Camp Sights for Sore Eyes

For those wanting a taste of the great outdoors, but without the desire to further enrich any of those already fabulously wealthy oil companies, then McGrath State Beach, with 174 campsites near the mouth of the Santa Clara River in Oxnard, may be the answer.

The 295-acre park is between Harbor Boulevard and the Pacific, just south of the river and right across from one of Oxnard’s dwindling number of strawberry fields.

Entering the park, one cruises past a number of myoporums, small trees that account for most of the foliage in the park. The usual rules apply at McGrath: no hunting, no guns, no dogs running loose, no fireworks.

Just beyond the entrance, the visitors center houses numerous exhibits offering information on the area. One display details the bleak story of the endangered California least tern, which is threatened by rampant development and too many people.

Then there’s the poison oak (rhus diversiloba) warning. The itch-inspiring bush is pictured in each of its four incarnations--spring, summer, fall and winter.

Since this park is a prime bird-watching location, another display lists some of the frequent fliers--brown pelican, sanderlings, killdeer, marbled godwits and the western gull.

Finally, there’s the grunion. The little silver fish (Leuresthes tenuis) are vacationing offshore for the winter and come ashore to lay their eggs from March through September, with April and May off-limits for catching them. Grunion may only be caught by hand when they do show up--predictably at the highest tide on a dark night after a full moon or a new moon.

The park’s nature trail is closed for renovation, but there’s still plenty of other stuff to see at McGrath. There’s a labyrinth of trails and paths for walking or jogging, and the Pacific is just a few hundred yards away. Lawn chairs are the favorite furniture for just chilling out down by the beach.

On a recent day, however, the sign on the trail heading to the beach tended to spoil some of the ambience: “WARNING: Runoff/storm drain water may cause illness.”

The dunes are mostly covered with ice plant, tough enough to flourish in such inhospitable surroundings, and the winter surf booms not far off.

Another trail leads to the Santa Clara River mouth, where the birds cruised silently in a languid lagoon--the scene as still as a painting.

From the dunes next to the lagoon, visitors can be overwhelmed by the greatest view imaginable of Ventura and the hills beyond. One can also see clear up the coast to the Rincon.

When retracing one’s steps to the campground, the view to the south is considerably less inspiring, as the skyline is dominated by a Southern California Edison smokestack.

The three camping sections at McGrath can hold a sea of colorful tents, plus a number of RVs. There are plenty of campfire rings in the appropriate areas and three restrooms with hot showers--two minutes for a quarter.

Park employee Delilah Gardea said: “The campers are mostly locals during the winter, but during the summer we get a lot of tourists from Nevada and Utah. It’s nice here. It’s more of a family-type campground.”

Daily rates through Jan. 1 are $18 for weekend days, $14 for Sunday through Thursday, or $5 for day visits. Prices go down after Jan. 1. It’s also $1 per pet and $5 for extra motorized vehicles. Seniors receive a $2 discount.

DETAILS

McGrath State Beach, 2241 Harbor Blvd., Oxnard, open daily 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; 654-4744 or 654-4610.

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Bill Locey can be reached by e-mail at blocey@pacbell.net.