Mission Bay Beaches

Mission Bay is a man-made saltwater bay at the entrance of the Pacific Ocean and the San Diego River. Mission Bay Park is operated by the city of San Diego. At over 4,000 acres, it is considered the largest aquatic park of its kind. Along with about 2,000 acres of water, there are 27 miles of shorelines, 19 of which are sandy beaches. The bay was developed from the 1940s to the 1960s from a tidal marsh area that supposedly was given the name False Bay by Juan Cabrillo in 1542. Mission Bay is located directly north of the San Diego airport about 3 miles north of downtown. The east end of the bay runs along the I-5 freeway. The north end is part of the Pacific Beach community. The west end of Mission Bay is a narrow strip of land that separates the bay from the Pacific Ocean. This strip is known as the Mission Beach area.

With so many places to choose from we have picked the best areas based on what they offer. As our children have grown older our focus is less on grassy areas with playgrounds and more on activities like kayaking, paddle boarding and snorkeling. The good news is Mission Bay has it all.