it less than the best place to take smaller children who don't like to walk.

Kelp can pile up on the beach, decaying, smelling bad and attracting flies. Even though it's a perfectly normal process, it's not the most pleasant thing to see.

Speaking of unexpected sights, nearby Sacred Cove (which is also called Smuggler's Cove) is said by some to be a nude beach. Nude sunbathing is strictly illegal in Los Angeles County, but that may not stop some people from baring it all anyway.

Beachgoer Beware:

Heal the Bay routinely gives Abalone Cove Beach an A+ for water quality, but any beach can have temporary problems. Check current conditions.

If you're going down to the tide pools, wear sneakers, water shoes or something with a good sole so you don't slip on the wet rocks.

Abalone Cove Beach Reviews:

Reviewers at Yelp give Abalone Cove high marks, saying it's seldom busy and very beautiful. Read their reviews.

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How to Get to Abalone Cove Beach:

Abalone Cove Beach is located at The address is 5970 Palos Verdes Drive South, Rancho Palos Verdes CA, between Portuguese and Inspiration Points. You can get there from the South Bay by following Hawthorn Boulevard to the end and turning right, or by connecting with Palos Verdes Blvd from Pacific Coast Highway in south Redondo Beach.

You can also get there using public transportation on LA Metro Bus #344.

To get to Sacred Cove, walk along Palos Verdes Drive from the parking area to trails that lead to it.

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