McGrath State Beach, Oxnard

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Beach dunes in bloom, 4/17/2010

Mc Grath State Beach is located just South of the Santa Clara River mouth in the Ventura and Oxnard area.  This beach campground is surrounded by dunes, meadows, fresh water marsh, salt marsh, riparian habits and sits on the South side of the Santa Clara River Estuary. 

This unique habiat is home to 14 species of birds that are endangered or listed as special concern along with 6 endangered plant species. Among the endangered list:  Slender-horned Spineflower, Southern Steelhead, Tidewater Goby, Arroyo Toad, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Least Bell's Vireo, Western Snowy Plover and Least Tern.  You will see areas roped off in the dunes during nesting season to protect nests of snowy plovers and least terns, which lay their eggs on the sand dunes.

The pictures on this page are from a walk on the Santa Clara Estuary Natural Preserve nature trail from the riparian habitat to the sand dunes on the beach.  All pictures are dated 4/17/10.  Click any picture to enlarge.   

See the links at the end of this page for more information on camping, the river, estuary and wildlife.   Also see related Santa Clara Rivermouth Beach page (this beach is on the North banks of the Santa Clara River next to McGrath). 

 

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Campsites

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Santa Clara Estuary Natural Preserve, Streamside Woodland Trail

The trail head is located at the end of the day use parking lot.  The woodland trail to the right leads inland along the Santa Clara River.  The trail to the left leads along the fresh water marsh, the salt marsh, the beach dunes and the beach.  As previously mentioned, the dunes are roped off in the spring for nesting season.  Endangered Least Terns and Snowy Plovers nest here.  Take the trail to the left once you reach the dunes to get to the beach.  You can walk the beach to the right (North) and connect to Santa Clara Rivermouth Beach, but some wading through the river mouth would be required (I've read sometimes a sandbar forms providing dry passage). 

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Official park website
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=607
(The state parks website says the park is closed but as of 4/17/10 it has been reopened.)

McGrath in the news
"State May Buy Dunes, Wetlands at the Beach", August 2000, latimes
http://articles.latimes.com/2000/aug/11/local/me-2579
(mentions the Santa Clara River Parkway project, which would create a 12 mile nature trail from the ocean to the foothills)

Santa Clara River Parkway (project of California Coastal Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy's LA-Ventura Project and Friends of the Santa Clara River.
http://www.santaclarariverparkway.org/

Description of the Santa Clara River on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Clara_River_(California

Santa Clara River, description of plant & animal life by The Nature Conservancy:
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/california/preserves/art6332.html

Santa Clara River Estuary Description on ceres.ca.gov:
http://ceres.ca.gov/wetlands/geo_info/so_cal/santa_clara_river.html

Environmental concerns, Waste Water Runoff discharge:
http://www.venturariver.org/2009/12/santa-clara-river-estuary-special.html

Santa Clara River Watershed, studies, reports, management, other info:
http://www.santaclarariverparkway.org/wkb/wkb?SearchableText

Friends of the Santa Clara River:
http://www.fscr.org/