I’ve lived in Northern California all my life, so maybe it’s no surprise that I never really knew about the “world-famous” surf at Trestles in the San Onofre State Beach — although I do remember traveling along Interstate 5 and seeing the cooling towers of the nearby San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant (shut down since 2013).  Still, Huell’s enthusiasm is always contagious, and I’m pretty sure that if I had the chance to visit the area I would really love to hike the trails and seek out some of the park’s very special hidden gems mentioned in this segment. This episode of Golden Parks originally aired in November 2007, and the good news is that the controversial toll road was never built.

San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County covers some 2100 acres and has five miles of beach, including Trestles – one of the most famous and truly iconic surf spots in the world! Park Supt. Rich Rozzelle showed Huell a spectacular section of the park that most people don’t know exists. Turns out the park goes four miles inland, contains several archeological sites, is the home of seven threatened or endangered species and protects significant portions of San Mateo Creek, which is one of the last relatively unspoiled watersheds in Southern California. San Onofre State Beach is now the focus of a huge controversy! Tune in to find out all about it.

(Click on the linked image below to see the video.)