Trestles
Encyclopedia
Trestles is a collection of surfing
spots at San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County, California
. Trestles consists of, from north to south, Upper Trestles (Uppers), Lower Trestles (Lowers), and Middle Trestles (Middles). North of Upper Trestles is the surf spot called Cottons. South of Middles is the surf spot called The Church.
Lower Trestles consistently has the best waves of the group. There is an ASP World Tour surfing competition held at Lowers every year, as well as the NSSA Nationals. Uppers is less consistent, but it has the potential to be a good wave with a long ride. North of Uppers is Cotton's Point, the location of former President Richard Nixon
's home, La Casa Pacifica
, aka "The Western White House", and the associated surfing spot of Cottons.
The Toll Road, which is one of several routes that could be constructed to extend California State Route 241
, is favored by several business groups and public officials from Orange County as a way to ease future traffic congestion. The particular Toll Road route through San Onofre is opposed by more than two dozen members of California’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., thirty-eight California legislators including California's United States Senator Barbara Boxer
, Surfrider Foundation, Defenders of Wildlife, The Sierra Club
, The Natural Resources Defense Council
, the California State Parks Foundation, the California State Park and Recreation Commission the Native American United Coalition to Protect Panhe, The City Project, the Save San Onofre Coalition, and Save Trestles, among others. Opposition is based upon the damage to the environment that would result from construction and operation of the Toll Road, the loss of park camping and recreational areas, the loss/damage to a site sacred to Native Americans, and studies that show that traffic congestion would actually increase on the San Diego Freeway if the toll road is built through San Onofre Beach. A survey of Orange County voters revealed that while 52% favored "a" toll road, 66% opposed the proposed route that would take the Toll Road through San Onofre State Park.
On February 6, 2008 the California Coastal Commission
denied a Coastal Permit for the route of the proposed 241 Toll Road that would have cut through San Onofre and the Reserve, saying that of the eight possible routes considered, the one sought by the TCA was the most environmentally damaging. Had a permit been granted, it would have been the first toll road to run through a California state park. The Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) appealed the Coastal Commission's decision to the U.S. Department of Commerce, which has until January, 2009 to issue its decision following the public hearing held September 22, 2008.
As of August 20, 2008, there are at least four lawsuits pending. The lawsuits have been filed by various groups and organizations, which have banded together in various groupings, all with the goal of stopping the toll road through San Onofre State Beach.
On December 18, 2008 The Department of Commerce announced that it would uphold the California Coastal Commission’s ruling that found the TCA’s proposed extension of the 241 Toll Road inconsistent with the California Coastal Act. In a release issued by the Department of Commerce, the DOC noted that at least one reasonable alternative to the project existed, and that the project was not necessary in the interest of national security.
Surfrider Foundation’s Assistant Environmental Director Mark Rauscher said this about the December 18 decision: "This decision is a significant milestone in our efforts to protect San Onofre State Beach Park and the surrounding environment; and underscores the effectiveness of grassroots activism."
Panhe is the site of an ancient Acjachemen village in the San Mateo campground area of San Onofre State Beach, straddling the San Diego-Orange county border off Cristianitos Road near Trestles. It remains a sacred, ceremonial, cultural, and burial site for the Acjachemen people. Many Acjachemen people trace their lineage back to Panhe. It is the site of the first baptism in California, and in 1769, the first close contact between Spanish explorers, Catholic missionaries, and the Acjachemen people. The Acjachemen people built the mission at San Juan Capistrano
.
The advocacy group Save Panhe and San Onofre State Beach state that not only is Panhe one of the most historically significant sacred sites of the Acjachemen people, but that Panhe is also important to all Californians and Americans.
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
spots at San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Trestles consists of, from north to south, Upper Trestles (Uppers), Lower Trestles (Lowers), and Middle Trestles (Middles). North of Upper Trestles is the surf spot called Cottons. South of Middles is the surf spot called The Church.
Lower Trestles consistently has the best waves of the group. There is an ASP World Tour surfing competition held at Lowers every year, as well as the NSSA Nationals. Uppers is less consistent, but it has the potential to be a good wave with a long ride. North of Uppers is Cotton's Point, the location of former President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's home, La Casa Pacifica
La Casa Pacifica
La Casa Pacifica is a mansion located in the Cottons Point Estates gated community on the beaches of San Clemente, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean...
, aka "The Western White House", and the associated surfing spot of Cottons.
Access and amenities
Getting to Trestles is a trek.- Visitors can park and walk down an asphalt trail to Trestles from the trailhead at Cristianitos Road, near where Cristianitos crosses over the San Diego Freeway. Visitors can expect to see surf graffiti on the sidewalk, with such phrases as "no kooks", "surf hard", "you're going the wrong way", and "duckbutter". There is a pay parking lot near the Carl’s Jr. restaurant on Coast Highway at Cristianitos, along with some public parking on streets near the restaurant. There is no fee to walk, skateboard, or bike into Trestles by means of this trail. Most visitors enter Trestle by this trail.
- Visitors can park at San Onofre State Beach by exiting the San Diego Freeway at Basilone Road, then heading westerly from the freeway exit to the entrance to the portion of San Onofre State Beach named Surf Beach. The hike northwest to Trestles from Surf Beach at San Onofre State Beach is considerably longer than the hike southwest from the Cristianitos Road bridge and the San Diego Freeway. There is a fee to drive into the State Park at Surf Beach.
Toll road controversy
The California Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) is seeking to construct a 16-mile long six-lanes wide toll highway (graded for eight lanes) through San Onofre State Beach/Park and a habitat reserve in Orange County, joining the San Diego Freeway at Trestles.The Toll Road, which is one of several routes that could be constructed to extend California State Route 241
California State Route 241
State Route 241 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. For its entire run, Route 241 is a toll road. Its northern half is part of the Eastern Toll Road while its southern half is part of the Foothill Toll Road....
, is favored by several business groups and public officials from Orange County as a way to ease future traffic congestion. The particular Toll Road route through San Onofre is opposed by more than two dozen members of California’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., thirty-eight California legislators including California's United States Senator Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
, Surfrider Foundation, Defenders of Wildlife, The Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
, The Natural Resources Defense Council
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a New York City-based, non-profit, non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing...
, the California State Parks Foundation, the California State Park and Recreation Commission the Native American United Coalition to Protect Panhe, The City Project, the Save San Onofre Coalition, and Save Trestles, among others. Opposition is based upon the damage to the environment that would result from construction and operation of the Toll Road, the loss of park camping and recreational areas, the loss/damage to a site sacred to Native Americans, and studies that show that traffic congestion would actually increase on the San Diego Freeway if the toll road is built through San Onofre Beach. A survey of Orange County voters revealed that while 52% favored "a" toll road, 66% opposed the proposed route that would take the Toll Road through San Onofre State Park.
On February 6, 2008 the California Coastal Commission
California Coastal Commission
The California Coastal Commission is a state agency in the U.S. state of California with quasi-judicial regulatory oversight over land use and public access in the California coastal zone....
denied a Coastal Permit for the route of the proposed 241 Toll Road that would have cut through San Onofre and the Reserve, saying that of the eight possible routes considered, the one sought by the TCA was the most environmentally damaging. Had a permit been granted, it would have been the first toll road to run through a California state park. The Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) appealed the Coastal Commission's decision to the U.S. Department of Commerce, which has until January, 2009 to issue its decision following the public hearing held September 22, 2008.
As of August 20, 2008, there are at least four lawsuits pending. The lawsuits have been filed by various groups and organizations, which have banded together in various groupings, all with the goal of stopping the toll road through San Onofre State Beach.
On December 18, 2008 The Department of Commerce announced that it would uphold the California Coastal Commission’s ruling that found the TCA’s proposed extension of the 241 Toll Road inconsistent with the California Coastal Act. In a release issued by the Department of Commerce, the DOC noted that at least one reasonable alternative to the project existed, and that the project was not necessary in the interest of national security.
Surfrider Foundation’s Assistant Environmental Director Mark Rauscher said this about the December 18 decision: "This decision is a significant milestone in our efforts to protect San Onofre State Beach Park and the surrounding environment; and underscores the effectiveness of grassroots activism."
Panhe is the site of an ancient Acjachemen village in the San Mateo campground area of San Onofre State Beach, straddling the San Diego-Orange county border off Cristianitos Road near Trestles. It remains a sacred, ceremonial, cultural, and burial site for the Acjachemen people. Many Acjachemen people trace their lineage back to Panhe. It is the site of the first baptism in California, and in 1769, the first close contact between Spanish explorers, Catholic missionaries, and the Acjachemen people. The Acjachemen people built the mission at San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano was a Spanish mission in Southern California, located in present-day San Juan Capistrano. It was founded on All Saints Day November 1, 1776, by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order...
.
The advocacy group Save Panhe and San Onofre State Beach state that not only is Panhe one of the most historically significant sacred sites of the Acjachemen people, but that Panhe is also important to all Californians and Americans.