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.
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
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.
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.
