The Endless Summer Beach Party

One of the beaches in San Diego's Mission Bay & Beaches region, P.B. (as the locals call it) is a favorite spot for college students and young adults enjoying the party atmosphere, frequenting the area’s restaurants and bars—some just steps from the sand. P.B. comes alive at night, too, with the glow of bonfires and the electricity of the region’s many clubs.

Where to Go

• Tourmaline Surfing Park where the rugged headlands of La Jolla end abruptly, is a surfing-only beach, popular with novice surfers. With slow, “slopey” waves, beginners, longboarders and (when the wind is up) windsurfers and kiteboarders favor this beach over other spots in the area. There's a medium-capacity parking lot here with bathrooms and a small picnic area.
• North Pacific Beach from Tourmaline to Crystal Pier is a calmer stretch of beach families tend to prefer, thanks to its lifeguard-supervised swimming areas and facilities at the ends of Law and Diamond Streets.
• Pacific Beach from the Crystal Pier to Pacific Beach Drive offers bathrooms and pockets of dedicated parking at Grand Avenue and P.B. Drive. You can find anything from bicycle rentals to biker bars along the coast here, and more of the same as you head inland up Garnet Avenue for many blocks.

Parking

• Parking is a challenge throughout Pacific Beach, but not impossible. Best bets are the lot at Tourmaline Street, and side roads on the north side of the pier. There are also paid lots scattered throughout, which may be a good option if you’re staying for the whole day.

Bathrooms & Showers

• There are plenty of bathroom and shower facilities around the pier at the end of Garnet Avenue, as well as around the lifeguard stand at the end of Grand Avenue.

Lifeguards

• Lifeguard stands are staffed year-around from North Pacific Beach, down to Mission Beach. The main lifeguard tower is located at the end of Grand Avenue.

Directions

• From the 5 Freeway take Garnet Avenue west all the way to Mission Blvd.