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Oceanside is a classic southern California beachfront community, with 3.5 miles of white sandy beaches, good surf breaks, and a 1,942-foot wooden recreational fishing pier. The beach is backed by stately palms, with apartment buildings and houses just behind the beach and extending up the hillside. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, and other trains, rumble by frequently a few blocks...
Oceanside is a classic southern California beachfront community, with 3.5 miles of white sandy beaches, good surf breaks, and a 1,942-foot wooden recreational fishing pier. The beach is backed by stately palms, with apartment buildings and houses just behind the beach and extending up the hillside. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, and other trains, rumble by frequently a few blocks inland. You can easily while away an afternoon picnicking at the beach, enjoying the broad expanses of sand in a beachchair borrowed from the lifeguard headquarters, and exploring downtown, with its shops, restaurants, and the California Surf Museum. The Art Deco-style pier, opened in 1987, is Oceanside’s sixth since 1888; earlier incarnations were destroyed by storms. The pier itself is only somewhat accessible: to reach it you must take one of two moderately steep walkways, the surface becomes extremely rough less than halfway out, and the railings may obscure views from a wheelchair.
At beach level, which you can reach via a long ramp two blocks south of the pier, you can follow a concrete walkway along The Strand for several blocks both north and south of the pier. Between the pier and Seagaze Drive, The Strand is closed to motorists, so that pedestrians and bicyclists enjoy its full use. The beach south of the pier is Oceanside’s most popular; here you’ll find an amphitheater where contests, concerts, and other special events are held, as well as several small parks on the inland side of The Strand. North of the pier the beach is wider and less crowded; a few volleyball courts are set up on the sand, but the main activities are sunbathing, strolling, and wading in the surf.
At beach level, which you can reach via a long ramp two blocks south of the pier, you can follow a concrete walkway along The Strand for several blocks both north and south of the pier. Between the pier and Seagaze Drive, The Strand is closed to motorists, so that pedestrians and bicyclists enjoy its full use. The beach south of the pier is Oceanside’s most popular; here you’ll find an amphitheater where contests, concerts, and other special events are held, as well as several small parks on the inland side of The Strand. North of the pier the beach is wider and less crowded; a few volleyball courts are set up on the sand, but the main activities are sunbathing, strolling, and wading in the surf.
Trail/Pathway Details
Pier and beach walkways
Trailhead: South Pacific Street near Seagaze Drive
Length: Less than .5 mile
Typical Width: 4 ft. & above
Typical Grade: Mostly level or gentle
Terrain: Hard
Less than halfway out, the pier’s surface becomes extremely rough and difficult to negotiate in a wheelchair.Description
Entry to the pier is down a moderately steep slope, but the pier is otherwise level. The walkways behind the beach, along The Strand, are level, but streets from downtown Oceanside and its parking areas to the beach are quite steep; either park in one of the beachfront fee lots or take the long wheelchair ramp that begins...view full description
Accessibility Details
The facilities listed below meet all of our access criteria unless otherwise noted.
Beach Wheelchair: Yes
8 am-5 pm; pick up at the lifeguard headquarters below the pier.
Accessible Parking: Yes
Accessible Restroom: Limited Accessibility
Accessible Restroom: Limited Accessibility
Accessible picnic tables are on concrete pads at the back of the beach here and there along The Strand, including some with shade shelters.
Other Things of Interest
If you want to extend your tour of the Oceanside area, the western trailhead for the 7.2-mile San Luis Rey River Trail is five blocks north of Pier View Way (Third Street), off Neptune Way near North Cleveland Street.
Oceanside Pier (Eileen Ecklund)
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Additional Information
| View Map |
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| Website: | www.ci.oceanside.ca.us/ |
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| Managing Agency: | Oceanside Department of Harbor and Beaches |
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| Nearest City: | Oceanside |
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| Phone: | (760) 435-4020 |
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| Hours: | Always open |
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| Fees: | None |
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| Dogs: | In restricted areas Leashed dogs allowed along The Strand; no dogs on beach or pier |
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| Public Transportation: | Go North County Transit District |
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Reviewed by Eileen Ecklund, September 26, 2009
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 This web guide is a project of Access Northern California.  Thanks to our partner the California Coastal Conservancy |
