Founders Park
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Founders Park is a landscaped blufftop park above the Trump National Golf Club, with the Sunset Trail leading down the bluff to a sandy beach and the Ocean Trails Ecological Reserve's trails branching off toward the shoreline. It's a genuine local surf spot despite sitting below a golf course, known to regulars even if it doesn't show up on most visitor maps.
A genuine local surf spot most visitors overlook, the trade-off is a real hike down and back up the bluff.
How we score beachesThe Sunset Trail down to the beach is the main access, it's a real walk down and back up, not a quick stroll.
On-street parking near the park.
A trail down the bluff is the only way to the sand, with real elevation change.
Dogs are allowed on leash throughout the park, but the city's rules prohibit dogs on the beach itself below the bluffs.
Cool water year round, typical of the exposed Palos Verdes coast.
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