Ventura

The tide changes how much beach you get along the Ventura shoreline, and at high tide parts of Surfer's Point get narrow. Tide times here come from the Ventura station, which gives predictions only. Check them, and the sea conditions, before a Channel Islands day trip: the ferries run only when the weather and sea allow, and crossings can be rough with a strong northwest swell or wind chop.

Ventura (officially San Buenaventura) is a beach town many people drive past on the way to its better-known neighbors. The downtown is small enough to walk, and the beaches are long and less crowded than most in the south. It has its own surf scene and farmers markets.

From the end of the Ventura Pier on a clear day you can see the Channel Islands on the horizon. That view is often what gets people to book a day at Channel Islands National Park. In 2024 it had 262,581 recreation visits, the 14th fewest of the national parks (NPS figures via CNN).

Beaches, surf spots and other places to go:

• Ventura State Beach — a wide sand beach just north of the pier, for walking, flying kites or an ordinary beach day.
• C Street (Surfer's Point) — a Ventura County point break you can watch from shore.
• Channel Islands National Park — the ferry leaves from Ventura Harbor; Santa Cruz Island is the usual day trip.
• Historic Downtown Ventura — Main Street with galleries, cafes, and the 18th-century San Buenaventura Mission.
• Emma Wood State Beach (nearby) — a rougher, less developed beach at a river mouth, with fewer people than the main beach.
• Rincon Point (nearby) — the point break on the Santa Barbara–Ventura county line, at its best in swell season.