San Onofre State Beach

Primitive camping no hot showers or power hook ups. Beautiful views from the bluff or take a 1/2 mile walk down to the beach, dont forget you have to walk back up. Steep but do-able. Extremely dog friendly trails 1 and 6. Relax and enjoy, Tent and RV camping.

We had a great time, but be prepared for a little hwy 5 traffic and occasional trains passing. Great views from the bluff and HIKES Down to the beach. If you surf you should definitely camp here! Take advantage of your parking pass that can be used at the adjacent state parks and beaches.

Stayed at tent site b047 for 2 nights here. Sites are big enough to fit 8 people and each has a good sized fire pit perfect for cooking. Restrooms are close walking distance to any site, and somewhat clean. Outdoor showers by the restrooms are nice to rinse off the sea after a long day. Highly recommend Trail 4 to the beach, its a mellow walk to a decently sandy beach. Trail 3 south was in need of grading and repair, some of it was washed out bad. Conditions for surfing were good pretty much everywhere along the beach.

What a Beautiful secluded beachYoull love it.....and its dog friendly......

Amazing beach, beautiful water, very busy during any holiday weekend in the summer !

Absolutely in love with San O!!!! Its beautiful, easy to access, never ending surf and beach fun!!! 15$ fee to enter, money never better spent!!

Beautiful, wild beach. Mostly for surfers. Nice tide pools.$15 parking fee, parking spots are limited due to Covid. Wait time was about 30min on a Friday morning around noon.

This is an awesome place to hang out and enjoy the beach! It’s a cool spot that isn’t too crowded and you can get away from people. The surf wasn’t good today but the surf also gets super awesome here sometimes as well if you are looking for a place that doesn’t get too crowded. It’s definitely worth a visit!

I have to start by saying the rating has no direct relation to the camping experience...our boys had a great time & so did we! They clean restrooms daily, early morning we found is best time to go. Showers are outdoors but its camping so expect nothing less. The hardest part with young kids is getting to the beach. You just want to be aware of the simplest route and we found beach trail 6 works well, its just rocky if you want to lay a blanket out.Otherwise, WE HAD AN AWESOME TIME CAMPING...SUN & BREEZE WERE PERFECT!!

Fun beach to walk around and not a lot people. Isnt the best for swimming especially for little ones but still lovely.

Perfect time. We were out all the way at the end, by the campground area, past trail 6. Have a 3 and 6 year old. They were able to hike down to the bottom with no issues and no assistance. First time here. Didnt realize its all rock, and not a sand beach so that makes it hard to get to and from the water, but the kids still had a blast running around. I recommend it. Make sure to take the kids bathroom before you hike down.

Beautiful beach. Good for surfing. Smallish sand area. Rocky more than sandy. Parking near the beach. On Wednesday early afternoon there was a long slow line to pay to get in. There is also a nice walking path along the bluffs overlooking the beach.

Trains, planes, and automobiles all day and all night. Bring your earplugs if you plan to sleep. This campground did not suit me. It runs next to train tracks and I-5 near the inspection stop. Its at the northern edge of Camp Pendleton, so there is lots of helicopter traffic. It was too difficult for me to walk the slippery dirt trails to get to the beach. There was bathroom stench for 6 hours after the daily cleanings.The best feature for me was a long stretch of a level, safe bike path. I rode 4 miles one way, but I think its much longer.Being there during COVID-19 restrictions made it worse for me, since I am higher risk and many people disregarded the rules. 3-4 families near me mingled with no social distancing or masks. Fortunately they were downwind from me.

So, being from the east coast this wasnt my type of beach..... full of rocks before you reach the water. That being said, the hike down was nice and the water was warm. There was a high activity level of sting rays, however, we didnt encounter any of them. Overall, beautiful.

Awesome place to stay the night and get some surfing in. A little bit noisy being so close to the freeway, but really a nice spot. Enjoyed my time here.

Great little beach, especially if you are looking to get away from the crowd, or take you pups to the water. A day costs you 15$, and its a good hike in, but you wont be fighting with everyone for a parking spot and or a spot in the same near the water! You will pretty much be able to pick where you want to relax. If your looking to camp, you better reserve well ahead of time, I have yet to be able to experience rolling in and getting a site that day.

So many surfers go here so enjoy spectating if youre not one. Tiny beach but very chill

Went for overnight camping trip. Loved that there was a fire pit. Enough space to put 3 tents, 2 parking spaces . You can get to the beach via multiple trails. We walked one trail, the closet to where we camped . It was little ways but kids loved it. Getting to the beach via some trails can be a bit steep. We managed it with kids ok. We drove to another trail which was the farthest from our camp site in early am, easy walk and well worth it. It is popular for surfing. Tons of rock. Not a sandy Beach. We still had a lot of fun.

Camp Pendleton SanO for all purposes is a public beach. The Marines and security do not enforce any rules or regulations. Feel free to park at State Beach and walk on Beach Club Road through the base. You can also shop at the Beach Club where prices are phenomenal. They will not ask you for a military ID. You can also use the rest rooms, showers, and set up anywhere you want on the base beach. The only regulations that are enforced by the local security and Military Police is use of recreational and medicinal pot. Other then that, come enjoy the same benefits of SanoBeach as if u were an active duty Marine or Sailor.

Pretty beach. Not too crowded...Just be prepared to wear some sort of shoes to climb on the rocks down to the shore because if you have sensitive feet youre going to end up having them feel really sore

We camped for 4 days at the San Mateo Campground. All of the sites we saw were quite large and private given the location. Our pull in was very level(as were most) and there is a nice sturdy picnic table at each site. There is trash service, drinking spigots, a dishwashing station at the restroom, and very clean restrooms. The only 2 disclaimers are: the showers are quite pricey token showers (2 minutes per token I think, we took showers elsewhere on our trip) and the small mammals are quite numerous and aggressive, so keep your food well secured at all times.

What a place ! Great spot to surf and spend time with family. Even saw some dolphins playing in the surf!

For the campgrounds, its BYOS: bring your own shade. room for a tent and 2 cars. great for one family, or two couples. group camping sites look like fun, and more spacious. Will probably try booking those first next time.

Nice surfer beach with bike and walking trails. I enjoyed my time here. The sand can be a littke dirty and i saw some glass so be careful barefooted.

The bluffs are a phenomenal display of natures power. They blend into beautiful rock strewn beaches, complimented by constant rolling waves across the horizon. If you are not RV campers, I highly recommend booking in regular campsites - and not the RV/camper sites - otherwise, you may find yourself setting up tents on a trail (and within a rocks throw of other sites - they basically stack campers).The staff was extremely friendly and helpful!

Cool little hike on cliffs above. $15 for beach access. Right by decommissioned nuclear power plant

We stayed in the San Mateo campground, about 1.5 miles from the beach. Nice private sites separated by vegetation in a family friendly campground, away from the noise from the freeway and railroad tracks.

Really beautiful place very zen area. Bring a bottle of wine and a friend and soak up the amazing sunset

Clean and I love the beach....put the restrooms were not very clean at all.

Always great at San O! But the older i get the harder those trail get....

Cool place to car camp. Fills up really fast!

Peaceful, relaxing, and beautiful. This is the home of our Marine. God bless all you Marines.....ooh-Rah!

We walked along the bluffs. A recommendation given to us by the park ranger. It was beautiful! Easy walk along the cliffs! No fee to walk the bluffs. Lota of wildflowers and a great view to watch the surfers!

Love camping here at Surfers Paradise, great view of the water...

Love this cute little spot! Perfect getaway.

One of the most well preserved surfing in California. With so many consistent surf breaks at least a mile and a half worth..a true gem.

Great view of ocean and waves. However, NOT a safe beach to swim specially for children. Very little sand area, mostly rocks. The sand area drops fast and the waves and currents are very strong. Not a beach to use if youre not a very good swimmer. In fact is dangerous.

Campgrounds are amazing. The beach was a bit rocky, but was still amazing. I had an amazing time.

Beautiful beach. We looked everywhere for a quieter beach. Oceanside and Carlsbad beaches were very crowded. Then we came upon San Onofre and decided to give it a try. We had a beautiful, uncrowded beach. So glad we came. I will say, there are what might be a downside for some. You park on top, and have to walk down quite a steep dirt road to get to the beach. For those with disabilities, there is a bench on top with a beautiful view down the trail a short distance. But for anyone who might have difficulty walking, I think you would not be able to get to the water. You pay at the booth, before entering the park. There are campsites on the top, but there is no privacy at the camping section. It is pretty much just a parking lot, everyone parked right next to each other. We took the path from the 1st day use section. The last day use section seemed steeper then the path for the first one. Once you get to the beach, though, it is definitely worth the walk. Quiet beach, nice waves, a few surfers. Im sure the weekends probably get busy, but we went during the week and it was quiet.

Sad that most of the sandy beach is gone but the surf was great for longboarding as usual.

Love the seclusion. Hard walk up the trail keeps the timid away.

Nice clean beach. Good for surfers & who loves to fish. There’s playground for kids and shaded area for family picnic. Convenience, bar and food stores are nearby. Overall a nice place.

San Onofre State Beach is a very large State beach park, just off Interstate 5 by taking the Basilone Rd exit and cross back over the highway to reach the park entrance, and it is located just north of Camp Pendleton., if you came in from San Diego. After exiting, you will need to drive about 2 miles back south on the access road to reach the state park beaches. There is plenty of parking. You’ll pass the now closed, double breasted nuclear reactors as you head south to the beaches. Formerly, the section around Parking Lot 6 was traditional a clothing optional section of the beach, but that has changed for now.

Decent mid sized beach. Not crowed most days

Surf and nature. Watch for wild life. Enjoy the hike down to the beach. Riding bikes, surfing and fishing. Beautiful sunset.

Great for camping with tents very clean and quite . I recommend taking dollar Bills to change for tokens to use the showers . The only downside is the LONG walk to the beach .

Group camp firewood delivery. 1/2 cord minimum of ugly dry wood $105. Delivering fun!

Warm water and plenty of room for the day.

Love that my dogs can come and enjoy themselves!! Love that theres restrooms and showers with sinks! I absolutely had an amazing time! My dogs loved it and thats what made my experience the best. Watching them have a blast plus sorting around the fire pit with us! Wish the came site wasnt next to the train and semi stop but other than that it was good!

Beautiful location. Well worth a visit for anyone who likes camping (lots of camping spaces), likes the ocean (bring water shoes, there are rocks and sting rays), likes helicopters (the beach is close to a US military base and there are helicopters etc. flying around), or for those who simply like the outdoors (lots of beautiful areas to walk and/or sit and look at stunning scenery); in other words, most people could find some value in a visit here.

Great spot won the lottery good luck to everyone

Great for a day at the beach, but not for camping. Unless you dont mind the sounds of traffic and trains passing by during the night.

Sweet surfer spot. We took our class C RV, backed it right up to the beach, and enjoyed the day. Kind of generated some looks as this spot seems much more surfer than casual day tripper. Unpaved road. State park fee of $15 unless you have a ca explorer pass. I had fun.

This is a very quiet, beautiful environment, perfect for surfing and fishing. I like it very much.

This park is best enjoyed at night. Its far away from major cities enough to be dark enough for great stargazing. Also, I watched in amusement the first night as dozens of rabbits took over the campground. Last night the campground was full which kept the wabbits away! BTW- the beaches around here are a surfers paradise.

Great beach. Takes a pretty good walk down the path to get there... Worth it. Plan your time and bring some water. Enjoy!

A peaceful rocky beach with pretty scenery. Its a nice place for a walk or hike.

Nice beach, small beach. Can get a long line for parking during the weekends.

Our cocampers complained about no internet. (Camp Pendleton next door) I didnt care. Close to trestles and San Clemente everything.

Amazing beach!! Highly recommend going there to watch the sun set truly beautiful!! You can get super close to the sea lions but beware of their stinky stench!

Great surf. The beach is rocky but the kids still have fun playing with the driftwood and bamboo.

Great sand beach break

Great beach park in south Orange county with awesome surfing. It doesnt get a lot of campers, so the beaches are almost deserted.

My favorite beach in southern California, very nice mostly a surfing beach. Very limited parking spaces restrooms are clean, very clean beach, for the most part people there are very nice a d polite.

Away from southern california city chaos. Very good site for surfing and for a day camping.Only part did not like was park parking fee which is $15. Too high!

Nice beach, clean. Rocky at waters edge. Bluffs over the beach for parking, campsites, restrooms, and showers. Normal state park fees for parking unless you have an annual pass. Moderate walks to the beach/waterline.Trail 6 (at south end) used to lead to a nude (clothing optional) beach. Not allowed as I write this (early 2020). Hidden from the road and trains. Controversy is still being fought in the courts over this status.

Lot of rocks, gotta be careful

This is not really a beach for tourists. There is only one spot of decent sand, and its all the way at the end near the nuclear power plant. This beach is full of local surfers and volleyball players. So tourists will stick out. Otherwise its cool how the waves roll all the rocks. There are very large, baseball to cantaloupe sized rocks on most of the beach.

3 stars because you have to pay 15 bucks to park. We only stayed 30 minutes. I wanted to see the beach and take pictures before getting to San Diego. It was pretty though. If you want to walk in the water, be careful stepping on all the rocks!

Its a journey getting down there but not heavily trod & remote

This beach is right by the Marine Corps base. It’s a gem hidden away. It doesn’t look like much when you’re driving down the dirt road, but it’s well worth it. Especially as the sun is setting, but just before that you can watch the pre-show which will be the surfers or just enjoy the walk on the beach.

Seems pretty similar to what it was in the 90s for the important parts..Red dot, white dot parking seems to be over. Maybe camping will be allowed in July?

Stayed at the cottage 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom. Loved it, next to the beach.

Best surf spot in Ca. Clean great waves and friendly people

Nice beach, great waves for surfing. Can be pretty rocky by the water

Best surf spot around for longboarding and Aloha spirit.

Love this beach. It is a gem and very good for surfing!

This beach was so private! It was great, we were down there with our dogs for like 12 hours and maybe saw 5 people. So beautiful I could stay there forever!

Great camping on the beach. Only bad thing is dogs have to stay on the campsite.

Gorgeous beach and excellent long boarding surf spot. Old Mans can get busy so I usually drive a bit further south toTrails.

Awesome beach. Personally a kickback beach with no one around to enjoy. Perfect for beginners in surfing or casual surf tides.The experience here was incredible. Personal favorite

Excellent. We were there Monday and Tuesday nights and it was not crowded.

Perfect RV family beach vācā.

You cannot argue with the view and ocean breez.

Great for surfers, lots of vawes although plenty of rocks near shore, but it doesnt seem to affect any of the dudes already in the water

Very convenient and available for late check in with auto pay.

Beautiful place to be and visit in So.Cal.Great food.

One of the best places to take in a sunset in SoCal, A few thatched-roof huts, some bamboo, clean blue water, and easy waves with long, gentle rides,

So peaceful and serene. Pretty good surfing too! Remember Swami

If you like surf this is the place

Fan of solitary beaches ?? this is the one you would love to go!!

Always wonderfull its a long hike in but eorthit

Super rocky, but it has the fire pits towards the back of the parking lot so that’s nice

Love this place. Been coming here for 30 years now

A nice day visit but spending the night there is like sleeping next to a freeway, oh thats right it is next to a freeway! Very loud at night!

Great laid back surf spot for families and friends

Today was a beautiful day surfing at 4 doors - SanO. Sunny skys with big waves... What more can you ask for? Great Place to be on a Beautiful Day!

This place is awesome if you can ever get to camp here make sure you go

One of very few dog beaches in the area...but you really have to be prepared to hike the trails to get there. Not an easy trek but worth it.

Great waves to be had there often. But heavy line ups and having multiple people surfing each peak on every wave is a bit strange to me. Although strange to have so many people on the wave at the same time the crowd seems use to it and chill. Great spot to pull your vehicle close to waters edge.Work checking out.