McGrath State Beach

July 4, 2012
McGrath State Beach is located just south of Ventura Harbor, 5 miles south of Hwy. 101 via Seaward Ave. The park just reopened last week after a long closure due to a deteriorated sewer line as well as state budget cuts.



This is one of the first campgrounds I went to after moving to LA, and I had my bachelor party here (No strippers) so I have lots of great memories here. It is not site-specific, so come early if you want a good spot or you want to camp near your friends. They dredged the river years ago to make a wildlife reserve estuary which is beautiful, however the sand they removed from the river extended the beach a few hundred yards out, which makes for a very long walk. Bring a cart! The north side of the camps severely floods during certain times of the year, which can give you a wet site and lots of bugs. You can see this on some of the google aerial shots. I have seen the kiosk under water.

   There are 174 spots, most sites are divided by shrubbery and small trees. Spot 150 is very private, has a view of the estuary, beach and a very tiny look at ocean water. If they let you go in and pick your site, you can get one site on one loop and another on another loop to get one large back to back site, great for group outings. Click the "Map" link next to the pictures below to get a layout of the loops. Restrooms are ok, although not single rooms. There are side by side stalls and almost always full. Quarter operated showers are in the same room as toilets. 20 spots of overflow parking fill up fast, so don't plan on it. They also have a nice hike-n-bike area with tables and pits which require no reservations, but they have a strict policy of not checking in before 6 pm and get out before 9 am, which is understandable given the goings on in Ventura.

  The nature trail is paved now and leads you to the estuary, it was a dirt trail great for moonlit beer walks at midnight back in the day. Loads of big hairy spiders make their huge webs in the trees, don't go in there at night or in the morning. They also have an entrance lane dedicated to registered campers so that if you are already registered, there is no need to wait in line like most other beach camps, NICE! The double-barreled dump station is located just past the kiosk to the right, no charge if you camp there.

**Very good, 5 bar AT&T cell reception**

Pros:

• Close to stores and shopping
• Descent size spots
• Well kept facilities
• 2 water spigots in every loop
• Dump Station
• Nature preserve great for bird watching
• Most sites are very private

Cons:

• Not the nicest camp hosts on the planet
• LONG walk to the beach
• No RV hook-ups

	Sign [Map]		View from spot 150 [Map]
	Typical sites [Map]		Spot 150 loop [Map]
	Restroom and showers [Map]		Dump station [Map]
	Kiosk [Map]		Hike 'n Bike [Map]
	Visitor station [Map]		Flood area [Map]
	Overflow parking [Map]		Nature trailhead [Map]
	Shower [Map]		Restrooms [Map]
	Flooded trail [Map]

---

Sent from my iPhone by My Vacation app (www.myvacationapp.com)