San Onofre State Beach
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[edit] Introduction
San Onofre State Beach, is a state park located in San Diego County, California, USA.[1] It is one of California's most popular state parks, receiving over 2.4 million visitors per year.
Gov. Ronald Reagan established San Onofre State Beach in 1971. It is one of the five most-visited state parks in California, hosting swimmers, campers, kayakers, birders, fishermen, off-duty Marines, bicyclists, sunbathers, and surfers.
[edit] Camping
San Onofre State Beach features 3.5 miles (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. The beach is popular with swimmers and surfers. San Onofre includes San Onofre Surf Beach, a day use facility; San Mateo campground and day use facility; and a nature trail that starts at San Mateo Canyon and leads to San Mateo State Preserve/Trestles Beach.
[edit] Nuclear power plant
Located between San Onofre SB and San Onfore Surf Beach is San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) provides nearly 20-percent of the power to more than 15 million people in Southern California. (State of California)
[edit] Wildlife
The park includes a marshy area where San Mateo Creek meets the shoreline and Trestles beach, a well-known California surfing site. Whales, dolphins and sea lions can be seen offshore from time to time. The park’s coastal terrace is chaparral-covered. (State of California)
[edit] Surfing
San Onofre has several surf breaks on its 3½ miles (5½ km) of coast, ranging from the beginner’s gentle breaking waves, long sandy beaches and little social stigma, to one of the premiere surf breaks (Trestles) in the United States.
[edit] History
Surfers began surfing at San Onofre before the 1940s using redwood surfboards, including notables Lorrin "Whitey" Harrison, Don Okey, Al Dowden, Tom Wilson, and Bob Simmons. A surfing and fishing camp had been there since the 1920s, before the land was taken by the U.S. government to establish Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine training camp during World War II.
The beach exemplifies the surfing lifestyle in California because of its culture and pace. Summer days and many weekend surfers and non-surfers riddle the beach playing volleyball, road bocce ball, telling stories, bar-b-queing, bathing in the sun, resting under the iconistic grass huts, surfing their longboards or sitting in patient wait of the next slow lazy roller to arrive.
[edit] Alcohol
The consumption or possession of alcohol at San Onofre State Beach was banned July 1, 2007.
[edit] Trestles – Uppers, Middles, Lowers
Trestles Beach is located in an inaccessible-by-vehicle area, a long walk from either the north or south end is necessary for entrance.
[edit] Churches
Located off Camp Pendleton’s beach resort, Church provides sunbathing and duck watching. The name refers to the long-gone chapel which was located not far from the site.
[edit] Old Man’s
The "surf beach" area has 'flush' pit toilets and cold showers, but no camping. It is divided by the locality into three breaks spots known as The Point, Old Man’s, and Dogpatch (named from north to south). All perform best on a south swell, though the beach takes any surf and slows it down to a very slow pace. The entire area is covered by a rock reef, often making walking into or out of the water difficult.
Though shortboarders are not often successful at Surf Beach, some have had marginal levels of success. Nonetheless, at Trestles, California's world famous surf break, short boards rule the waves.
[edit] Trails
Trails is the most southern of surf spots in this region and includes rock bottom and sandy breaks. Trails is also the last point to camp at San Onofre. Camping is on the bluffs with cold showers and 'flush' pit toilets near by. The break is somewhat different than Old Man's and resembles beach break type waves often closing out on larger swells. Both breaks are not as consistently good as Trestles (Uppers, Middles, and Lowers).
[edit] Nude beach
The traditional clothing optional area is at the extreme south end of the beach. Under current State Park policy "So long as the activity takes place in a traditionally recognized area it is legal unless and until a complaint from a member of the public is received. Upon such complaint a warning is to be issued and, if not heeded, a violation (of Title 14, California Code of Regulations Section 4322) has occurred. Further activities of a person so warned are prohibited for the balance of the day, but activities on later days are proscribed only if preceded by a new public complaint and renewed warning."[2]UPDATE: As of May 2008, Ruth Coleman, Director of California's Department of Parks and Recreation, has revoked the application of the Department's Cahill Policy, as it applies to clothing-optional portions of San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County. Rangers have been told to begin "educating" beachgoers, starting June 1. The issuing of citations for nudity in the traditional clothing-optional area will begin September 1, 2008.
[edit] Threatened Toll Road Through Park
This southern California state park contains seven archaeological sites, including a Juaneño Indian village. Seven threatened or endangered species live within the park, and it protects significant portions of San Mateo Creek, one of the last relatively unspoiled watersheds in Southern California.
In establishing the state park at San Onofre, Reagan said, one of "the greatest legacies we can leave to future generations is the heritage of our land… But unless we can preserve and protect the unspoiled areas which God has given us, we will have nothing to leave them."
On February 7, 2008 California Coastal Commission voted 8-2 to deny a proposed toll road (241 Tollroad Extension) that would have cut across San Onofre State Beach and a habitat reserve in Orange County. The panel decided that certain aspects of the project failed to meet California's coastal regulations, and their vote prohibited transportation officials from creating the first tollway to run through a California state park.[3] The advocacy group Save Trestles was a major force in opposition to the proposed toll road.[4] According to the San Diego Union Tribune, the turnout at the February 7 hearing "shattered" previous attendance records.[5]
More than 88% of campers at the Beach’s San Mateo campground reside in California, and over 93% of these California campers reside in the 8 counties with the greatest need for green space. San Onofre is also located in one of 8 counties with the greatest need for green space -– in combined terms of fewest acres of green space per thousand residents, and highest levels of child obesity, poverty, and people of color.
[edit] Pahne
Panhe bears a special meaning in Acjachemen -- as well as non-Indian -- life, culture, and history. Panhe is an ancient Acjachemen village that is over 8,000 years old and a current sacred site, ceremonial site, cultural site, and burial site for the Acjachemen people. Many Acjachemen people trace their lineage back to Panhe. Panhe is the site of the first baptism in California, and the first close contact between Spanish explorers, Catholic missionaries, and the Acjachemen people in 1769. The Acjachemen people built the mission at San Juan Capistrano. The advocacy group Save Panhe and San Onofre State Beach contends that Panhe is important not only the Acjachemen people but to all Californians and Americans.[6]
[edit] Location
The beach is three miles (5 km) south of San Clemente on I-5 (Basilone Road.) 3036 acres (12 km²); 100 ft (30 m) elevation. (State of California)
[edit] References
- ^ San Onofre State Beach - State of California
- ^ Enforcing CCR 4322 "Nudity" in California State Parks
- ^ Toll road proposal voted down - Divided they stand: supporters and opponents of Route 241
- ^ Savetrestles.org
- ^ Coastal Commission gets it right – twice!
- ^ Save San Onofre and Native American Sacred Site Panhe
[edit] External links
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