For the past year, Desiree Sarnowski and Tanya Larson’s morning walk along San Clemente’s coastline was interrupted by construction crews and a chain-link fence.
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So the duo, who walk the 2.3-mile stretch from the south to the north ends of town, were pleasantly surprised on Friday, Oct. 9, when the fence was down and the path was cleared.
The San Clemente beach trail is now fully open, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occassion on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. A wall and repairs to the trail had shut down the section of trail north of the pier for more than a year. (Photo by Laylan Connelly/SCNG)
The San Clemente beach trail is now fully open, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occassion on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. A wall and repairs to the trail had shut down the section of trail north of the pier for more than a year. (Photo by Laylan Connelly/SCNG)
The San Clemente beach trail is now fully open, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occassion on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. A wall and repairs to the trail had shut down the section of trail north of the pier for more than a year. (Photo by Laylan Connelly/SCNG)
The San Clemente beach trail is now fully open, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occassion on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. A wall and repairs to the trail had shut down the section of trail north of the pier for more than a year. (Photo by Laylan Connelly/SCNG)
The San Clemente beach trail is now fully open, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occassion on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. A wall and repairs to the trail had shut down the section of trail north of the pier for more than a year. (Photo by Laylan Connelly/SCNG)
The beach trail north of Casa Romantica in San Clemente on Monday, October 5, 2026. A new wall and ground level trail replaces an elevated trail that was destroyed by a landslide earlier this year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers put the finishing touches on the beach trail north of Casa Romantica in San Clemente on Monday, October 5, 2026. A new wall and ground level trail replaces an elevated trail that was destroyed by a landslide earlier this year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The beach trail north of Casa Romantica in San Clemente on Monday, October 5, 2026. A new wall and ground level trail replaces an elevated trail that was destroyed by a landslide earlier this year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers put the finishing touches on the beach trail north of Casa Romantica in San Clemente on Monday, October 5, 2026. A new wall and ground level trail replaces an elevated trail that was destroyed by a landslide earlier this year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers put the finishing touches on the beach trail north of Casa Romantica in San Clemente on Monday, October 5, 2026. A new wall and ground level trail replaces an elevated trail that was destroyed by a landslide earlier this year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The beach trail north of Casa Romantica in San Clemente on Monday, October 5, 2026. A new wall and ground level trail replaces an elevated trail that was destroyed by a landslide earlier this year. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“We love it so much, it’s amazing,” Sarnowski said, as she marveled at the 20-foot-tall wall added to protect the path and nearby train tracks from landslides. It is colored to blend with the hillside’s hues.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
The popular beach trail, spanning from Calafia State Beach to North Beach and passing the San Clemente Pier at the halfway point, was reopened to the public after a year of being partially closed off following a 2024 landslide that knocked down the Mariposa Bridge.
“We’ll miss the cute little iconic rickety bridge, such a nostalgic piece of our little San Clemente,” Larson said, noting they immediately texted their walking group to share the news of the path’s reopening. “But how beautiful this is? It is amazing. I feel spoiled.”
The Orange County Transportation Authority, along with local, state and federal officials, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday to mark the occasion, speaking about the $93 million project to repair damage from the landslide and bolster protections that included the nearly 1,400-foot-long catchment wall, with a height ranging from 10 to 20 feet, designed to protect the railroad track from falling rocks, soil and debris from the coastal bluff.
The project also included removing the steel-and-wood bridge and reconnecting the pedestrian trail, with it now running alongside the railroad, at the cost of about $24 million.
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Construction began in September 2025.
The LOSSAN Rail Corridor through San Clemente is a critical link in Southern California’s transportation network, carrying Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner passenger trains as well as freight and military transportation.
Since 2021, rail operations through San Clemente have been interrupted multiple times because of coastal bluff failures, beach loss, erosion and deterioration of shoreline protection.
“This project represents exactly the kind of progress we want to keep making in San Clemente – taking action now to protect the rail corridor while working closely with the city and community to preserve access to the coast,” OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson said. “We’re grateful to everyone who helped make today possible, especially the crews who worked in a very challenging coastal environment to deliver stronger public infrastructure and a restored trail for the community.”
San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler said it was a long-awaited moment for the community and visitors who frequent the trail.
“This is the jewel, the treasure,” he said. “This is the treasure of San Clemente, going from one end to the other, looking at this beautiful ocean.”