Happy Two Year Anniversary.

On Dec 18, 2008 Trestles and San Onofre State Park received the best holiday gift ever!  The Federal government (via the Secretary of Commerce), deemed the toll road inconsistent with environmental laws--thereby slamming the door on the construction of this hideous project.

Surfrider Foundation plans to celebrate this anniversary every year.  It's important to continuously celebrate our victories, yet it is equally important to acknowledge this anniversary date as a way to stay vigilant and ensure that both Trestles and San Onofre State Park remain in the pristine condition that we know it now.

So from all of us at Surfrider....Happy 2nd Anniversary of a "Saved Trestles"!  And Happy Holidays!

Mountain Biking at San Onofre State Beach

This killer little video was shot on the trails in the inland portion of San Onofre State Beach, right in the area where the toll road would have gone. If you want to make the same ride, head to the southern end of Avenida La Pata in San Clemente for the trail head. Easily accessible from the San Mateo Campground too.



Chucks mountain bike (helmet cam) from Chuck Patterson on Vimeo.

Join Surfrider for an Evening of Art, Activism and Awareness Building for Prop 21

The Surfrider Foundation is working to protect our coastal state parks.   Besides stopping a toll road from running though San Onofre State Beach, we believe our park system needs to be protected from development, neglect and underfunding.

State budget cuts are causing our parks to 'fall behind in the system'.  Our precious parks are struggling financially and they need a stable funding source to ensure they remain safe and healthy. 

Learn more about how Prop 21 can help and why Surfirder is supporting this initiative!  Join us Oct 21, click here for official invite.  Go here to learn more about Prop 21 in general.

How Does Trestles Work?

Surfline just put up a great overview on the mechanics of our favorite surf spot. Check it out.

Park Updates and More.

You haven’t heard from us lately…which is a good thing!  Our lack of communication means Trestles and San O are still safe from the toll road that once threatened the Park and the surrounding watershed…

And as you know, The Surfrider Foundation has an affinity for parks (not just because our Trestles campaign helped stop the toll road), but we also appreciate the state park system because 7 of the top 10 most popular parks in California are located along our precious coastline!

California's state parks are falling apart because of decades of underfunding.  Our state parks are struggling financially and need permanent funding to ensure they are maintained (i.e. hiking trials, campsites, bathrooms, visitor centers, kiosks, etc), AND that enough staff and personal are hired to ensure our parks are safe (i.e. lifeguards, rangers, facility managers, etc).  Last November, the Surfrider Foundation supported the California State Park and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010 as a way to maintain healthy parks.

This summer, the California State Park and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act officially qualified for the November ballot; now called Proposition 21.  Prop 21, slated for the Nov 2 election, will create stable and adequate funding for parks.  The funding would come from an annual "State Park Access Pass" surcharge of $18 per California vehicle.   The surcharge will apply to California vehicles and in exchange, they would receive free day-use admission to Parks throughout the year.

The folks running the ballot initiative are looking for supporters and volunteers, visit their website.  

Please read a recent blog post  about why Surfrider is supporting park protection efforts.


In Other News…
As we all know, Trestles is arguably the most popular surfing break in North America, attracting over 300,000 people a year. To save time, nearly a third of these visitors take a shortcut along an unmaintained trail, cross the railroad tracks, and follow any number of impromptu footpaths through some of the most pristine marshlands left in Southern California.

The San Onofre Foundation has partnered with Architecture for Humanity to ask how can we address the recreational demands of the State Park safely, while also protecting and conserving the experience of Trestles -- a surfing and environmental world treasure. To explore different solutions, "Safe Trestles" was launched, an open-to-all design and ideas competition that asks how can we eliminate the dangers of crossing active railroad tracks, and create low-impact access to Trestles.

Join the San Onofre Foundation on the evening of August 16 to learn more about the organization's goals, to explore why Trestles is in danger, and to open the floor to discussing:  What should we do to protect Trestles for future generations? San Clemente Community Center Auditorium:

Monday, August 16

7:30pm - 9:30pm

100 N. Calle Seville

San Clemente, CA 92672

In the mean time, anyone can join the discussion and help shape the future of Trestles here. 

Please go here to read Surfrider's perspective on "Safe Trestles".

The Marines don't want the Toll Road either

The OC Register just printed a letter from the Commanding General at Camp Pendleton where he describes at great length his reasoning for not wanting the 241 Toll Road built across Pendleton's land. In case you missed it, the latest TCA proposal is to build the 241 deeper into Pendleton, as seen in this map from the Register.
The gist of the General's comments are "In our view, it's time for the TCA to find another alternative to it's current proposed alignment of the 241 Toll Road through vital training areas on Camp Pendleton."

Pat Brennan at the Register also has a thorough discussion of the letter and the latest machinations of the TCA. Lots of interesting reader comments on that page too, please chime in with your thoughts. Or even better, send a letter to the editor at letters@ocregister.com

Other Trestles Blogs

Just a quick note to encourage you to visit a couple other blogs dedicated to life at Trestles.

Trestles Surf Crowd is written by long time local Norris Brandt, providing fun and interesting insights on all things related to surfing at Trestles.


TKO Coastal Surf Tours has tons of great photos from his dawn patrols at Trestles and beyond, including this slideshow from the morning after San Mateo Creek broke through in January


Washed Out from Thomas O'Hara on Vimeo.

So spend some time over there and give them some feedback.

San Mateo Creek is Flowing

For everyone who loves Trestles and San Mateo Creek, it's always gratifying to see the creek running back into the Pacific after taking a few seasons off. These latest El Nino storms dumped lots of rain in Southern California, bringing trash and polluted water to many beaches.


But at Trestles, the clean San Mateo runs clear and strong thanks to the lack of development throughout the watershed. When it rains this hard, the beach is also replenished with huge volumes of sand and cobbles pouring out of the Creek.

And be sure to watch for Steelhead heading back up to their spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the San Mateo.