Short answer: no. The Mission Beach boardwalk (Ocean Front Walk) is reserved for people walking, jogging, biking, and skating — the City of San Diego does not allow motor vehicles on it, and that includes street-legal golf carts. The same goes for Bayside Walk along Mission Bay and for the sand itself.
The good news? You don't need the boardwalk. Mission Beach is a long, skinny neighborhood with a street grid that runs parallel to the ocean, so a street-legal cart gets you within steps of the boardwalk at almost any point — without the ticket.
Where you can't drive
- Ocean Front Walk (the boardwalk) — pedestrians, bikes, and skaters only. It's also posted with a speed limit for bikes, which tells you how seriously the city takes this stretch.
- Bayside Walk — the bayside twin of the boardwalk, same rules.
- The sand — no motor vehicles on the beach.
- Sidewalks and alleys used as walkways — carts are vehicles, so they stay on the road.
A street-legal golf cart is registered like a car, which means it follows car rules: roadways yes, pedestrian paths no.
Where you can drive (and it's a lot)
Street-legal carts — like every cart in our fleet — are allowed on roads posted 35 mph or less, which covers essentially every street in Mission Beach and Pacific Beach:
- Mission Boulevard — the main artery running the length of Mission Beach and up into PB.
- The entire beach grid — every court and place between the ocean and the bay.
- Around Mission Bay — Crown Point, the bay park roads, and over to De Anza Cove.
- Fiesta Island — a local favorite loop with water views the whole way around.
- North to Pacific Beach and La Jolla — Crystal Pier, Garnet Avenue's taco row, and the coast road north.
That means you can cruise from Belmont Park to Crystal Pier, park a few steps from the boardwalk, and walk on wherever you like.
Parking next to the boardwalk
This is where a golf cart genuinely beats a car in Mission Beach. The courts and places off Mission Boulevard are narrow and parking is famously scarce, but a cart fits into the short end-spaces and tight spots a full-size car has to pass up. Park legally in any regular space (meters and signs still apply — more on that in our golf cart parking guide), then you're a 30-second walk from the ocean.
Locals' favorites:
- Belmont Park area — roller coaster, arcades, and the south boardwalk.
- San Fernando Place / Ventura Place — central boardwalk access near the busiest stretch.
- Law Street or Pacific Beach Drive in PB — quieter boardwalk entries north of the crowds.
So what's the play?
Use the cart for what it's best at: covering the distance between the spots you actually want to be. Drive the grid, park close, hop on the boardwalk on foot, then cruise to the next stop with the music on. If you're staying at Campland or anywhere on the bay, the loop around Mission Bay is one of the best drives in San Diego — read our Campland golf cart rules overview before you roll through the resort.
Want the full picture of where street-legal carts can and can't go citywide? We broke down all of it — licensing, speed limits, and road rules — in our San Diego street-legal golf cart rules guide.
Ready to cruise Mission Beach the easy way? Book your cart — brand-new 6-seaters with CarPlay and a sound system, from $140 a day.
Boardwalk photo by Blervis, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
