San Onofre Beach

San Onofre Beach attracts surfers, swimmers, sun bathers, kayakers, cyclists, nature lovers, campers. It draws nearly 2½ million visitors a year, making it one of the most popular of California's beaches.

The state beach includes the main Surf Beach, the San Onofre Bluffs area with camping and beach access, and the San Mateo Campground. Coastal sections of the state beach leap-frog past the Camp Pendleton Beach Club and the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (shut down in 2013), both off limits to the public.

San Onofre State Beach

Parking

The main parking lot for San Onofre State Beach is 3 miles south of San Clemente off Interstate 5 via Basilone Road. After exiting on Basilone, head south on old Pacific Coast Highway to Beach Club Road. Parking is $15 per vehicle. The lot is located on the sandstone bluffs overlooking the ocean.

To the south beyond the power plant, parking is available along the side of the Pacific Coast Highway in the area known as the Bluffs. Steep trails lead down to the beach. Trails, actually a number of locations along this section of the coast, are popular surfing areas.

To access the Trestles surfing area, some visitors park outside the state beach around Cristianitos Road and then head down the trail to the beach. Other visitors park in the main state beach parking lot and walk up the coast to Trestles. For those camped at San Mateo Campground, a 1½-mile trail leads down to the beach.

Beach Facilities

At the main Surf Beach visitors will find chemical toilets, outdoor showers, volleyball courts, and a limited number of fire pits. Trails lead down to the beach. Surfers gather at The Point and Old Man's, two of the most popular surfing destinations along the coast.

Restrooms are also found at the San Mateo campground and the San Onofre Bluffs Campground.