Oxnard Beaches

Ventura County

Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard, Ventura County, California
Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard, Ventura County, California

Oxnard Beaches

Ventura County


Oxnard Beaches

Oxnard's Beaches extend for 5 miles along the city's oceanfront, from Mandalay Beach in the north to Silver Strand Beach in the south. The continuous stretch of sand is only interrupted by the mouth of Channel Islands Harbor. The beaches are known for their sunshine, mild surf, and easy access. Most have free parking, several have adjacent parks.



map of Oxnard beaches, Ventura County, CA

Mandalay Beach

Mandalay Beach spreads along the coast at the end of West 5th Street. The adjacent 94-acre Mandalay County Park serves as a preserve for fragile dunes, wetlands, wildlife, and plants. Two threatened species of birds nest on the sand at Mandalay Beach, the Least Tern and the Snowy Plover.

The park landscape is purposely kept natural, without any usual park facilities. Visitors can experience the coast as it might have been hundreds of years ago.

Oxnard Beach

Oxnard Beach Park serves as an easy entry point to Oxnard Beach. Visitors spread out on warm sand and enjoy playing in the waves. Nearby facilities in the park make it a great place to spend the day. Picnic tables, BBQs, restrooms, gently curving paved pathways, and expanses of lawn are features of the park. Volleyball nets are found in a sandy area in the park. A playground (below) is popular with children 12 and under.

Oxnard Beach Park, Ventura County, CA

Oxnard Beach Park

Two pay parking lots are situated in the park on South Harbor Boulevard. Another is found at the south end of the beach. A paved path - Rehab Point Loop - leads from the main parking area through the dunes and along the edge of the sand. Numerous benches there provide a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the beauty of the ocean and gaze off toward the Channel Islands. Other paths wind along the front of the Embassy Suites hotel.

map of Oxnard Beach Park, Ventura County, CA


Hollywood Beach

Some say they have seen Rudolph Valentino's ghost at his beach house next to Hollywood Beach. He stayed there in 1921 while he was filming The Sheik. Clark Gable and Carol Lombard once had a beach house at Hollywood Beach. Was this how the beach earned its name?

Today Hollywood Beach is most popular for sunning, swimming, and games of beach volleyball. Lifeguards are on duty during the summer months. Restrooms are located on the beach at the foot of LaBrea Street. Dogs are allowed on the beach while on leash before 9:00 AM and again after 5:00 PM. Parking is found in a lot at the north end of the beach at Mandalay Beach Road and Sunset Lane or in limited places along residential streets. More parking is found several blocks away at West Channel Park and Channel Islands Harbor.

Oxnard Beach, Ventura County, CA

Oxnard Beach


Beach Wheelchairs for Oxnard Beaches

Beach wheelchairs are available year-round from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM by calling the Harbor Patrol at (805) 382-3007. Chairs may be picked up at the Harbor Patrol office at 3900 Pelican Way. During the summer, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, beach wheelchairs are available at the main lifeguard towers on Silver Strand Beach and Oxnard Beach.


Silver Strand Beach

Silver Strand Beach stands out with the best surfing along this stretch of coast. Tucked between Port Hueneme and Channel Islands Harbor, the mile of sand has restrooms, outdoor showers, summer lifeguards, and free parking from sunrise to sunset. Despite being more out of the way than other Oxnard beaches, it is perhaps the most popular of the local beaches.

At the north end of the beach is a wheelchair accessible ramp that leads to a viewing platform at the mouth of the Channel Islands Harbor. Visitors to Silver Stand Beach often catch sight of a variety of marine wildlife, including dolphins, harbor seals, and jellyfish. Dogs are allowed on the beach on leash before 9:00 AM and after 5:00 PM.

Parking at Silver Strand

Park in either of two free parking lots, one at the north end at the foot of San Nicholas Road, the other at the south end off Sawtelle Avenue.

La Jenelle Park

At the south end of the beach is La Jenelle Park, named after a ship that sank there in 1970. Parts of the ship were removed, the hull was covered over with sand and rock to form a breakwater, and some parts of the ship can still be seen.

Kiddie Beach Park

At the north end of the park, beach-goers can walk inland along the shore of Channel Island Harbor on a boardwalk that leads to Kiddie Beach Park. The sandy little cove is a great place to watch sailboats come and go. The sheltered, small sandy beach is a popular place to take small children.

Kiddie Beach, Ventura County, CA

Kiddie Beach at mouth of Channel Islands Harbor


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Ocean Safety

California State Parks and Recreation cautions that "large surf, cold water temperatures, backwash, sudden drop-offs, pounding shorebreak, and dangerous rip currents can turn what seem like safe activities such as playing near the surf line, wading, or climbing on rock outcroppings, deadly." Learn more about ocean safety at CA State Parks: Ocean Safety