Southern California > Ventura County > Ventura Harbor

print email

Built in 1963, the 274-acre (152 land, 122 water) Ventura Harbor has several marinas, boat rental facilities, waterfront dining, shopping, and a walkway along its entire length. It also houses the Channel Islands National Park visitor center, a good place to begin your explorations. Surfers Knoll and Harbor Cove beaches are uncrowded and have level beach access. At...

Built in 1963, the 274-acre (152 land, 122 water) Ventura Harbor has several marinas, boat rental facilities, waterfront dining, shopping, and a walkway along its entire length. It also houses the Channel Islands National Park visitor center, a good place to begin your explorations. Surfers Knoll and Harbor Cove beaches are uncrowded and have level beach access. At Harbor Cove, a short concrete ramp leads onto the beach.  

An accessible fishing dock is at Marina Park 

Visitor center: The five rugged islands in the Santa Barbara Channel that make up Channel Islands National Park are not wheelchair accessible, but you can learn about them at the Park Service visitor center in Ventura Harbor. The 25-minute film Treasure in the Sea, shown throughout the day, provides an overview, and a relief map allows you to feel the islands' terrain. There’s also a touch table with items from the ocean and dioramas depicting life on the islands. On clear days you can catch a glimpse of the islands through a lowered telescope in the third-floor observation tower. Free programs about the park’s resources are offered on weekends and holidays at 11 am and 3 pm.