Belmont Park
by TourGuideTimLocation: Mission Beach (8 Miles / 15 Minutes Northwest of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: Generally 11AM – 11PM. However, rides are generally not in operation on weekdays from November to February. (Check schedule and ride calendar for specific times.)
Cost: Most rides cost $2 – $6. There is No Entrance Fee and Parking is Free.
Features: Only Oceanfront Amusement Park in San Diego, Giant Dipper Wooden Roller Coaster, Miniature Golf, Bumper Cars, Perfect Wave Rider, Largest Swimming Pool in Southern California.
Belmont Park Highlights: Belmont Park is a small amusement park located right next to one of the most popular beaches (Mission Beach) and parks (Mission Bay Park) in San Diego County. Several entities make up Belmont Park, each with a different set of hours. The most famous attraction is the Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster, built in 1925. Another popular attraction for body borders and spectators is the Flowrider, the world’s first ‘perfect wave’ machine. Additional attractions include amusement rides, bumper cars, arcade, small miniature golf course, merry-go-round, beachwear and souvenir shops, and great people watching on the beach boardwalk.
Best Times To Visit Belmont Park:
- Belmont Park is open year-round. However, the rides are not operated on weekdays during the winter months.
- The mornings in June may be a little cooler than visitors expect since San Diego often has morning cloud cover along its beaches during that month. It usually burns off and results in a warm sunny afternoon. Read our description about San Diego weather for more details.
- Summer weekends, especially holidays, are very busy. Otherwise, crowds are small or manageable.
- Ride Pictures and Descriptions – These pictures will give you a good idea of what to expect.
- Many rides require riders meet a 42″ height minimum. Some require more, including the Giant Dipper, which requires 50″.
- The beachwear and souvenir shops in Belmont Park are one of the best places to get items to remember your San Diego trip. They offer a large selection of clothes and other items with San Diego logos at a reasonable price.
- Food – There are a few food shops in the rides area. In addition, there are three full service restaurants on the boardwalk-facing side of Belmont Park that offer indoor and outdoor eating areas and live music. The Wave House has been a local mainstay and offers appetizers, burgers, and sandwiches. Additional restaurants and bars can be found along the boardwalk.
Giant Dipper Roller Coaster – The Giant Dipper does not go upside down but it does provide quite a thrill with a lot of speed, quick turns, steep drops, and ocean views. As a wooden roller coaster, it is a very bumpy ride, so don’t try it if you don’t like being shaken up. To learn the history about the Giant Dipper built in 1925 and view some pictures of what to expect, visit the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster web site. You can also experience the thrill online by watching this Giant Dipper video on YouTube.
If you are from out-of-town and think you’ve seen this roller coaster somewhere, it’s been featured on the Travel Channel, MTV, and made the national news in 1997 when a radio contest to see who could last the longest riding continuously on the Giant Dipper went awry. The contest to see who would win a new car lasted a whopping 11 days before they finally called it a draw between the final three contestants, all of whom were given a car.
Flowrider & Flowbarrel – These continuous wave machines were the first in the world to offer perfect waves for surfers. Its hours are more limited than for other attractions in Belmont Park so be sure to check their hours before visiting. You can also watch live video of the Flowrider.
Swimming Pool – *Temporarily closed – help petition to get it back open* Southern California’s largest swimming pool, known as The Plunge, is an indoor heated pool with large glass windows allowing in sunlight. The nominal charge attracts those who want to enjoy the beach and get in some swimming but do not want to jump into the nearby ocean.
Information on Visiting Belmont Park
- Parking is Free
- Most rides cost $2- $6 worth of tickets, which are bought at the ticket booth.
- Books of tickets can be purchased for a discount.
- You can also buy a wristband, which allows an unlimited number of rides for the day.
Hours – Generally 11AM – 11PM (Check schedule for specific times.) Certain attractions have more limited hours, including the Giant Dipper hours , and Flowrider hours. The pool is temporarily closed.
Directions from Google Maps to 3146 Mission Boulevard in San Diego, CA 92109
Traffic – The location in Mission Beach is 2.5 miles from the I-8 and 4 miles from the I-5. There are only a few traffic lights along the surface streets leading from the highways to Belmont Park. However, traffic can be very bad on summer weekends, especially holiday weekends as visitors head to one of the most popular beach areas in San Diego County. If you encounter heavy traffic, considering parking at one of the free Mission Bay Park parking lots along the way and walking or rollerblading to Belmont Park. There are continuous sidewalks and trails throughout Mission Bay and Mission Beach. Learn more about San Diego traffic.
Parking – There is a large city parking lot on the south side of Belmont Park. Parking is free. Parking can be hard to find on summer weekends. There is another large city parking lot across the street as well as free street parking.
Transit – Buses serve Belmont Park. (See San Diego Transit Information for bus schedules and information for the online Transit Planner.)
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