Oceanside

About

Oceanside is a true SoCal beach town with a tangible laid-back vibe, amazing year-round weather, gorgeous beaches, and a charming harbor. Located between San Diego and Los Angeles, Oceanside is an adventurous, playful, and diverse destination that values personal expression and originality.

Top Spots

El Corazon Park Nature Trail

Oceanside, California

1.97 mi / 66 ft gain

Oceanside Pier

Oceanside, California

1.01 mi / 39 ft gain

Stand Up Paddleboard the Oceanside Harbor

Oceanside, California

The Oceanside Harbor is a great place to paddle board with easy parking and access to restaurants, and all protected from the wave and swells of the ocean. Often times there are sea lions, pelicans, and other marine life swimming among the hundreds of beautiful sailboats. Paddleboards are available for rent from Oceanside Boat Rentals. Checkout the Essential Gear for Adventure in Oceanside.

Bike or Skate the Strand

Oceanside, California

4.0

1 mi / 0 ft gain

Oceanside's iconic Strand is a 1 mile long ocean-front road that is perfect for cycling, walking, and running. At various points it is one way or pedestrian only, and is a must-do for any visitors to Oceanside.From the north The Strand begins at Breakwater Way and heads south underneath The Oceanside Pier where it becomes pedestrian only. At Lot 30 (excellent parking) it becomes mixed-use again...

Catch a Sunset at Oceanside Pier

Oceanside, California

4.9

Both sides of the pier are awesome to shoot but depending on the time of the year/sun position one might be better than the other. Super mellow beach to chill out at and watch the sunset. You can get some awesome reflections in the tide. Keep an eye on your gear as there can be sketchy crackheads/homeless people wandering around this area but its usually really safe. When shooting the ocean you...

Surf Fish at Oceanside Pier

Oceanside, California

5.0

There are lots of great beaches to fish at in Oceanside. You can fish any of these or you could choose to fish off the Oceanside Pier. You can catch many different species of fish from the shore such as croakers, corbina, surfperch, shovelnose guitarfish, leopard shark, halibut, and rays. In order to catch these fish many different methods can be used. Some use a heavy triangle weight and set t...

Surf the South Jetty, Oceanside Harbor

Oceanside, California

4.5

The jetty's of Oceanside Harbor serve to protect and stabilize the mouth of the San Luis Rey River meaning the sand and subsequent breaks remain fairly consistent and sand bars last for quite some time. After heavy rains large sand bars will form making for decent waves. It is also a great place for beach running (so bring your swimrun shoes). The best swells are mixed: big S-SW with a smaller ...

Kayak the Oceanside Harbor

Oceanside, California

Sea kayaking from the Oceanside Harbor public kayak launch is one of the best ways to experience the Oceanside coast and the Pacific Ocean. There is ample parking along North Harbor Drive with the public kayak launch well-marked on the street. You can paddle around the harbor or you can go out past the jetties to take in the entire coastline. There are some excellent fishing spots and local gui...

Buccaneer Beach

Oceanside, California

If you're looking for a beach to bring your family, Buccaneer Beach is the place to go. It has a little bit of everything plus a huge parking lot, so it's really never full (unless you go midday on the 4th of July or something). There is a grassy area next to the parking lot with benches to have a picnic and watch the ducks. There is a small restaurant that serves amazing food next to the park...

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