Anyone been to Emma Wood State Beach Near Ventura CA?

bikendan wrote:

smcrea wrote:

2) How quiet is it? We don't want to be in a very quite place with all the homeless people around

Thanks!

quiet it ain't, it's right next to 101 and a big on ramp onto 101.
but the crashing surf will help with some of the road noise, except for the big rigs and the train that goes right by it.

Thanks :) but when I say 'Quiet' I wasn't actually talking about dB level. I was actually referring to the number of fellow campers. Safety in numbers. I would not feel safe if we were almost alone on the secluded beach with all the homeless people around.

smcrea wrote:

2) How quiet is it? We don't want to be in a very quite place with all the homeless people around

Thanks!

quiet it ain't, it's right next to 101 and a big on ramp onto 101.
but the crashing surf will help with some of the road noise, except for the big rigs and the train that goes right by it.

Another question. It looks like Emma Wood reservations are closed after Labor Day in September.

We really like to camp over the Thanksgiving holidays.

If we camp at Thanksgiving then...

1) What are the chances of getting a first come first served spot

2) How quiet is it? We don't want to be in a very quite place with all the homeless people around

Thanks!

Thanks for all the replies everyone!

We've just returned home after our two night stay.

I think that missourijan summed it all up perfectly!

We are certainly planning on going again!

We liked being right next to the sea. In fact any closer and you would get your feet wet!

We really had a wonderful time!

I'd recommend filling with Potted Water at Ventura Beach RV resort cost $5 before going in. Personally I think that $25 is a little high to dump so we waited until we hit the dump station on the I-5rest area just south of Camp Pendleton to dump. We had very little in the tanks so it was more of a flush/clean up.

If anyone knows of a place that is as close to the water as Emma Wood then I'd really like to know about it!

Thanks again!

missourijan wrote:
I was a camphost for 5 seasons at Emma Wood. You are correct, NO services at Emma Wood, just your campsite. There are some porta potties up at the entrance for day use but if you are in site 43, that's about a half mile away. You can dump your tank and fill with water for free at the other state park, McGrath, IF it's open. It was open on the weekends only. There's a lot of flooding there due to the river. Otherwise, you can dump and get fresh water at Ventura Beach RV resort, about a mile away for $25. There is NO honey wagon service at all. You CAN make reservations at Emma Wood, beginning May 15 through Labor Day weekend, otherwise it's first come first served. You can ride your bikes to downtown Ventura on the bike path from the park, about 1 1/2 miles. You can PM me if you have any other questions. Go to the pier and eat at Ericsson's, yum and great views. Faria & Hobson have some hookups but are very small parks. Gonzo42's info is completely wrong, he's talking about Rincon, which has changed their policies and don't allow continuous parking of rv's all summer.

X2 on McGrath, one of our favorite campgrounds, but as far as I know it's still closed due to flooding. We don't care for Emma Wood for the reasons you mentioned. Yes Faria and Hobson are small but nice campgrounds.

I'm glad to be corrected. I only reported what I had heard. I have yet to stay in that area in any campground.

However, I used to surf Rincon in the '60's. The town of Rincon has now been renamed La Conchita. The Rincon point is great surfing any time. Parking on the shoreline is now illegal.

I was a camphost for 5 seasons at Emma Wood. You are correct, NO services at Emma Wood, just your campsite. There are some porta potties up at the entrance for day use but if you are in site 43, that's about a half mile away. You can dump your tank and fill with water for free at the other state park, McGrath, IF it's open. It was open on the weekends only. There's a lot of flooding there due to the river. Otherwise, you can dump and get fresh water at Ventura Beach RV resort, about a mile away for $25. There is NO honey wagon service at all. You CAN make reservations at Emma Wood, beginning May 15 through Labor Day weekend, otherwise it's first come first served. You can ride your bikes to downtown Ventura on the bike path from the park, about 1 1/2 miles. You can PM me if you have any other questions. Go to the pier and eat at Ericsson's, yum and great views. Faria & Hobson have some hookups but are very small parks. Gonzo42's info is completely wrong, he's talking about Rincon, which has changed their policies and don't allow continuous parking of rv's all summer.

Faria Beach right next door is nicer IMO, full hookups too. We've driven through Emma Wood but never stayed their. There's Hobson right down the road too with hookups but Faria's a bit nicer.

Both of those are County of Ventura campgrounds as I recall. Unless they've changed, no reservations accepted, but it's been a few years since we've stayed there.

Beautiful camping right on the Ocean. Water and dump are not available however there is a campground just south that will oblige you. Be aware there is quite a homeless population nearby and they have been known to steal anything they can get their hands on including cutting bike locks. We ended up putting all our gear inside the garage at night.

Emma Wood is the State park campground and while close to the Rincon Parkway, they are separate. Emma Wood does not have water or a dump station available. You might want to ask the camp host if your camping permit would allow you to use the dump stations at the north bound state parks at Carpenteria, El Capitan, or Refugio.

For two nights, probably just enjoy the beach and maybe a trip into town for dining or tourist stuff. You could take a boat ride out to the Channel Islands National Park from the Ventura Harbor and do some whale watching also. Water temps have been unusually high and both Humpbacks and Blue whales have come within reach this year.