Warning to those with smaller dogs-especially if you have children, theres a man who I've seen before who takes his dogs on trail and takes off their leash (come to think of it, don't really remember seeing if he had leashes for them) but two of the three dogs lunged at us, apparently aggressive & not properly trained as the owner kept yelling at them & had no control. The dogs were reacting to our small dog. Reserve rules state "All dogs must be on leash" which is why I foresee no dogs allowed or an injury/lawsuit, which sucks because of one or more persons lack of regard to the other hikers and ruining it for others bringing their dogs. I've seen people w/their dogs off leash, they were obviously trained, and had control of their animals. But after this incident, I'm even weary of coming by myself now. This is why I gave it such a low rating.
This is a short trail that is strenuous coming down, as it is going back up - meaning if your not in the best shape & you are use to moderate, slow & long spiral winding paths- this is not for you & you're really in for a sore body/mostly legs & knee killer. And I'm not in great shape like I want to be in, so this one sucks the energy outta me. I guess I needed to be reminded of that to challenge myself more/type of reality check. Also, if you park up ontop by Crest Rd, all trails lead down & your going to struggle coming back up to your car. Or you can park down by Terranea, but it will kill your knees coming down - it's either hit or miss w/this one. I agree all others nearby are a much better than this one.
There are some parts going back up as you are near South Palos Verdes Blvd, that can be scary, especially if your alone -snakes & other critters that didn't sound like small animals. Once you past that, it's all wide open with no shade. read more