I present to you a comprehensive list of all San Diego wheelchair-accessible beaches. First off, I will be listing for the entire San Diego County, beginning North and making way to the South.
All addresses are linked to Google Maps, and a phone number is provided as well.
Manual beach chairs are available for check-out for the opportunity for water access, but you will need someone to push you.
Power beach chairs must remain 5 feet back from the water to prevent damage to the motors. You may only use it for one hour.
Beach access mats are only available from May to Sept. These mats are not used in the winter, early spring, or fall due to increased tidal action, high surf, and blowing sand.
Table of Contents
San Diego City Beach Hours
The peak season is from May to October.
Monday-Friday 11:30 am- 4:30 pm
Saturday-Sunday 11:30 am – 5:30 pm.
The off-season is from November to April (closed Jan-Feb).
Friday-Sun 11:30 am- 3:30 pm
Call for reservations- (619) 980-1876
For more information on any question about San Diego City beach accessibility, please call (619) 525-8247.
North San Diego County Wheelchair Accessible Beaches
San Onofre State Beach
Beach Club Rd & Old Pacific Highway
- Manual chairs available
- Peak season is June 1st- Sept 15
- Call Lifeguard tower during peak season and on weekends during the off-season (949) 366-8592.
Oceanside Harbor Beach
- Manual and powered chairs are available here.
- For reservations and more information, please call (760) 435-4018
Oceanside Pier View South Beach
- Two manual beach wheelchairs available as first come, first serve between the hours of 8 am to 5 pm.
- Pick up at the Lifeguard station headquarters below the pier.
- For reservations and more information, please call (760) 467-4565
Moonlight Beach
- Manual beach chairs, powered beach chairs, and two floating beach chairs are available here at Moonlight Beach.
- A 150-foot beach sand mat is found here year-round.
- To make reservations or for more information, please call (760) 633-2740.
Cardiff State Beach
- Manual beach chairs and power beach chairs are available here.
- A beach access mat is next to Lifeguard station 15.
- To make reservations or for more information, please call (760) 753-5091
San Diego City Wheelchair Accessible Beaches
La Jolla Shores Beach
Calle Frescota & Camino Del Oro
- Manual beach chairs and power beach chairs are available here.
- The beach access mat is north of the main lifeguard tower.
- To make reservations or to get more information, please call (619) 221-8899.
Pacific Beach
- Manual and powered beach chairs are available here.
- A beach access mat is south of the main lifeguard tower, which is south of the pier.
- To make reservations or for more information, please call (619) 525-8247.
Mission Beach
- Manual and powered beach chairs are available here.
- A beach access mat is in front of the main lifeguard tower.
- To make reservations or for more information, please call (619) 980-1876.
Ocean Beach
- Manual and power beach chairs are available here.
- A beach access mat is in front of the main lifeguard tower.
- To make reservations or to get more information, please call (619) 221-8899
Coronado Beach
- Manual and powered beach chairs are available here.
- To make reservations or for more information, please call (619) 522-7346
Silver Strand State Beach
- Manual and powered beach chairs are available here.
- To make reservations or to get more information, please call (619) 435-0126
Imperial Beach
- Manual and powered beach chairs are available here.
- There are two beach access mats: one at Pier Plaza and the other at Dune’s Park.
- To make reservations or for more information, please call (619) 685-7942
Additional San Diego Wheelchair Accessible Paved Pathways
Carlsbad Sea Wall Trail
Over in Carlsbad, right on the coast, there is a small paved pathway parallel to the beach that connects Robert Frazee State Beach to Tamarack State Beach. In total, the entire walk is only 1.4 miles and is relatively easy, except for the slight decline of the path going down to the parking lot.
It should also be noted that there is a sidewalk on Carlsbad Blvd, which is also parallel to the coast that also connects the two beaches as well.
Mission Beach Boardwalk
- Here is a 2.3-mile paved boardwalk that connects Pacific Beach and Mission Beach.
- The boardwalk is exceptionally narrow in Pacific Beach and much more extensive in Mission Beach.
Silver Strand Bike Path
- Here there is a 7-mile bike path that connects Coronado to Imperial Beach. You may start at either city or midway at Silver Strand State Beach.
I hope this information on all of the San Diego wheelchair-accessible beaches has helped you to have an incredible adventure on the coast of San Diego!
I have always had a deep-seated passion for the Ocean Environment which ultimately led me to receive a degree in Marine Biology. Living in the San Diego area for over 30 years, I have extensively explored the 70 miles of San Diego’s coastline, and I am here to share! Please use my website to your advantage and have a look around at all the wonders that the beaches of San Diego can offer you!
This is great. I don’t currently need a wheelchair accessible beach, but I do have some friends who need one. I’ll send them over to this post!
Thank you for the comment, Melinda! It was my pleasure researching and figuring out the best wheelchair accessible beaches for San Diego. Thank you for the referral, and I hope that they will find it helpful.
This is a fantastic subject to write about – thank you for being so considerate.
The details are great and it’s great there is access for everyone!
All the best,
Kelly
Thank you for commenting Kelly! I am so happy that you found the information helpful!
Great read!
It’s been too long since I have been down in San Diego.
Good to know there are great wheelchair accessible areas down there. Wouldn’t want to miss any of the beautiful scenery!
Brandon 🙂
Hi Brandon! I am glad that you enjoyed the information. You need to get down San Diego soon; the weather is great this time of year!
Thanks a lot for providing information about San Diego Wheelchair Accessible Beaches. All people should be able to enjoy a good day on the beach, and people in Wheelchairs are no exception, in fact, they may enjoy even more a day on the beach than a regular person. How much does a sand adapt wheelchair cost?
Hi Ruben! I agree! All deserve to be able to enjoy the beach and the Ocean! I have no idea how much sand-adapted wheelchair would cost, that is something I will look into as soon as possible. Thank you for commenting!
Thanks for this list. San Diego is a pretty great spot, and I would like to go there someday. You gave me some ideas here. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for commenting Benjamin! San Diego really is a spectacular place to visit!
After spending an entire day on the phone trying to find some way to rent some kind of powered beach wheelchair for my mother, so that she can go up to the ocean one last time for what we expect will be her last vacation, I found your blog and just cried. Thank you for all the work you put into this; it is amazing. There is a powered beach chair a tenth of a mile from where we are staying. She can use her regular scooter to that place and go to the beach many times during our stay. I am so grateful.
Hi Cindy! I want to thank you, because you just made my day! I am so happy that you found the information helpful Please enjoy yourselves at the beach and send my love to your Mom! Thank you again for visiting and please come back again 🙂