Hiking Review...Christmas Tree Cove and Point Vicente Lighthouse..

Highlights: Spectacular Ocean views/View of Catalina and South Bay
Scenery: Ocean Views/meadows/dirt path to hike along
Hike Time: About a hour each

Difficulty: Easy. Flat dirt trail.
Rating: 4 Stars (I would have given it a 5 but it wasn’t much of a challenge for me and the views didn’t really vary, I’m a.d.d. ;)

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Summary: If you are looking for a well maintained, scenic , easy flat hike, these two hikes are for you. They are within 1.5 miles of each other so I attempted both on the same day. I started off with the Christmas Tree Cove excursion, which is known for it’s amazing diving. I was disappointed because I did not find the trailhead down to the Christmas Cove. Half of the hike was a dirt path along the sparkling Pacific Ocean and the other half was through a pretty residential area.

 The Point Vicente Lighthouse was located on a rambling cliff. Unfortunately, it was not open for a tour when I was there. It is only open every other second Saturday of the month. Whale watching is very popular from there, so it is a popular place to have a picnic lunch. The hike was pretty similar to the Christmas Tree Cove hike, flat, along the ocean and you follow a dirt path. There isn’t any shade on either trail so I wouldn’t recommend the hikes on a hot summer day.

Directions  to Trailhead: Christmas Tree Cove- From the Pacific Coast Highway, head South on Palos Verdes Blvd for 1.4 miles. Turn right on Palos Verdes Drive West. In 3.8 miles, turn right on Paseo Lunado which becomes Paseo Del Mar. You'll see the park on your right.

Point Vicente Lighthouse/Hike- 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes. From the southern end of Interstate 110, follow Gaffey Street south through San Pedro roughly two miles to 25th Street. Turn right on 25th street. Follow 25th Street 2.7 miles until it turns into Palos Verdes Drive.