Rincon Parkway Campground

We have stayed here many times over the years - used it to add time to a trip as we live in Ventura. We love the view and the beach, but there are often giant RVs behind you and in front of you and some that run their generators in front of their trailers for hours... It's a hard place to walk a dog as you are basically camped on the side of a highway. Glad they went to a reservation system, as this was famous for "site saving". Trash cans & porta potties & nothing else. But yes, a beautiful view and great beach!

This is a great “campground” on the beach if you can really call it a campground. It is really just a long stretch of oversized parking spots adjacent to the road that have been turned into overpriced campsites. While $32/night plus the $5 reservation fee is a good price for the area you really don’t get anything more than a stretch of asphalt to park on and a port-o-potty.

So why do I call it great? Because the view is amazing and it is beach camping without any of the worries of getting stuck in the sand. It is hard to beat a spot that allows you to fall asleep to the crash of the waves right outside the window and where dolphins swim by and play in the surf throughout the day. You can go fishing just behind your campsite and watch the sunset over the crashing waves.

That being said there is the adjacent road which people fly down all day and night that creates noise and concern, the train tracks just on the other side, and the 101 which is basically an interstate just beyond that. The train tracks luckily don’t cross over any roads so the trains had no need to use their horns. All of this noise is mostly drowned out at night by the crashing waves. In fact, we had no problems with any of the above noise levels but a fellow camper did arrive late our last night and decided to ignore the hours of use for his generator and ran it all night long. That hum overtook the crashing waves and made for a very miserable experience. Please don’t do this. If you need your generator, use it during daylight hours, please.

To start, it's gorgeous. We spent a lot of time enjoying the ocean views and watching for dolphins (we say them several times). It is also nearby a lot of neat things in the area. But, there is a moderately trafficked road literally on the opposite side of the RV parking spaces. We have two young kids and two dogs and the 45mph speed limit on the road and close proximity to our rig was just not enjoyable for us. The kids couldn't roam around, which they are used to doing. Since the ocean literally hits the rocks during high tide, so the beach wasn't even a place for them to play.

There are two parking lot dry campgrounds on either side of the long stretch of RV parking for Rincon Parkway that are similarly priced and have ocean views as well. This is where we would stay if we are ever in the area again.

Oh and there is a train track on the other side of the road. So road traffic noise all day and trains all day. We didn't come for quiet camping, so noise wasn't an issue for us, but I know it is for some.

Rincon changed from first come first serve because people would save spaces for their buddies, problems with groups doing this and ruining it for others. Well I think they are at it again. It is almost impossible for the weekend camper to get spots.
It would b nice if Ventura would look at this, because Rincon is great, We would definitely stay, only if we could get spots... six months later, still trying

We have stayed here a few times and as long as you aren't behind the sea wall, you're likely to lounge out with a beautiful ocean view. Some spots are easily accessible to the beach by carefully coming down the rocks, this space not so much with our older dog. We always have a great time and will continue to come back! You can reserve now up to 3 months in advance.

Not a lot I can add but will say a little hard to get down to the beach but here is a tip kind of like one you hear on travel channels right across road from #13 is a culvert that go's under the road to the beach. One thing to keep in mind a lot of home less people will pass by and ask for help Torrance CA has a big home less population. We stayed here on 06-08-18. The only other thing I can think of is stay away from first 15 spots all the 5th wheelers will come in and block your view of the beach.

Yes, the campsites are literally parallel parking spots along the Pacific Coast Highway with no hookups. Yes, there is a train line about 20 yards from the campsites. Yes, the beach is barely usable, even at low tide. Yes, you must fit your entire rig, including all slides and tow vehicles / toads strictly within the 46x15 camping area. Yes, your entire rig will quickly be encrusted with salt spray.

But for us, spending a week listening to the crashing waves, watching frolicking dolphins, and gaping at incredible sunsets -- all from our RV -- was simply magical. Every site has direct ocean views on the curb side, and being parked directly adjacent to the rock rip rap meant we had ocean sounds permeating the RV all day, every day. It was loud enough that we barely noticed the trains (they are small passenger trains, not freight trains) or the road noise.

Our site was perfectly level, and we were able to get in easily because we reserved a site that had vacancy behind it so it became a pull-in for us. We also chose a site with a dumpster & portolet in front, so we knew we would not be blocked in at the front. Now that sites are reservation only, I have no idea how people will get into their sites if they find that neighbors are occupying sites on both sides, because most campers use every available inch.

Sites with higher numbers (100+) tend to have lower rock rip rap so there are slightly better views from the sitting area. We were here in winter and preferred having a little windbreak.

The park is about 7 miles from Ventura (plenty of stores / gas / etc.) and was a perfect spot for visiting Channel Islands National Park from Ventura Harbor. The town of Oxnard is about 15 miles away and has even more stores (Costco, Whole Foods). It's an urban area so cell service was no problem. Our speeds on AT&T: Download 17.04 Mbps Upload 1.35 Mbps.

Effective November 1, 2018, you can now reserve your campsite at Rincon Parkway Campground! (http://www.venturaparks.org/reservation/camping/?parent_idno=17&showsites=n)

Unreserved campsites are still available on a first-come, first-served basis. The mobile payments site (https://www.venturaparks.org/payment/) will generate a list of unreserved sites each day after 11:00 am. You may occupy and pay for an unreserved site if you have no reservations.

Payments are no longer accepted onsite. You must be able to pay for your site online, so be sure to have some way to access the internet. Cell service is best at the southern end of the campground.