Dog Friendly Beaches in San Diego
San Diego County has many dog friendly beaches along it’s sunny coastline. There are four excellent off-leash dog beaches to choose from and they are spaced out nicely. The city of San Diego is one of the most accommodating municipalities for dog owners. On all their beaches you can take leashed dogs early in the morning and in the evening. We like this system because it allows responsible dog owners to use the beaches before and after the busiest hours during the middle of the day. Below we profile all the cities and dog friendly beaches in San Diego County.
Off-Leash Dog Beaches of San Diego
On-Leash Dog Beaches by City
San Diego city-operated beaches are all open to leashed dogs in the morning before 9 a.m. and in the evening after 6 p.m. (after 4 p.m. November to March). This makes San Diego one of the most dog-friendly cities in Southern California!
La Jolla is a district within San Diego so they follow the same rules allowing leashed dogs in the mornings and evenings (ok before 9am and after 6pm). This does not include the beaches at Torrey Pines State Beach.
Mission Bay Park is a San Diego Park with many individual parks and beaches and all of them follow the same municipal rules for leashed dogs in the mornings and evenings (ok before 9am and after 6pm).
Coronado has different rules, but they have a couple options. In addition to the awesome off-leash Coronado Dog Beach, this town has a little-known park with a narrow bayside beach that is excellent for leashed dog walking, Grand Caribe Shoreline Park.
Imperial Beach allows leashed dogs on the beach south of Imperial Beach Boulevard on South Imperial Beach. There is also a small area of the main Imperial Beach City Beach north of Palm Avenue that is open to leashed dogs. The best access for that area is at Carnation Ave. Additionally, there is a long stretch of sandy beach in front of Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge which can be accessed from the south end of Seacoast Drive.
Del Mar has different dog rules for each of their beaches. South Beach is open to leashed dogs year-round. Del Mar City Beach allows dogs on leash between Labor Day and June 15th (not allowed the rest of the year). And of course, they have their off-leash area at North Beach.
Solana Beach allows dogs off leash south of the staircase at Del Mar Shores Beach Access.
Encinitas has strict rules prohibiting dogs on their beaches, but Seaside Beach at Cardiff State Beach allows dogs if they are on leash.
Carlsbad unfortunately has zero options for taking your dog to the beach.
Oceanside is another unfriendly city for dog owners who want to let their pooches splash in the saltwater. Luckily there is one option at San Onofre State Beach if you are willing to pay for entry and hike down to the beach. At the Bluffs Beach area of this state park they allow dogs on leash at beaches number 1 and 6. It’s quite a drive from Oceanside as the park is north of Camp Pendleton, but it’s a great park and worth the effort.
Below is our list of the dog friendly beaches in San Diego.
