San Onofre State Beach (San Onofre, Spanish for "St. Onuphrius") is a 3,000-acre (1,214 ha) state park in San Diego County, California.[1] The beach is 3 miles (5 km) south of San Clemente on Interstate 5 at Basilone Road. The state park is leased to the state of California by the United States Marine Corps. Governor Ronald Reagan established San Onofre State Beach in 1971. With over 2.5 million visitors per year,[2] it is one of the five most-visited state parks in California, hosting swimmers, campers, kayakers, birders, fishermen, bicyclists, sunbathers, surfers, and the sacred Native American site of Panhe.

This article on a place of local interest appears to contain only a small amount of verifiable information, may not be notable, or may overly focus on local-interest trivia. (October 2021)

San Onofre State Beach
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Location	San Diego County, California
Nearest city	San Clemente
Coordinates	33°22′45″N 117°34′21″W
Area	3,000-acre (1,214 ha)
Governing body	California Department of Parks and Recreation

History

Panhe at San Onofre is an Acjachemen village that is over 8,000 years old and a current sacred, ceremonial, cultural, and burial site for the Acjachemen people. Many Acjachemen people trace their lineage back to Panhe. It is the site of the first baptism in California, and in 1769 saw the first close contact between Spanish explorers, Catholic missionaries, and the Acjachemen people. The United Coalition to Protect Panhe and The City Project advocate for the preservation of the site.[3] In keeping with the Padres’ tradition of naming areas after patron saints, this area was named after the obscure 4th-century Egyptian, St. Onuphrius.[1]

On November 10, 2016, the Transportation Corridor Agency abandoned plans to build a six-lane toll highway through San Onofre State Beach, other nearby sensitive environmental areas, and certain Native American cultural sites. The announcement brings to an end more than 10 years of effort to build through these areas. The abandonment of this route for the toll road was part of an agreement ending several lawsuits filed by the California attorney general and a coalition of environmental groups that sought to block the project.[4]

Park attractions

The San Onofre Bluffs portion of San Onofre State Beach features 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of sandy beaches with six access trails cut into the bluff above. The campground is along the old U.S. Route 101 adjacent to the sandstone bluffs. San Onofre includes San Onofre Bluffs and Beach areas; San Onofre Surf Beach, a day-use facility; San Mateo campgrounds and day-use facility; and Trestles, accessible via a nature trail from San Mateo Campgrounds. Alcohol is banned from all beaches within the park.[1]

The park includes a marshy area where San Mateo Creek meets the shoreline and Trestles, a surfing site. Whales, dolphins, and sea lions can be seen offshore. The park’s coastal terrace is chaparral-covered.^{[citation needed]}

Surfing

A surfing and fishing camp had been there since the 1920s, before the U.S. government established Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine training camp during World War II.[5] Surfers using redwood boards have visited San Onofre since at least the 1940s, including Lorrin "Whitey" Harrison, Don Okey, Al Dowden, Tom Wilson, and Bob Simmons.[6]

San Onofre has several surf breaks on its 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of coast:

• Trestles, a world-famous surfing area known for its consistent waves
• Church, near Camp Pendleton’s beach resort, provides sunbathing and duck watching
• Surf Beach, divided into three breaks spots known as The Point, Old Man’s, and Dogpatch
• Trails, the southernmost surf spot in this region, includes both rock bottom and sandy breaks

Former nude beach

Nudity is prohibited at all parts of San Onofre State Beach,[7] A traditional "clothing optional area"[8] was formerly at the extreme south end of San Onofre Bluffs beach, accessed via Trail number 6.[9] Since March 2010, park rangers have been citing park visitors for nudity, following the 2009 defeat of a legal challenge by a nudist group.[7][10]

Nuclear station

Between San Onofre Bluffs and San Onofre Surf Beach is the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), which was shut down in June 2013.[11]

In popular culture

• "San Onofre" and "Trestles" are both mentioned in the 1963 Beach Boys' song Surfin' U.S.A.

See also

• List of beaches in California
• List of California state parks

References

External links

• official San Onofre State Beach website
• San Onofre Beach News and Recreation
• Surf Shop located at San Onofre
• Aerial Video of San Onofre Beach and campground