10 Wheelchair Accessible Beaches in San Diego

Wheelchair accessible beaches in San Diego make it possible for all individuals to be able to access the beach and the water freely regardless of disability. Our daughter is a wheelchair user, and when we went to San Diego a few years ago it was comforting to know that there are many beaches with a wide variety of resources available to make visiting the beach possible regardless of her disability. If you're planning a beach trip with someone who is a wheelchair user, consider one of these ten beaches for your upcoming trip.

Wheelchair Accessible Beaches in San Diego:

The San Diego area has ten wheelchair accessible beaches that have resources available to individuals with disabilities. These resources include manual and power operated beach wheelchairs, beach mats that go all the way down to the water, and floating beach chairs for wheelchair users to sit in while they're enjoying the ocean. Not every beach has all of the same resources, and these resources are available on a first come first serve basis. Hopefully this guide will give you enough information to help you get the most out of your beach trip, and help you choose the beach with the best resources for your loved one.

Beaches with Manual, Powered, and Floating Beach Chairs:

There are nine beaches in the San Diego Area that have manual, powered, and floating beach chairs. As mentioned previously, these beach chairs are available on a first come first serve basis. You can call ahead to see if these items are available (although in our experience I'm fairly certain we tried calling ahead of time and no one answered so we took the gamble and lucked out that the chair was available). If this is a resource you will need for your loved one, be sure to check out one of these nine beaches:

Ocean Beach: Power and manual beach wheelchair available
Silver Strand State Beach: Manual beach wheelchair available only
Pier Beach: Manual beach wheelchair available only
Mission Beach: Power and manual beach wheelchair available
Cornado Beach: Power and manual beach wheelchair available
Silver Strand State Park: Manual beach wheelchair available only
Imperial Beach: Power and manual beach wheelchair available
La Jolla Shores: Power and manual beach wheelchair available
Oceanside Harbor Beach: Power and manual beach wheelchair available

San Diego Beaches with Sand Access Mats:

Sand access mats are blue plastic mats that run the length from the beach parking lot, all the way down to the shore. This ensures a smooth accessible path for essentially any wheelchair or mobility device to be able to make it down to the shore without obstruction. There are three beaches in the San Diego area that have these mats available. If this is something that you think you'll need, plan on visiting one of these three beaches:

Imperial Beach: The mats are available at Pier Plaza and Dunes Park. Both of these locations have handicap parking nearby to ensure a smooth transition from the car to the shore. (This is the only beach that has both the mat, and the power and manual wheelchairs available).
Cardiff State Beach: The mat is only available during the summer at this location. It's located by lifeguard stand number 15. (Beach wheelchairs not available at the lifeguard stand).
Moonlight Beach: The mat is available all year near the lifeguard stand, so you won't have to worry about planning your visit and wondering if that mat will or will not be there. (Beach wheelchairs not available at the lifeguard stand).

For more information about accessible beaches in San Diego, be sure to check out this website here that has addresses, phone numbers, and other helpful information that you might need when planning your visit.