Del Mar Dog Beach is pure paradise for pups and their humans. The beach is wide and clean and full of super dog-friendly and mostly responsible humans (you will find some pup droppings periodically, but not that often, thankfully). Dogs of all ages and sizes are welcome, and you will find them running, splashing and chasing toys at all day time hours. The atmosphere is always joyful, and I love that the dog surfing competition comes this way every year. It is also a very popular spot for volleyball practices and competition. I love that the sand is soft, the waves aren't too intimidating, and there's plenty of space in the sand, even on busy weekends. But parking can be very difficult. And while most people are generally respectful and keep an eye on their dogs, it is common to see pups without their families. Pro tips: bring food/snacks, fresh water for you and your pup and plenty of towels. There are no amenities here. read more

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We drove past today and I took video of this fantastic dog beach in Del Mar. We've come here many times in the past to dog and people watch because it's such a place of community and joy. We ourselves are cat owners but we like dogs and appreciate it when dog owners treat them to a day in the sun and water to play and run free and make friends! read more

Love this beach! We had a great time taking our dog here. Parking is available along the street. It's always clean. read more

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We Love Dog Beach It's so beautiful here with great doggie fun!! It's always a good time here in Del Mar read more

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Wonderful experience on this beach. Easy to get to and just a great setting. Just be aware that you pay for parking. read more

Del Mar Dog Beach - Dog Parks Near Me - Del Mar, California

VERY dog friendly beach! It was so much fun bringing our puppy to her first beach and swimming in the ocean. The beach was also very clean and easy to access. read more

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What happened??? Haven't been able to visit in a couple of years and the beautiful garden is gone. It was very well kept and themed to the different holidays. It felt like community. Having said that, loved that there is a lot more sand and the dogs had a wonderful time. We need to make this beach a year round dog beach, so great for those of us with dog families. A bit dangerous for kids and those that like to go near the cliffs. Those keep falling apart due to erosion - please stay many feet away from the cliffs. read more

First time at this dog beach. We walked as parking can be tricky. Teddy had so much fun playing with the other doggos and the water.It wasn't overly crowded which I prefer. Will come back! read more

Del Mar Dog Beach - Dog Parks Near Me - Del Mar, California

I love this dog beach. I wish we had more of them because I have to drive down from Vista. It's safe, lots of dogs to play with, the waves are not rough and everyone is respectful of the space. The downside is there is not a lot of parking. If you drive along the road and happen to find parking, consider yourself lucky. If you don't mind a short walk, I would say there is enough parking available read more

It's pretty and scenic with calm spots without waves for those first introducing dogs to the ocean. However, there's also a bunch of rich pricks with their untrained doodles here, beware if you ask them politely to recall their dog because they have a superiority complex. read more

Del Mar Dog Beach - Waves - Dog Parks Near Me - Del Mar, California

I love this place! Always clean and most dogs are well behaved. Off leash dog beach with lots of happy dogs running around but busy road is right there so please watch your dogs and drive carefully when in the area. Have seen a dog or two dart right into traffic. There are porta potties, a water fountain at the entrance, tennis ball lending tub, and a water basin to wash the paws. We used to have to check in advance and go when the tide is low. When the tide is high, everyone is limited to a small stretch of beach. But they added tons of sand to the beach and now you can go any day. Great place to catch the sunset. read more

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Great dog beach! There are some things that could be better, like more parking and closer bathrooms, but overall it's a nice beach to take your dog. read more

Not a very safe beach for dogs that are aggressive to innocent dogs. Many of the owners do not take care of their dogs and they vigorously attack other dogs. Be aware. Other than that when it is not busy, my dogs love this beach. They have added more sand so that there is much more room now. Overall worth trying, but be careful if you have very sweet dogs. They may get attacked by mean dogs which owners don't care to take care of. read more

Paid metered parking with a credit card. There is street parking next to the beach. I didn't see any shower stations or bathrooms, but there are porta potties. I went here on a Saturday in the morning around 10:30 AM and was able to get street parking right near the meter. There were people playing volleyball and tons of dogs everywhere. I was happy no dogs were aggressive and all of them played happily together. The river was flowing pretty quickly when we were there and the lifeguards were warning people to not let dogs or kids in the river. People listened for the most part. Great beach to go to with dogs, friends, and family! read more

Del Mar Dog Beach - Dog Parks Near Me - Del Mar, California

Great dog beach love all the dogs here, got bags for you if needed and has good parking while a great area to set up for sunset

Surprised by this beach! I was expecting a gross beach overrun by dogs but to my surprise it's like 70% humans and 30% dogs when I went. Parking was a breeze when you compare it to other beaches, it's $3 per hour or $15 for the whole day and don't forget to pay I've seen a couple cars get ticketed. The beach has a good amount of space to spread out and the water is decently cold to wade in. We set up our sun shelter and hid mostly. I appreciate the life guards forcing people to leash their dog! Overall I'd definitely come back if I were in the area for sure. You can't beat the ample parking along both sides and the life guards on duty who are actually making sure people follow the rules. read more

You call this a dog beach?! I'm sorry but at a dog beach, your dog shouldn't have to be leashed the whole time you're there. How are you supposed to throw your dog a ball or frisbee or swim in the ocean if they have to be leashed? All I wanted was to play fetch with my dog and go in the ocean, but that was ruined by the constant harassment of the overzealous lifeguards patrolling this beach. Don't bother coming here unless you want to be overcharged for parking and have lifeguards hassling you if you let your dog run around at all. read more

Love the beach!!! But be warned, dogs are not allowed off leash during the summer, which is I'm honest, is reasonable. Great scenic spot.

The beach itself is great but my biggest problems are the amount of young kids unsupervised and a truck that keeps going back and forth down the beach. It was going pretty fast to the point where it looked like it slid a bit. If a truck is going down the beach, it should have multiple crew members around it, making sure it's avoiding dogs and people. There was only one guy in the truck and a woman had to help lead him to the end of the beach. Once he got there, he turned back around. There should be more workers assisting him if a truck is needed. Multiple people remarked at how dangerous it was. There were very tiny dogs around it. I held onto my dog, but other owners didn't notice a truck coming down the beach right away. read more

Del Mar Dog Beach - Dog Parks Near Me - Del Mar, California

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Perfect spot to spend the day at the beach. Easy parking up the street, not to far too walk down to the gorgeous beach. We spent the whole day it was absolutely perfect. read more

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My favorite beach in all of San Diego County!! I brought some dog treats but only one dog wanted it. They are all too busy interacting with their own kind. Woof What an amazing beautiful beach with volleyball courts! It's definitely worth a visit every time I'm in the area read more

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A favorite place of ours to go to watch your dog rip turns, give chase and just have a blast on a big expansive dog beach. When in San Diego this is a fun friendly place and you still have to keep an eye on your dog as they frolic in the surf but owners are as friendly as their furry friends. Balls, Frisbees and Toys welcome but beware other dogs will take your balls LOL! read more

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This was our very first time in Del Mar and it was absolutely beautiful! This beach is so clean, and beautiful my dog had an amazing time! Everyone at the beach was super friendly and cleaned up after their pets! Would definitely return! read more

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This was not our first time here ! Not only bringing your dog here but watching all the other breeds running around in and out of the water! Some are just walking up and down the beach in the sand! So far none of the dogs ever tried to bite someone or attack any of the dogs on the beach! I love this place as it is just below the cliffs and very beautiful! read more

Del Mar Dog Beach - Dog Parks Near Me - Del Mar, California

Took the pups here to play and swim. Paid parking ($3 for an hour) within walking distance to the beach. They feature a lovely doggie memorial with painted rocks along with a garden decorated for Halloween. Soo cute! The dogs had a blast & we look forward to coming back :) read more

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Ruff ruff! Wish I could stay and play with the doggies all day! The Del Mar dog beach is quite possibly one of the most wonderful places in earth. Dogs (one of Gods most glorious creatures) and their owners are gallivanting in the sand and chasing balls in the waves seemingly without a care in the world. The beach is beautifully clean and surrounded by cliffs. In one direction the incredible ocean is before you and the other is the racetrack. Parking is abundant but you do have to pay $3.50 per hour. A small price to pay for such fun and joy in my opinion. There are porter potties available as well as a spot to wash off your feet after you get all sandy. It's also a great spot to play sand volleyball; there are courts all over the place. If the tide is low the beach goes for miles, and the coastline is a sight to behold. At the Del Mar dog beach time seems to stand still and the worries of the day are put on hold to bask in the moment and notice how wonderful and freeing life truly is. This is a wonderful place where man and dog happily play on the beach and invite all to join in. If you have a dog, if you love dogs, or if you just need a smile on a bad day then the dog beach is a must. read more

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I enjoyed playing at this beach. It was pretty clean and the dogs were pretty well behaved. The issue is that dogs cannot be off leash during summer. However, there were dogs without leash playing and swimming. On a Friday afternoon , there were more surfers than dogs. I will have to visit during winter to truly enjoy enjoy it. 4 bones. Woof! read more

Del Mar Dog Beach - Del Mar dog beach - Dog Parks Near Me - Del Mar, California

Super disappointed to find out after searching and paying the ridiculous meter amount for parking, that during the summer season your dog MUST be on a leash. My doggie, who knows when at this beach can generally run free... was not trying to stay on leash... needless to say we didn't stay long.... and ended up heading to a dog park where she could actually run around freely and get some energy out. The leash thing is from June 16th all the way til Labor Day. :-( read more

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Fun, fun, fun Beach where your pups can run freely and play with their friends. Beautiful beach. Remember to prepay for parking at the kiosk. read more

Del Mar Dog Beach - Dog Parks Near Me - Del Mar, California

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I recently lost my pup. After a few weeks, I decided I needed some beach time, so I took a trip to San Diego. THEN I remembered the had dog beaches, so I took the bus to Del Mar Dog Beach. The fact that they had this memorial for dogs who have passed was just perfect. The memorial looks well organized, so I'm not sure that I can paint a rock at home and just drop it off. I looked online, but didn't find much information on it! I fully intend to figure it out though and honor my girl's memory at this beach! Also, it made me so happy to watch the dogs playing and enjoying the beach. read more

Del Mar Dog Beach - Memorial area - Dog Parks Near Me - Del Mar, California

Absolutely gorgeous and awesome dog beach 9 months out of the year but Del Mar could prioritize there rent a cop police force better in the summer. If you go between late September to Memorial Day then it is off leash and tons of room for the dog to run. If you go during the summer then a rent a cop runs around like John Wick threatening to give people tickets because a dog is off leash in the ocean. Meanwhile, there are drifters and homeless everywhere but Del Mar is way more concerned with Fido being on a leash so they have these rent a cops everywhere that prioritize dogs having fun over real problems. Great job on your tax dollars Del Mar. overall, great dog beach 9 months of the year. read more

Del Mar Dog Beach - Dog Parks Near Me - Del Mar, California

Love it here. It is leash season June 16 to Labor Day and even though we love off leash, it is necessary with more packed beaches. It's really the best dog beach in San Diego. The lifeguards are not the same daily. Watch for sliding cliffs if you walk up the beach. Don't sit under cliffs if your coming from Out of town it's an important note. read more

My favorite dog beach in SD. Love the east parking. Nice when the tide is out and can walk down the beach with the cliffs between you and the street I've never seen a fight there. read more

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My Aurora LOVES coming to the beach! It's a shame there aren't more dog beaches sprinkled down the coast, but that just means I get to take a trip down to Del Mar every few weeks for a treat. The surf is very flat and mellow and perfect to play fetch in the water. We've never had any issues with aggressive dogs so that makes us feel better about bringing our pup. Pro-tip- I don't know when this started but they started implementing an on-leash rule during the tourist season. If you come after Labor Day (or thereabouts) the rule is relaxed and you can let your doggo off the leash. read more

Love Del Mar dog beach. One of our to go to spot for weekend hike. My dog enjoys playing with other dogs. When it is low tide, we can hike pretty far. read more

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Saw great reviews about this place and was excited to take the dogs. Especially since it's closer to where we live! Once we got there we saw all dogs on the beach with leashes! Spoke to a couple and they said a few months "summer months" they required dogs on leashes. I'm sure the dogs that go still have a good time but our dogs love to run and swim. There is no way we'd be able to control them in this environment. They were so excited to go to! We own 2 Great Danes and a Shepard husky mix that are normally great on leash, but definitely not here Lol! Seems like their beach is very clean and calm and it wasn't crowded which we like. Will try to go back when the beach returns to off leash season! read more

Del Mar Dog Beach - The dogs on their way to an off leash beach! - Dog Parks Near Me - Del Mar, California

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My friend and I came over to let our dogs out (no pun intended), but it was very hot. Both our dogs are huge so I was about to unleash my dog so we could hurry into the water and prevent their paws getting hurt; surprise! Must have dogs on a leash. It is boiling hot out, and you want dogs on a "DOG BEACH" on a leash? It was awful. The locals just give you the stank eye instead of going to another side of the beach where there are no dogs. My dog is huge but he is still a puppy. He quite frankly almost passed out from all of the pulling since he wanted to run but couldn't. Other dogs had no leash. It is just very uncomfortable. I would hope they reconsider their leash policy or avoid this place until no-leash season. read more

Super fun dog beach. Well behaved fun dogs. Off leash. Lots of area for them to run and play. read more

Best dog beach in the area. Unlike other dog beaches (OB, Coronado, and a couple others) there are rarely any dogs there that shouldn't be running loose with other dogs. I've taken my small dogs there more times than I can count and almost always feel that they are safe. At other dog beaches I've seen plenty of dogs that are aggressive and a couple that were downright dangerous but the dogs that come here are almost all very playful and friendly. My dogs love to run around and when the tide is low they climb all over the exposed rocks. Great place for friendly and well-behaved dogs!! read more

From June 16-Labor Day you can't let your dogs off their leash. What a joke? The "lifeguards" are more worried about your dogs on a leash than watching the water. Don't call yourself a dog beach if dogs can't run freely. Never going here again. read more