Save San O 2.0

San Onofre State Beach, located in north San Diego County, is an ecologically and culturally significant stretch of coast with renowned features including globally famed surf breaks, protected coastal habitat, and the Native Sacred Site of Panhe, an ancient Acjachemen village site that remains a gathering place for the Tribe today. The Surfrider Foundation has a long history of advocacy at the site, including the decade-long ‘Save Trestles’ campaign, one of the most storied and impactful in the organization’s history, successfully stopping a proposed toll road that threatened the beach and the San Mateo watershed—one of California’s last unaltered rivers. The campaign ultimately secured protected status for San Onofre’s endangered habitat at Trestles. This fifth most visited California State Park sits on land leased from the U.S. Navy, adding a layer of management complexity. A 2012 study valued San O’s annual recreational benefit to nearby communities at over $26 million — equal to $37 million today when adjusted for inflation, but not the estimated 35% increase in surfers in the water over the last decade. 

Despite its clear value, access and enjoyment of San Onofre face growing risks from erosion. One of the characteristics that gives the most renowned long board destination within the state beach, “San O” aka “Surf Beach,” its historic charm is the fish-camp-like natural dirt access road and drive-on sandy beach parking. However, those exact features also make its access incredibly vulnerable; with only one road in and out — pinned between the ocean and the bluff, an ever-dwindling parking lot with no comparable alternatives (the nearest outside parking is at least 2.5 miles away), options for accessing this beach are incredibly limited. In recent years, high tides and storm events have repeatedly damaged the road, resulting in months-long closures and a loss of more than half of the original 350 parking spaces. To complicate the landscape further, in 2017, a large rock revetment was installed under a temporary emergency permit to armor the access road, an action that, while protecting a segment of the road, has since contributed to a significant acceleration of erosion at both ends of the wall and loss of recreational beach space below the 800 foot span of rock. With no formal alternative plan in place, when beach access is lost, it could be lost forever.

To protect the public’s ability to enjoy San O, Surfrider is actively advancing long-term, nature-based adaptation planning through the San Onofre Shoreline Resilience Project.  Surfrider has set off to develop a nature-based adaptation plan that will work to restore the natural beach processes and buffer the shoreline from the larger, more powerful waves of the future. This effort is in partnership with the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians Acjachemen Nation, California State Parks, United States Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, San Onofre Parks Foundation, Environmental Science Associates and informed by important historic community groups like the San Onofre Surfing Club, important user groups — such as the members of the adaptive surfing community, as well as the community at large.

The resulting San Onofre Shoreline Resilience Project is rooted in science, supported by the engineers behind Surfers’ Point, and, most importantly, is being informed by the community. Surfrider has already begun gathering community feedback, values, and thoughts through community mapping workshops, on-site pop-ups, and online surveys. Surfrider is working to ensure that what makes San O special is foundational to any plan for its future. Additionally, Surfrider is working to facilitate conversations between land managers and the public to plan for realistic short-term alternatives that maintain access until a long-term solution is implemented. 

The summer of 2025 marked a turning point in the project. Now supported in part by the California Coastal Conservancy, engineers have been contracted to begin studying the beach and, along with the input and direct involvement of the public, develop a nature-based resilience design for the beach. People will have an opportunity to stay informed and engaged through community meetings, hands-on Climate Action Program restoration events, and through our blogs and newsletters. 

Want to stay in the loop? Check back here for new stories, and sign up for our San Onofre Updates mailing list and hear about opportunities to get involved and help shape the future of this coastline for all.

Recent Stories:

Beach & Habitat Cleanup — Season Wrap-Up
- April, 2025

Trestels Habitat Restoration — What to Know - January, 2025

Surfrider Celebrates Milestone for Resilience at San O! - December, 2024

Victory at San O! - August, 2024

Save San O — Your Beach Access is at Risk! - April, 2024

El Niño Slams San Onofre: Surfrider Calls for a Long-Term Plan that Works With Nature - February, 2024

Save The Beach, At San Onofre State Beach - September, 2025