San Onofre State Beach
A comfy campout with 2 to 5 mile hikes
Driving to and sleeping at a campground
Ideal for first-timers
Trip · 3-day camping trip
For · Friends and new campers
Vibe · Relaxing and chill
Reservations · Yes, reserve a site at San Mateo Campground
Drive · 1.5 hours from LA
Ideal dates · July to October
Pets · Welcome at camp and down by trails 1 and 6
San Onofre State Beach (SOSB) is one of the top five most visited state parks in CA and rightly so. It has 5.5 miles of coastline, which makes it a camper's playground and a surfer's dream. Trestles Beach within SOSB is considered the best year-round surf break in America! For campers, there are six numbered trails (1 to 6) that takes you below towering sandstone bluffs down to the rocky beach. Use the restroom before you hike down and settle in for awesome surfer-watching and ocean views.
Main image credit: California State Parks Foundation
Each campsite comes with a:
San Mateo Campground is a 20-minute walk to the rugged coastline of San Onofre State Beach, but it offers plenty of modern amenities for RV and tent campers alike. The campground has hot, coin-operated showers, restrooms, and RV hookup sites with electricity and water. Some campers suggest bringing ear plugs because you might hear the hum of the highway, but the campground's convenient location to the beach makes it hard to beat.
Check-in: After 2 PM · Check-out: 12 PM
View San Mateo Campground Map
Nightly Rate: $40
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San Onofre State Beach was created by Presidential Decree in 1971, and it's leased from the Department of the Navy until 2024
For thousands of years, native Acjachemen people lived in what is now northern San Diego county. Panhe is an ancient Acjachemen village still located in SOSB.
The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher is not only adorable, but also one of ten nationally endangered species that call SOSB home
You won't be saving money, but you'll save space and weight with these camp sandals.
Clothes
Sleepover! This is a tent you can stand up in and have plenty of space for air mattresses, doggos, and more.
Shared Gear
A reliable, popular, and relatively affordable dual-burner camping stove that is fairly heavy, but performs well.
Kitchen
It's pricey, but the New York Times' Wirecutter recommended this attachment as a way for wheelchair users to navigate uneven terrain.
Essential Items
Instead of transporting stuff on your lap, use this storage bag to easily store items underneath your wheelchair.
Essential Items
Never dig around your pack to find some hand sanitizer. Instead, hang this one on the outside of your pack.
Personal Stuff
If you're an experienced backpacker, this is the lightest full-size, full-featured, frameless pack made.
Essential Items
Add a little magic to your experience by hanging these twinkling lights around your tent every night.
Shared Gear
Sometimes you just want a camp chair that gets the job done. Nothing glamorous or fancy. Well, this is it.
Shared Gear
The more you backpack the lighter your shelter becomes, and the lighter it is, the more expensive it can be.
Shared Gear
Camp underneath the stars and watch glorious sunrises in Joshua Tree National Park, the second largest national park in California.
