Silver Strand State Beach, San Diego
The verdict
- Best for: Families with small children, kayakers and RV travellers who want calm shallow water and tidy facilities, and do not mind paying to park for them.
- Best spot: The San Diego Bay side across the highway, reached by the underpass, where the water is calmer and shallower than the surf side and easiest for little ones.
- Know this: There is no free parking inside the park, so if you just want sand and surf without paying, Coronado Central Beach or Imperial Beach nearby are the cheaper day.
Published 28 May 2026. Last reviewed 28 May 2026
Silver Strand is the beach where it pays to know exactly what you are buying, because unlike most of the free city shores, here you pay to park, and whether that is good value depends entirely on the day you have in mind. What the fee buys is a clean, well run state beach with two very different shores. On the Pacific side you get open surf and a tidy strand, and across the highway, through a pedestrian underpass, the San Diego Bay side gives you calm, shallow, warmer water that is about as easy as the sea gets near the city. For a family with small children, or anyone with a kayak or paddleboard, that calm bay side is genuinely worth the parking, because it is hard to find this kind of gentle water anywhere else around Coronado.
The honest part is that if you do not need the calm bay water or the tidy facilities, the parking fee is money you do not have to spend. There is no free lot inside the park, and demand based pricing can push it toward twenty dollars on a busy summer day, which is a real cost over a week of beach days. The camping is another thing to set your expectations on. It is a useful and reasonably priced base for an RV, but the sites sit in a parking style layout rather than a leafy campground, and no tents are allowed, so it is practical rather than romantic. None of this is a fault, but it is the difference between paying for what you will use and paying out of habit.
So make the fee work for you. If you are bringing children, a kayak or a long lunch and want the easy calm water and clean facilities, come on a weekday morning when parking is cheaper, head straight for the bay side, and pack your own food and shade to keep the rest of the day cheap. If all you want is sand and surf and a free spot to park, the smarter move is simply Coronado Central Beach a little to the north or Imperial Beach to the south, both of which give you a beach day without the gate. Matched to the right day, Silver Strand is fair value. Paid for out of habit, it is the most expensive way to sit on free looking sand.
Clubs on this beach
Silver Strand is a public state beach with no beach club on the sand, so any served day comes from the resorts and cafes of Coronado a short way north rather than the strand itself.
No club on the strand
There is no beach club or lounger hire at Silver Strand, just the state beach facilities you have already paid to park beside. For a value minded family that is fine, since the restrooms, showers and calm bay water cover the essentials without a club tab on top. Bring your own chairs and shade and the only thing you pay for is the parking.
Coronado resorts and cafes
For a more served day, the resorts and cafes of Coronado a short drive north can offer lunch, a drink or a day by a pool, with their own hours, access rules and prices that are to be confirmed with each rather than promised here. It is the pricier end of the area, so weigh it against simply packing a cool box for the bay side, which keeps the day cheap.
Silver Strand State Beach runs along the narrow spit of State Route 75 between Coronado and Imperial Beach, about twenty minutes from downtown San Diego over the Coronado bridge. The day use entrance leads to the paid lot, and a pedestrian underpass connects the Pacific side to the calmer San Diego Bay side. There is no free parking in the park, so if you would rather not pay, aim for the streets around Coronado Central Beach to the north instead.
Come on a weekday morning to keep the parking cheaper and the sand quieter, and head for the bay side if you have small children or a kayak. Pack your own food, water and shade, as on site options are limited and to be confirmed, which also keeps the day cheap. Lifeguards are seasonal and the ocean side has surf, so swim near a tower, treat conditions as typical rather than guaranteed, and keep children close. For RV camping, book well ahead through Reserve California, remembering that only self contained vehicles are allowed and there are no tents.
Reserve a beach club day in San Diego
Silver Strand is a public state beach with no club service. Tell us your date, party and plan and we will help arrange a serviced beach day at a San Diego venue nearby. No charge to enquire.
Common questions
How much is parking at Silver Strand State Beach?
The state beach day use lot uses demand based pricing, usually somewhere between twelve and twenty dollars depending on the day and season. There is no free lot inside the park, so this is one of the few San Diego beaches where you pay to park. If you want a free beach day in the area instead, the streets around Coronado Central Beach a short way north or Imperial Beach to the south are the cheaper move.
Is the bay side of Silver Strand calmer for children?
Yes. The park has two shores, the open Pacific on one side and the San Diego Bay side across the highway, reached by a pedestrian underpass. The bay side is far calmer and shallower, which makes it the easy choice for small children, paddling and launching a kayak or paddleboard. Conditions are typical rather than guaranteed and there is no swimming promise, so still keep children close and check the day.
Can you camp at Silver Strand State Beach?
Yes, but only in a fully self contained vehicle such as an RV, as no tents are permitted under the coastal rules here. There are around one hundred and twenty four sites in a parking style layout right by the sand, booked through Reserve California well in advance for summer. For a long stay traveller with a van it is a well placed and good value base, though the setting is functional rather than scenic.
Is Silver Strand worth it over the free beaches nearby?
It depends on what you want. If you have small children or a kayak and value the calm bay side and the easy facilities, the parking fee buys real comfort and is fair value. If you just want sand and surf and would rather not pay to park, Coronado Central Beach or Imperial Beach nearby give you a free or cheaper day. Match the beach to the day rather than paying for what you will not use.
What facilities are at Silver Strand State Beach?
There are restrooms, outdoor showers, lifeguards in season, picnic areas and a fire ring area on the ocean side, plus the self contained RV camping. It is a managed state beach, so it is tidy and well kept, which is part of what you are paying for with the parking fee. Bring your own food and shade to keep the day cheap, as on site options are limited and to be confirmed.
