ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, CA — At Stuff in LA, we’d like to pass along any information on parks that we can. Public parks are one of the true treasures of the United States, but the online documentation of most is lacking. In this article, we will showcase a park that most likely only Rollings Hills Estates locals know: Rockbluff Park.
Rockbluff Park
WHERE: Palos Verdes Dr N & Hawthorne Blvd, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
WHAT: wide open field, big hill, children’s playground, horse trails, kite-flying
WHEN: Daylight hours
HOW MUCH: Free
PARKING: Small dirt lot
To get to Rockbluff Park, you can go South on Hawthorne Boulevard and then turn right on Palos Verdes Drive. You’ll then have to effectively make a turn that results in a U-Turn (don’t U-Turn immediately, since we’re pretty sure there are signs saying you can’t; instead, look for the closest legal opportunity). It’s certainly a weird placement; alternatively, you can go into the Rolling Hills Estates neighborhood to get to Rockbluff Dr, but that will take some more time and isn’t really recommended. Again, this is essentially a neighborhood park, so accessibility isn’t the easiest.
Rockbluff Park is not huge and expansive, and it doesn’t have anything where you need to drive miles specifically to come. Having said that, it may still be worth checking out if you’re in the area and have some time to kill. This holds especially true if you have kids, because then the massive hill and the playground will undoubtedly be utilized to the fullest.
The playground at the top features a bench for parents and a tiny gym for kids–it has a little spider web to climb that leads to a slide. Additionally, there is a swing-set for two. Someone also has built a give-a-book, take-a-book stand there, but at the time of our visit, we only saw three ratty books inside. Hopefully it was a just a day where tons of kids were reading.
Rolling down the hill is one of the most obvious activities to do at Rockbluff Park; kite-flying also comes to mind, since you can either fly the kite at the top of the hill to a cool view or at the base since there is an abundance of room. The lack of trees, which makes Rockbluff Park a tough place to escape the sun, can actually come in handy for kite-flying.
The area is also well-known for residents riding their horses, and Rockbluff Park is a nice park to ride your horses around. We wouldn’t personally recommend the horse going over the hill, but there are adjacent trails that would be pleasant (and far less dangerous) to trek.
Overall, Rockbluff Park is a fairly interesting park that you can visit if you’re in the area, but we wouldn’t prioritize it over other attractions. It’s merely if you seek peace and relaxation and don’t expect anything too exciting.