Forrestal Nature Reserve / Ladera Linda - Palos Verdes, CA

The hiking trails of the Forrestal Natural Preserve offer beautiful views, majestic canyons, magnificent foliage, and crisp, clean air. This often over-looked gem on the south side of the Peninsula is located just off Palos Verdes Drive South. Ladera Linda, a former elementary school site, has been an actively staffed park since 1982. Docent-guided tours and hikes into the hills are available where one may see red-tailed hawks, wild rabbits, threatened plants and animals such as coastal sage scrub, cactus wren, the California Gnatcatcher, and the Rufus-sided Towhee. Look for lemonade berry bushes, the California bush sunflowerwild fennel, coyote bush and mustard and explore, but don’t take, the clusters of calcite, barite, quartz and ancient fish fossils.