Bell of a Beautiful Sunset

Korean Friendship Bell in Los Angeles

It’s always good to end a day in the right light, and this hike will help make that happen. It’s a double feature starting from Point Fermin Park at the south end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in San Pedro. The park is home to the 19th-century Point Fermin Lighthouse, set at the center of a 37-acre bluff-top park with big green lawns and bigger ocean views. Look down on waves crashing into the 100-foot sea cliffs or out across the Pacific toward Catalina Island—this is about as close as you can get without a boat. Before sunset walk across the street and up the hill to the Korean Friendship Bell in Angel’s Gate Park. A gift from the Republic of Korea at America’s bicentennial, the bell is suspended inside an impressive traditional Korean pavilion with ornately carved and painted features on every surface. Cinephiles will recognize this location from The Usual Suspects. Admire the colorful detail work on the pavilion’s green and blue tiled roof. The pavilion’s red columns grow even brighter when lit by the setting sun. The bell itself weighs 17 metric tons and has a circumference of over 23 feet, room for relief-carved symbols for freedom, independence, peace, and prosperity. You’ll find peace too, looking out from the pavilion over the Pacific Ocean as the day comes to an end.

Start from Point Fermin Park at 807 Paseo Del Mar in San Pedro. Leave the park and walk northwest along the sidewalk overlooking the bluff. After 300 yards, carefully cross Paseo Del Mar and enter the park across the street, where a short trail leads up the hill to the Korean Bell of Friendship. Dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Taking the Stage: Tyler Ranch

    Hike the recently opened Tyler Ranch Staging Area in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, with 18 miles of new trails. This 6.5-mile loop up Sunol Peak is a challenge and rewards with exceptional views of seasonal iridescent hills.

    View
  2. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike (and Manly Lake Vista!) at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. On clear days you get views of both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous U.S. 

    View
  3. Swing into Spring

    Swing into this 7.1-mile hike in the hills of Half Moon Bay! It’s got gorgeous views, fields of spring wildflowers, and a hidden rustic tree swing.

    View
  4. The Carson Show

    Carson Falls is ready for primetime. This three-tiered, 100-foot stunner is hidden back in a canyon outside of Fairfax and reached on a 3.25-mile (round-trip) hike.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Lava Lava

    Once a land of volcanic activity, Mojave National Preserve shares plenty about its past via a quick yet adventurous hike to the Lava Tube in the Cima Dome Volcanic Field.

    View
  2. Kelso Dunes

    The hike to the top of Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve is only 3 miles (out and back), but you’ll feel like you’ve hiked much farther by the time you’re done.

    View
  3. William Kenyon Overlook

    Some of the best vistas of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are easily accessible via a short and sweet 1.25-mile (round-trip) hike just off the CA-78. Enter your next favorite desert viewpoint: the William Kenyon Overlook.

    View
  4. Beaudry Bountiful

    There are no cars allowed on Beaudry Loop, but this 6-mile hike takes you on a wild ride. You’ll be climbing 1,500 feet up the southern Verdugos along a chaparral-lined trail with gorgeous mountain and urban vistas every step of the way.

    View