Things to do in Mission Beach: Boardwalk, Bay and a Wooden Coaster
A plain guide to Mission Beach's boardwalk, historic amusement park, calm bay shores and the big water park next door.
8 Oct 2026
Mission Beach is a narrow strip of land with the Pacific Ocean on one side and Mission Bay on the other. It was built on a sandbar, and you can feel that as you walk. In many places you can see water at both ends of the street.
The community has nearly two miles of oceanfront. To the north is Pacific Beach, and to the south is the mouth of the San Diego River. Many of the homes began as summer cottages in the 1920s through the 1940s, so lots are small and houses sit close together. The result is a lively beach town you can cover on foot.
This guide sticks to places that have been here for years and are likely to stay.
The boardwalk and the sand
A paved boardwalk runs along both the ocean side and the bay side. Walkers, runners, cyclists and skaters all share it, so keep an eye out and stay to one side. The ocean side is the busy one, with the surf rolling in beside it.
On the beach, people surf, play volleyball, skate, bike and lie in the sun. Mission Boulevard is the main road through the community, and it splits the area into South Mission and North Mission. The beach is patrolled by San Diego lifeguards, and the city lists Mission Beach, South Mission Beach and the Mission Bay beaches among those it covers.
There is also a public recreation center on the bay side of the community.
Belmont Park and the Giant Dipper
Belmont Park is Mission Beach's historic amusement area. It opened on July 4, 1925. John D. Spreckels built it as the Mission Beach Amusement Center, partly to help sell land in the area.
Its most famous piece is the Giant Dipper, a wooden roller coaster built by designers Frank Prior and Frederick Church. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is still a local landmark. Newer rides and attractions have been added over the years.
The Mission Beach Plunge is a large indoor pool in a Spanish Renaissance style building. After a closure for disrepair in 2014, it went through a major restoration and reopened in July 2019.
Mission Bay Park
Just behind the community lies Mission Bay Park, a large city park. It has 27 miles of shoreline, and 19 of those miles are sandy beaches. Eight spots are marked as official swimming areas. The park has about 14 miles of bike paths, along with playgrounds, picnic areas, restrooms, showers, basketball courts and docks.
It is also almost entirely man-made. Starting in the late 1940s, crews dredged 25 million cubic yards of sand and silt to shape the park out of what had been a tidal marsh. Today it hosts sailing, windsurfing, water skiing and rowing. The bay is a quieter place to be on the water than the open ocean.
Fiesta Island is a peninsula within the park that has an off-leash dog area. Kendall-Frost Marsh, where Rose Creek meets the bay, is one of the last pieces of the original wetlands. Only about 40 acres of the original tidal marsh remain, so it is a special place for birds.
For families
The bay side beaches are the easy family choice, with playgrounds close by. The Giant Dipper and other rides at Belmont Park give older kids something to look forward to. The bike paths in Mission Bay Park are flat and good for riding together.
When the weather turns
On a gray or rainy day, the Plunge is an indoor spot, and Belmont Park has indoor attractions as well. Check their own websites for what is open. Balboa Park, a short drive inland, has more than 15 museums for a wet afternoon.
A short drive away
Pacific Beach is next door to the north. It has a long boardwalk and a public pier. Cabrillo National Monument, at the end of the Point Loma peninsula, has the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, tide pools and views of San Diego and Coronado. Balboa Park is about 1,200 acres of gardens, museums and Spanish Colonial Revival buildings.
Getting around
Mission Beach is small, so most things are a short walk. Mission Boulevard runs the length of the community. Walking, biking and skating are the easiest ways to get about. Walking is the easiest way to see it all.
Good to know
The boardwalk is shared. Slow down in crowds.
The ocean is cool most of the year. Bring a layer for evenings.
Swim near a lifeguard tower when you can.
The bay is calmer than the ocean, but it still has boat traffic.
Check each attraction's own website for current hours and details.
Find local businesses
Planning a visit, or live nearby and need a hand with something? Browse the local businesses listed in the San Diego guide to find who serves Mission Beach and the neighborhoods around it.
Useful links
About Mission Beach: the town at a glance
Own a business in Mission Beach? Claim or add your listing, free
By Thomas Hassett and Eric Andrews, Local Business America
Photo: Blervis, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Wikipedia, "Mission Beach, San Diego" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Beach,_San_Diego); Wikipedia, "Belmont Park (San Diego)" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belmont_Park_(San_Diego)); City of San Diego, "Mission Bay Park" (https://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/regional/missionbay); Wikipedia, "Mission Bay Park" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Bay_Park); City of San Diego, "Beaches" (https://www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/beaches); Wikipedia, "Pacific Beach, San Diego" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Beach,_San_Diego); National Park Service, "Cabrillo National Monument" (https://www.nps.gov/cabr/index.htm); Wikipedia, "Balboa Park (San Diego)" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balboa_Park_(San_Diego)). Wikipedia text is available under CC BY-SA.