Skip to content
It’s San DiegoSearch The Guide

Home › Pacific Beach

Pacific Beach

Part of San Diego Beaches, our guide to San Diego beaches, coast and safety rules.

Pacific Beach extends south from Crystal Pier until it becomes Mission Beach. The City lists permanent lifeguard stations, no dogs, no alcohol and no smoking. North Pacific Beach runs about a mile north of the pier. Whether Crystal Pier is open now is not confirmed.Checked October 23, 2026.

Permanentlifeguard stations
No dogsCity page for Pacific Beach
1 mileNorth Pacific Beach, about
Not confirmedCrystal Pier open or closed
Crystal Pier reaching out over the water at Pacific Beach
Crystal Pier at Pacific Beach. Dirk Hansen, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
LifeguardsPermanent stations at Pacific Beach and North Pacific Beach (City).
DogsNot permitted on Pacific Beach or North Pacific Beach (City pages).
Listed amenitiesParking, restrooms, showers and beach wheelchairs are listed for Pacific Beach. Restrooms and showers are at Tourmaline Surfing Park in North Pacific Beach.
Crystal PierOpen or closed now: not confirmed. It is on the state free pier list.

The Beach

The City says Pacific Beach is just south of Crystal Pier and extends south before becoming Mission Beach. North Pacific Beach extends about a mile north of the pier to Pacific Beach Point and lists surfing, swimming and fishing. Alcohol, glass, smoking, littering, noise, camping and dogs are restricted there.

Crystal Pier

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife lists Crystal Pier as a pier where no fishing license is needed. We could not confirm whether the pier is open, its length or its hours, so check before planning a visit. See Pier Fishing Rules.

Pacific Beach Open the map. © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What We Could Not Verify

  • Crystal Pier is not confirmed as open or closed. A 2024 City memo about emergency repairs to reopen the public part of the pier appeared only in search results. The City can confirm.
  • Crystal Pier length, hours and address are not confirmed.
  • The Pacific Beach Saturday farmers market is not confirmed: its website redirects to an unrelated site, so no market is listed here.

More in San Diego Beaches

FAQ

Is Crystal Pier open?

Not confirmed. Check with the City of San Diego before you go.

Are dogs allowed at Pacific Beach?

The City page says dogs are not permitted. See Beach Dog Rules for the conflict between City pages.

Sources

  1. City of San Diego Lifeguards: Pacific Beach
  2. City of San Diego Lifeguards: North Pacific Beach
  3. CDFW: Beach and Pier Fishing

Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s San Diego. Cite this page: It’s San Diego (itssandiego.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link to this page; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.