Every off-leash dog park and dog beach in San Diego, mapped
The City of San Diego lists about 20 off-leash areas, including Dog Beach in Ocean Beach and Fiesta Island. Coronado and Del Mar have dog beaches too; Del Mar's is off-leash only from the day after Labor Day to June 15.
- City off-leash areas
- About 20
- Dog beaches
- 4
- Weekends only
- Grape Street Park
- Leash elsewhere
- 8 ft max
OB, Fiesta Island, Coronado, Del Mar
City parks
The short version
- The City of San Diego lists about 20 official off-leash areas; Dog Beach in Ocean Beach and Fiesta Island are the two on the water
- Fiesta Island's off-leash area is unfenced, and two bird-nesting buffer zones close April 15 to September 15
- Grape Street Park in South Park is off-leash only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
- Del Mar's North Beach is off-leash from the day after Labor Day to June 15; in summer, only from dawn to 8 a.m.
- Everywhere else in a City park, dogs must be on a leash 8 feet or shorter
San Diego is good to dogs, but off-leash rules are specific to each spot. Some areas are fenced and some aren't, one is weekends-only, and each dog beach runs on its own calendar. This is the City of San Diego's official list plus the dog beaches in Coronado and Del Mar. Everywhere else in a City park, your dog needs a leash 8 feet or shorter.
Dog beaches
Fenced parks
Unfenced or limited hours
Pins are approximate. Hours and fencing from the City of San Diego's leash-free areas page, the City of Coronado and the City of Del Mar, checked October 7, 2026.
See these on the full San Diego mapThe dog beaches
San Diego's four dog beaches
| Dog Beach (OB) | Fiesta Island | Coronado Dog Beach | Del Mar North Beach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-leash when | 24 hours | 6 a.m.–10 p.m. (another City page says 4 a.m.) | Hours not published by the City of Coronado | Day after Labor Day to June 15; in summer, dawn to 8 a.m. only |
| Fenced | No | No | No | No |
| Water | Ocean surf and river mouth | Calm bay | Ocean surf | Ocean surf |
| Where | Foot of Voltaire St | Fiesta Island, Mission Bay | 200 Ocean Blvd; leash until you're on the sand | 29th St north to the Solana Beach line |
Dog Beach in Ocean Beach is the famous one: unfenced, open around the clock, where the San Diego River meets the ocean. Fiesta Island is the big one, a huge unfenced off-leash area on Mission Bay with calm water for swimmers. Two City pages disagree on its opening hour, and two buffer zones around bird-nesting sites close every April 15 to September 15.
Fenced parks, by area
Fenced off-leash parks
| Park | Neighborhood | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Capehart | Pacific Beach | 24 hours |
| Doyle | University City | 24 hours (no lights) |
| Kearny Mesa Community Park | Kearny Mesa | 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m. |
| Nobel Athletic Area | University City | Dawn to dusk |
| Cadman | Clairemont | Varies |
| Allied Gardens | Allied Gardens | Dawn to dusk |
| Ward Canyon | Normal Heights | Dawn to dusk |
| Charles L. Lewis III | City Heights | Dawn to dusk |
| Gompers | Encanto | Posted hours |
| Maddox | Mira Mesa | Dawn to dusk |
| Rancho Peñasquitos | Rancho Peñasquitos | Dawn to dusk |
| Torrey Highlands | Torrey Highlands | Dawn to dusk |
| Rancho Bernardo | Rancho Bernardo | Dawn to dusk |
City of San Diego leash-free areas page, checked October 7, 2026. Cadman's page implies a fenced area but doesn't say so outright.
Unfenced and limited-hours areas
- Nate's Point, Balboa Park: unfenced, 24 hours, on the south side of the Cabrillo Bridge.
- Morley Field, Balboa Park: unfenced, 24 hours, northwest of the tennis courts.
- Dusty Rhodes Park, Ocean Beach: unfenced, dawn to dusk, on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.
- Grape Street Park, South Park: off-leash only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Weekdays, it's leash-only.
- Centrum Park, Kearny Mesa: 24 hours.
When dogs can go on regular City beaches on a leash is its own set of rules: see can I take my dog to the beach?. For eating out, see dogs on restaurant patios.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
- PrimaryLeash-free areas
City of San Diego Parks and Recreation · Checked October 7, 2026
City of San Diego Parks and Recreation · Checked October 7, 2026
Fiesta Island hours and nesting closures
- PrimaryDogs in parks
City of San Diego Parks and Recreation · Checked October 7, 2026
8-foot leash rule
- PrimaryDogs
City of Coronado · Checked October 7, 2026
- PrimaryDog rules
City of Del Mar · Checked October 7, 2026