Dispersal ability can affect the dynamics and composition of intertidal communities. Sandy beach ecosystems, where several key taxa have limited dispersal, are increasingly impacted by growing coastal development, and human use, while facing additional habitat loss and fragmentation from sea level rise. Implications of low dispersal rates for populations of key beach taxa, such as talitrid amphipods, include susceptibility to local extinctions and potentially lengthy recolonization times relative to lifespans/generation times. For beaches in temperate latitudes, talitrid amphipods, which are often patchily distributed, are the primary intertidal consumers of macroalgal wrack imported from nearshore kelp forests, playing an important role in the processing of these inputs and in providing food chain support to higher level consumers. We experimentally examined dispersal rates in talitrid amphipods, Megalorchestia spp., on 1.5 km of highly disturbed beach that is closed seasonally to vehicular use. Our results indicate that talitrids can move >200 meters along the shore in one week; however, most remain close to release points. The mean longshore distance moved was 0.01 m after one day, 2.7 m after two days, and 8.8 m after one week resulting in a median of 5 m d-1 with no apparent directional preference. These low rates of dispersal suggest that recolonization of the 1.5 km of impacted beach by these amphipods could easily exceed 8 months. Estimated recovery times could be considerably longer for more isolated beaches. An understanding of the dispersal rates of key taxa could be used to determine the need for restoration following a disturbance and facilitate the development of strategies (e.g., the spacing of translocation efforts) to promote the re-establishment of extirpated populations. Our experimental results on the dispersal and recovery rate of an ecologically important intertidal detritivore contribute to the body of knowledge required to inform the management and conservation of these threatened coastal ecosystems.