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 Reporter |
Summary: The goal of this hike is the Greek freighter Dominator, which ran aground at Palos Verdes point in 1961. The rusted hulk of this shipwreck is scattered along a half mile of the shoreline. Having never seen a shipwreck, I found this hike immensely fun and exciting. Getting to the shipwreck involves a couple of miles slightly challenging and tiresome walking across shoebox to footstool sized rocks. I wish I had worn sturdier shoes! The shoreline is lovely, with interesting tide pools and rock formations, along with great views. Make sure to go at low tide, or you will find your feet getting quite wet. After visiting the shipwreck, I headed back about a quarter mile, then scrambled up the cliffs to the road on a path near the end of the scattered wreckage. The road was a much, much faster return to the car. Note that the path up the cliffs is very exposed and I would strongly advise against it unless you are 100% comfortable scrambling on 3rd and 4th class rock. Trailhead: From Redondo Beach, drive south on Highway 1 to Palos Verdes Blvd and head south. This turns into Palos Verdes Blvd West. Turn right on Via Corta, then right again at Via Arroyo. Finally a left on Paseo Del Mar. Park on the right side of the street at Flat Rock Point, just before you reach Via Horcada. Take the dirt access road that will take you down to the shoreline. (Lat:33.79692 Lon:-118.40671) Trail Guides for Shipwreck Trail: California Hiking by Tom Stienstra & Ann Marie Brown (Foghorn Press) Day Hikers Guide to Southern California by John McKinney (Olympus Press) Afoot & Afield In Los Angeles by Jerry Schad (Wilderness Press) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Dogs Ranger Contact: Palos Verdes Estates Shoreline Preserve (310) 378-0383 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Jim Zuber, who has posted 104 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 1 of 10 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by jc on 6/16/2009 I hiked this trail with my girlfriend and our dog. We both found this hike enjoyable in theory. I didn't mind the terrain, and neither did my girlfriend - she had hiking boots, I had tennis shoes. Our dog struggled a bit, but the beautiful vista and neat rusted shipwreck pieces made it worth the terrain. However, nothing was worth the seals. I read about them on this site, but did not fully appreciate the ramifications. There are quite a good many of them, they sit above the tide line, and they are rotting. Most are headless. All of them smell TERRIBLY. The black bugs that surround and swarm them seem to be everywhere on the beach, and are also very unpleasant. We agree the hike was fun, and that we would never go back, ever.
Reviewed by J on 6/6/2009 Kind of a dissapointing hike. LOTS of bugs, and approximately 6-8 dead adult seals along the way. The smell is pretty bad. We hiked for awhile and never came across the Hull of the ship. We found a few random pieces but that's about it. Maybe we didn't go far enough, but we definitely went at least 2 miles. Once again, the dead seals. 
Reviewed by C on 6/6/2009 We went about a year ago. I love to hike and walk on the beach but this was just nasty. The bugs were so bad that we turned around after a bit and went hiking elsewhere in PV. It's a terribly disappointing hike. The views are amazing from other hiking areas in PV. Go to those instead. 
Reviewed by Tim on 3/8/2009 A beautiful place to walk around. It's a rough trek with all the loose rocks. If you're planning on getting to the shipwreck you'll want to leave about 2 hours each direction over challenging terrain. if you look at the map of this hike you can actually park right above it and walk down check out the shipwreck. Walking across the rocks for 2 hours is tedious.
Reviewed by ZebraLins on 3/7/2009 Although it was several miles, I wouldn't call this a hike really. It's more like a walk on rocks at the beach. I may be crazy, but I never found a ship, although I found large pieces of rusted ship. Very adventurous, it was fun, but not what I think of as a hike so much as a nice stroll on the beach.
Reviewed by zero on 3/4/2009 It was a great change to hike without having to worry about poison oak or ticks. It was pretty devoid of people, just a few super nice surfers and sunbathers. Amazing wildlife- anenomes, LOTS of different birds, squirrels, isopods, etc. Some carnage too: 3 dead seals, freshly killed owl, egret skeletons, trash. All in all, very interesting place and beautiful! 
Reviewed by Elizabeth on 2/1/2009 Beautiful views and very fun for dogs! Kind of a busy trail on a January Sunday and it was very windy! However, once we got down to the beach, we were protected from the majority of the wind and we had a blast looking at all the anemones and hermit crabs! The hikes back up was definitely a hike, but crawling over the rocks and up the short hills was fun and a nice LITTLE workout! 
Reviewed by AP on 1/24/2009 Just went two days ago and loved it! it takes about twice as long as you think it will because you are rock hopping the entire time. The shipwreck was beautiful. Be sure to allow time before the sun sets... by the time we reached the hull of the ship he sun was setting and we worried how to get back... we continued past the ship a bit and found a dirt trail back up to the road. This adventure is not easy, but you can do it with a little will power... and an overcast day. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Los Angeles County Hiking, Los Angeles County Trails, Los Angeles County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||