This site is dedicated to ALL who appreciate and utilize the lands of San Onofre State Beach. It is our greatest joy to bring you the first and only website for San Onofre Beach that is made just for the people, without limiting its content to a single source of recreation. To most of us, San O has become a second home developed solely upon our passion to live an active lifestyle in a beautiful environment.
For decades, many battles were fought to preserve both our freedoms and our state park land use for future generations; however, over the recent years, these battles have increased by means of attacks on not just the land of San Onofre, but on our personal lifestyles and recreational use at San O. Our present fears include, but are not limited to: the 241 Toll Road extension, SONGS safety and environmental concerns, CA state park closures, DPR budget cuts, and the nude beach ban on Trail 6. At SanOnofreBeach.org, we feel it is important to bring public awareness on all news and events at San Onofre SB dating back in time far beyond its roots of establishment. While doing so, we wish to keep the sun shining on the positive reasons why this beach is worth fighting for and encourage you to continue experiencing many more pleasant memories, doing what you do, while enjoying life at San Onofre…the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!
“Our freedoms will be demolished into remnants of prior generations if we do not maintain them today for the enjoyment of the future.” ~ SanOSlueth
San Onofre State Beach is a 3,000-acre (12 km2) state park located in Orange County, California, USA. This location is often mistaken for residing in San Diego County as parts of the park land extend south beyond the Orange County border.
The beach is 3 miles (5 km) south of the city of San Clemente on Interstate 5 at Basilone Road. Governor Ronald Reagan established San Onofre State Beach in 1971. With over 2.5 million visitors per year, it is one of the five most-visited state parks in California, hosting swimmers, hikers, campers, kayakers, birder watchers, fishermen, off-duty Marines, cyclists, sunbathers, surfers, the sacred Native American site of Panhe and the all other natural nature lovers.
Park attractions
San Onofre Beach is mainly one of the most preferred nature destinations in California due to its spacious scenic settings that accommodate several diverse recreational activities. Common areas of the beach include: the San Onofre Bluffs, San Onofre Surf Beach, San Mateo campgrounds, Trestles, Old Man’s, Nude Beach (aka: Trail 6), San Mateo Creek, Panhe 
hiking trails, bike trails throughout the inland and along the old highway 101, in addition to day use facilities throughout the park land.
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 bluffs campgrounds are spread out along the old U.S. Route 101 adjacent to the sandstone bluffs. San Onofre State Beach is an excellent retreat for families, friends and couples not just for its natural undeveloped terrain, but also for it’s heart melting sunsets.
The park includes a marshy area where San Mateo Creek meets the shoreline and Trestles beach, a well-known California surfing site. Whales and sea lions can be seen offshore from time to time; while dolphins are the most common marine life observed while they play and surf among the waves. The park’s coastal terrace is chaparral-covered.
- Click to View CA State Parks Website
Nude Beach
A 30 year policy keeping clothing-optional beaches an option at some California State Parks and Beaches has been revoked.
The State has revoked the right to nude sunbathe at San Onofre State Beach north of San Diego near San Clemente. The same policy that has protected San Onofre Beach, called the “Cahill Policy“, has been terminated state wide. Naturists have been a valued financial contribution to San Onofre SB for decades, especially during the off seasons; however, there has been a noticeable decline in population and tourism on Trail 6, since nude sunbathing was banned.
How San Onofre SB Became Established
Obtaining San Onofre, for the sole purpose of recreational usage, was not necessarily an easily obtainable task. The battle over land usage dates back to the great depression when many surfers, both clothed and natural, struggled against the Federal Marines, for access to the land we utilize today in our California State Department of Parks and Recreation. The battles continued up until 1971, when President Nixon stepped in and took executive action to release the land from the federal government to the people for the people.
While ordering this release, President Nixon remarked: “I should point out that this action, while it deals with property very close to my home in California relates to the while Nation, but I should also point out that what we are doing here has triggered my thoughts with regard to activities throughout the Nation. Over half the land, for example, in the Western States is owned by and controlled by the Federal Government. This is apart from parklands. This is land which is used by and controlled by the Federal Government, and denied to the public as far as their use is concerned.”
CLICK HERE to: Read the whole story about how San Onofre came to be Established
