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Founder's Park

4.3 (51 reviews)

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Little lizard posing
Daphne J.

Had a great experience at this park! First thing I noticed coming here is that the parking lot is small BUT it's definitely not hard to find street parking when you exit out of the lot. The place itself starts off as a concrete trail that goes around the Trump golf course then eventually branches to different hiking trails that lead to the ocean. The ocean is filled with tons of rocks and makes this really beautiful sound after the waves crash and pull back into the ocean! Definitely a spot to just sit and appreciate the nature and life in general :) **A heads up, no dogs allowed on the beach :( Although I did see some dogs there anyways, so at your own risk! A lot of the trails have a good amount of incline so hiking shoes is definitely recommended for that good grip! The views have been a lot more beautiful lately due to the rain so it's a great time to go!

Tammy W.

If you didn't know, Palos Verdes has a lot of wonderful hiking areas with gorgeous, incomparable views of the vast Pacific Ocean. Founders Park includes a beautifully spacious green area to have a picnic or a football game. Wheelchair accessible if you stay on the paved path or You can opt for the relatively easy hiking trail for the inexperienced hiker, and/or you can trek all the way down to the water if you enjoy a more challenging hike. This is my go to spot to recenter, relax and remember how beautiful life is!

Rob A.

I've been posting a lot of photos from this park recently, mostly from down along the shoreline. This is a free park with beautiful views, access to the ocean, multiple points from which to start some light to moderate hiking, and since there is such a large body of water, that means fresh air. Mmm, take a deep breath. Ahh, now breathe out. Do you feel that? That's your lungs thanking you. The cool thing about this park is you can stay up high where the nice open grassy area is, along with picnic benches. This is a nice spot for a "bring with you lunch" by the way. From up here, you can see for miles across the water. That's Catalina Island over there. Look at those tiny men in their fishing boat. And then if you like, you can hike down to the ocean's edge. Be careful because at least one of the paths gets kind of steep. Down at the bottom is fairly rocky unless you start walking north where the beach gets more sandy. It's nice to come down here and watch/listen to the waves for a few moments. I don't think most ever take enough time to pause though. Okay, the hiking; head back up the way you came or on the other side. Both paths will get your heart beating. It was easier strolling down, wasn't it? You can head south from the park and you'll have a couple of miles worth of rolling paths. Enjoy.

Maruko X.

The park is named in honor of the city's founders who led the effort to incorporate the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. This 5.5-acre parcel is located adjacent to the golf clubhouse and offers patrons an attractive site with breath taking ocean views, picnic tables, a gazebo, nearby restrooms, coastal access and adjacent walking and biking trails, dogs friendly and required on leash.

absolutely beautiful. really calm and not a lot of peope, good parking and very clean

John H.

great park that leads to the ocean.. this place is right next to trump golf course. if you like hiking, then place is for you.

Christopher H.

I love this park and barrio. But it's not meant for picnics and the such. Well i don't think so. The parking is a challenge. There's no shade. There's no playground Donald Trump's golf course below. Must walk a bit to gain coastal access and coming back sucks cause its the incline =D but i love it. the view, the breeze, the people, the doggies et al.

Peter N.

Beautiful scenery. Especially after the recent rainfall SoCal has be getting. All the wildflowers are thriving. The "hike" can be easy if you chose to stay on the paved pathway. Venture off and hike down to the rocky beach can be a little tougher. There's a small parking lot. Free to park. Gates close at sunset. There's also a clean bathroom by the parking lot.

Kat M.

My family spent New Year's Day here. It is so beautiful. Parking was free and easy in the provided lot. There are large (for LA) patches of grass for kids to play and a "hiking" path down to the rocky beach. It is gorgeous! The views are so lovely. They have several picnic tables for guests. This is a golf course, so be careful nearer to the greens. There is a lovely restaurant on premises. I did not eat there, so I cannot comment on the food. It is great that they provide this open access to the public.

Parking situation on a weekend.
Hugo C.

I'm not a fan of dogs, or people who idolize their rat-sized dogs. However, I am a fan of this RPV dog park. It's not officially referred to as such, but as soon as 75% of park-goers come accompanied by their four-legged companions, it becomes a dog park in my book. I real all the Yelp reviews that told me that the park is right next to the Trump National Golf Club, but I didn't realize I'd have to pull into the intersection and past the completely frou-frou Trump signage on the corner. The public parking lot for park patrons serves approximately 30 cars, but on the weekend that I went I had to park along the private Trump street with the rest of the schmucks (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/V5tlS4d_q4iDUJ_5kZMxVw?select=Dv2eU8IO1CcyDt-Um18eyg). Plenty of people set up their picnics on the cliff overlooking Catalina, but I was here for beach access. There seemed to be two routes to make it down to the beach, one to your general left and another to your general right. By following the paved path in either direction, you should be able to reach the bottom. I took the path that snaked down the right side of the cliff and found it to be extremely steep. It's not too dangerous, but you have to make sure you're keeping an eye on where you step, avoiding small rocks that could easily spell trouble. I'd see this being a severe nuisance for small kids, the elderly, and small pets. Taking the trek back up this severe incline was not exactly my idea of a leisurely stroll at the park. Once I reached the pebbly beach, I was greeted with several happy park-goers, and even more happy four-legged ankle biters (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/V5tlS4d_q4iDUJ_5kZMxVw?select=X27dT345cS7pTtR509QRNg). Seeing as I'm not much of a dog person, I was there to try my hand at some amateur photography. It was nice spending a Sunday afternoon out at Founder's park.

my dog on  the rocky beach
Tiffany F.

"Founder's Park" is at Trump National Golf Course. You park at the Gold Course-which has a public lot and follow all the people with their dogs...straight down the cliff. Walk towards the ocean and you will see the Beach Access Trails. I am not a fan of heights so I had some issues climbing down the trail and back up (which was a short workout). You can have you dog off leash however, its sooooo Rocky...my little dog probably didn't love it as much as the bigger dogs. Pretty much the beach is populated by labs and goldens since they are water dogs...its cute to see them all out there swimming together. its not really a beach to lay down and get a tan...its more of a place to bring your big dog to swim in the ocean. I didn't give it a 5 star because it was so rocky and the steep trail.

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2 years ago

Such a beautiful place to go when you need time for yourself. It's always clean as well.

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5 years ago

Great hiking down to a secluded beach. Not a simple trail but not overly challenging. Great views and a good hike. I would recommend

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7 years ago

Beautiful scenery for a nice picnic with family and friends!

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Review Highlights - Founder's Park

Not only does it have a nice ocean view, but its also right next to the trump golf course.

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Del Cerro Park

Del Cerro Park

4.4(239 reviews)
2.2 mi

Great way to spend an afternoon on a Saturday. Many families here Park is huge. Definitely…read morerecommend coming here.

I am not a fan of Dr. Who. I have caught a few episodes and I did not succumb to the galactic…read moretravels of the cycling Whos. However, I respect and truly admire that they added a cultural term to modern vocabulary: the Tardis Effect, which basically means that you enter a space and it is more spacious and complex than you can imagine based on what you believe it can hold based on exterior. Another example is Snoopy's Dog house. And as a final example, I offer a person's head. It does not seem like it holds a lot but it holds an ever expansive universe of thoughts, ideas and memories. This park can serve as another example of the Tardis Effect. It is a small park, like legit tiny, but when you look from its multiple view points you see the vastness of the pacific ocean and shore lines, which can induces so much within your head universe. Like one time I went and I imagined that a sea monster would rise from the waters far away. The sea monster was like Godzilla, except purple and its blast were white and froze people to death. Missiles could not quell its fury. I imagined that the solution would have to be mystical like when Perseus defeated the Kraken using Medusa's head. I repeat that the park is small by feet or metric cubes, or what ever unit of measure is used to measure a park's length, but when you enter you will see more than you expected, if you let yourself. I wonder what the opposite of the Tardis Effect is? What is something that is super big but when you step inside is actual small. Hopefully, a whale's belly cause I might end up there one day and wish to survive. If you are not one who embraces imaginative trips, this place offers something more grounded: beautiful views that are plainly gorgeous. When you allow yourself to sit and view, you want to take pictures, you want to have a date, you want to have a meaningful conversation, you want to meditate. It is a small gulp of fresh air that can be released into a big space. Logistically, parking is hard to come by. I am a local so I park on the street nearby and walk. I do not have a parking permit, I find street parking. The walk from the park to the car is not that long and depending on your fitness level it can be exhausting or a breeze. I went today to hike some of its neighboring trails. And the trails were closed. So expect this place to be a treat, if you are the type of person who can take the small of the earth and see the large of the earth.

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Del Cerro Park
Del Cerro Park - Great views of Catalina Island

Great views of Catalina Island

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Frank A Vanderlip Park

Frank A Vanderlip Park

4.9(9 reviews)
2.5 mi

This is a nice and quiet park right by the sea without tourist noises and lots of traffic…read more The parking is easily found in front of the park and free. It doesn't have a lot of amenities like tot lot or benches and picnic tables. I actually really liked that because it doesn't give reasons for people to come and have a loud gathering/ parties. The park leads to a breathtaking views of the coastal ocean scenery that's absolutely beautiful and stunning. The trails are wide enough to fit two pickup trucks side by side and it's clean. My dogs and I thoroughly enjoyed our walks there with the gorgeous views of the ocean. It was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday early afternoon during peak summer season. I am looking forward to returning again in the future.

What does one say about this park that has not already been said? It just a 'little' slice of…read moreheaven, basically a large grass plot which is well maintained. It's not too big but ideal for a picnic, a place to throw a ball, or have a small gathering with family/friends. The park overlooks the Pacific Ocean and Catalina, truly a Million Dollar View! You can also venture outside the park and take the walking trails, the trail heading north along the bluffs connects to the Terranea Resort, which is a beautiful location to visit. You will find plenty of free street parking by the park. It's an off-the-beaten-track, quiet place to escape and chill.

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Frank A Vanderlip Park - Cute tiny park facing the Ocean

Cute tiny park facing the Ocean

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The cliffaide view

Point Vicente Lighthouse - Light house

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4.9(94 reviews)
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The good: This place is one of a kind! I am so happy I…read morefinally got around to visiting this place. Parking is free! The whale museum is free! Tours of the lighthouse are free! The picnic tables areas are plentiful and there's lots of grass for picnics blankets. The views are great. It's a great spot for whale watching. I noticed people coming here and bringing their camping chairs just to read. It's relaxing and you get to enjoy the sea breeze and beautiful sunset. I also noticed youngsters coming to record an acoustic guitar music video. I imagine people come here to paint as well. The bad: I've lived around here for almost 3 years now and haven't been here until now. The interesting: They do tours of the actual lighthouse area a few times a month and it's completely free and doesn't require a reservation.

The lighthouse is tall and picturesque sitting regally on a cliff. It's a must to stop and take…read moresome photos if driving down the coast of PV. The lighthouse has really restrictive hours, only open the second Saturday every month from 10-3 so you have to plan for this if you wanted to go inside. I went years ago and remember it being kind of a clusterfuck with a lot of people and disorganized system on entering. But the good part was you could go inside all the way to the top. Just the picture from the outside would suffice for most people. The Point Vicente Interpretation Center is nearby as well as some cliff trails to explore.

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Point Vicente Lighthouse - Sunset at the light house

Sunset at the light house

Point Vicente Lighthouse
Point Vicente Lighthouse

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Founder's Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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