Harbor Cove Beach

Beautiful beach cannot wait to return!
Loved our last tripe here
Did I say this place was gorgeous yet???

A lot of trash, we saw dead baby deal and dead birds. Right now they do construction do big pipe sticking out just in the middle on th beach.

Our favorite beach! So far, everyone we’ve crossed paths with have been very nice and very considerate with their dogs. We bring our dogs and they have a blast! My only complaint is that its not always sunny… but I guess I can blame the universe for that!!! Regardless, its always a nice, mellow day!

Love taking my dogs here. It’s clean. Parking was easy the day I was there. People were friendly. There is a dog-​friendly café across the main road on the marina. I drive about an hour to get here with the dogs and it’s totally worth it. While it is dog-​friendly, it’s not an off-​leash beach. The only other off-​leash dog beaches I know of are south of LA. Rosie’s Dog Beach in Long Beach and Huntington Dog Beach in Orange County. I think there are some in San Diego too.

This is a beautiful beach in Ventura. quiet, very different from the Los Angeles beaches. My review is 3 stars, because while the beach allows dogs, it is NOT an off leash dog beach. Some people are being mislead that it IS an off leash dog beach, but it’s not. I’m clearing the air for my fellow Unilocalers, that is NOT an OFF LEASH dog beach.
My husband and I decided to go somewhere different to take our dog for a swim so I stumbled upon this Beach with 4 ½ stars. People have stated that they have brought their dogs here but when we came, we were disappointed to see all the dogs ON leashes. There aren’t any doggy bags and not much garbage cans to place dog waste, another clue that it’s not really a dog beach.
If you are looking for a great place to take your dog so he/​she can frolic in the sea and sand, go to Huntington Dog Beach OR Rosie’s dog beach in Long Beach.

Great beach for the dogs and kids. Some dogs unleashed. Clean bathrooms. Free parking.

Mellow and great for kids and dogs! I’m a first timer here with my daughter and dog. We have the best time. Free parking and easy access was a major plus

Yay — a dog friendly, mellow, off-​leash beach.
All the way down by the rocks across from the visitor center there were about 5 dogs here on the Sunday after the 4^th of July. A couple of them were chasing kites, and that was fun to watch. Not too busy, this place seemed friendly.
We will be back!

Coming from the bay area, I would say the biggest downside of LA besides traffic is that no beaches allow dogs. I did not want to visit Hungtington or Rosie dog beach because I am wary of weekend crowds. This beach was exactly what I was looking for. This beach is great for a nice long stroll with few people (by LA standards ha ha) and FREE parking. It was a bit of a drive but worth every second when I saw the huge smile on my dog’s face as she explored the area and ran along the water. Ventura county for the win! I will be back. Oh, and a plus is the sand is sooooo soft!!!

Easy parking, easy access, perfect for dogs. Go to the end of spinnaker street. When you go onto the beach, go to the right-​hand side, near the rocks, and where the kayakers come in. There’s an off leash spot that’s about 100 to 200 yards long. On a hot Southern California day at 2 PM, there’s about 10 dogs and they all love each other. Not all owners are great with letting dogs interact but for the most part you don’t have to worry. And the water is clean the beach is clean the people are nice overall. The lifeguard actually make sure this area is clear for dogs

Love coming here any chance I get. Lately, with it being so hot, it’s been a good weekend spot near the dunes. Love the beach! Love my town!

Harbor Cove Beach allows dogs to roam around, but this is not an off-​leash dog beach. It is not what I would consider a proper dog beach where the pups are running around covered in sand, sniffing each others’ butts, and making new friends.
My bestie and I arrived this past Saturday in the early afternoon to enjoy a nice day under the sun with her pup, Piper. The entrance to the (free) parking lot is at the very end of Spinnaker Drive. I appreciated that there was a restroom facility and shower nearby. The waves were crashing and I was super excited to get a tan in the middle of January.
We walked onto the beach and noticed a dead bird in the sand. I thought to myself, «How sad, poor thing.» The bird was pretty big, like a full grown seagull! I found a place to sit, and put my beach towel down only to realize that there was another dead bird. And another one. And ANOTHER ONE. Literally, we looked across the sand and saw these big lumps everywhere. They were ALL dead birds. Not just seagulls, but pelicans, and all kinds of birds!
The dead birds outnumbered the alive dogs.
This was a tad bit unsettling to say the least. My thoughts started to wander about contaminated ocean water or something toxic in the sand that was killing the birds.
My bestie didn’t want to let Piper run around because she didn’t want Piper to catch bird flu. We couldn’t really enjoy our stay anymore and left in a matter of minutes.
Needless to say, we will never be back here again. My best friend also renamed Harbor Cove Beach. We now call it:
Dead Bird Beach

Easy parking and a nice little area for dogs to play in. Only thing is that within 5 minutes of being there we were getting yelled at for not having our dog on a leash… Would have been nice to know that this is NOT an off-​leash dog beach. Also; come PREPARED. Meaning: doggie bags and clean water for them to drink.

+ FREE PARKING– Easy lot parking with direct access and walkway to the beach. It really doesn’t get any better than that!
+ DOG FRIENDLY– This is also a dog beach so we were able to see lots of people with their unleashed dogs just hanging out.
+ LIFE GUARD ON SITE– I love that there is a strong lifeguard presence at the beach. There is a little cove area for children to swim safely in shallow water under supervision, and having lifeguards on site prevents shady activity.
+ SURFERS– The waves were not big, but there were at least two handful of surfers out in the water.
+ KITE FLYING– There were tons of people flying kites in the sky and other electronic flying contraptions.
+ CLEAN-​ISH RESTROOMS– I mean for the beach, it wasn’t as horrendous as I expected. It’s still a public restroom, so don’t expect much.
+ FAMILY BEACH– Most the people at the beach were all there with their families and having picnics. The beach feels really safe and friendly.

This beach is okay– we came here for an outrigger canoeing race, and admittedly it was kind of a grey and dreary day, so it’s not the most ideal of reviews. The beach itself was clean and had plenty of parking available. I’m sure on a nicer day it would be fun to hang out here. All along the road driving in there was a cycling event going on, and the roads were nice and smooth, so I imagine that would be fun to do along this stretch of coast, although the street was a bit too far inland to catch most of the views of the water. It seems like a kind of quiet beach area– not a lot of families or locals were hanging out here on a Saturday morning, but that might have also been due to the weather that day.

What a happy little beach! Situated perfectly for anyone who wants to watch sail boats passing by, dogs doing their thing and kites and small children everywhere. Perfect beach to read and relax and look up and have an ever changing view.

I went here on a January weekday when it was a «chilly» 81 degrees out. ;) A friend and I had a mutual day off and decided to take a little trip with her dog. I’m so glad I found this little beach! It’s dog-​friendly on-​leash but doesn’t seem strictly enforced about off-​leash rules unless your dog acts out… In addition to our dog learning to swim in the gentle-​to-​nonexistent waves, many people were passing through on off-​leash walks. It also seems to be a good family spot; there are a lot of little kids, which I thought was cute.
The parking was easy and free, with bathrooms and an outdoor shower. There are doggy bag dispensers in the parking lot too. There is also a marina nearby, so if you’re not going to play in the water like we did, you can relax on the beach and watch the boats passing. Plus there are some rocks nearby that function as little tide pools; there are little anemones growing there. The beach was clean, the water was clear, the sand was fine and smooth, and there were no dangerous currents, making for a nice ocean swim for both the kids and dogs there, and some competitive swimmers we met as well!
It’s also close to the Harbor Cove Village, which has a bunch of dog-​friendly restaurant patios and some shops too. A great little beach for a day trip with your dog or kids.

I can usually find a parking spot here even on a hot summer day. Bathrooms, showers, and even a walkway over the sand in the summertime, the cove has calm waters and views of boats heading out to sea, pelicans and shorebirds and sometimes a harbor seal or sea lion. The south side of the jetty has crashing waves, surfing, sea shells and a long sloping beach. Two experiences for the price of one-​parking is free here. In the summer, there is a lifeguard posted on the calm water side, but not the crashing side-​hmmph. The calm side is a great spot for kids.
People fly kites, and locals congregate to catch the often spectacular sunsets, with views of the Channel Islands on the horizon adding a dramatic touch.
You can also walk to the interesting Channel Islands Visitors Center from the parking lot. Their wildflower displays are amazing. You can also head up the stairs to the viewing tower for a view overlooking the beaches, harbor, and Ventura.

Took my dogs to this beach, because it’s the closest dog beach around. Dogs are welcome here, which is awesome, even got to take them off leash for a little bit. However, walking down the beach we looked at the bottom of our feet and noticed oil or tar stuck to the bottom. Was there an oil spill recently? Is this the product from the off shore oil drills? I’m not sure. I’m not from around here, but it was nice to have the dogs run around the beach. Have to check it out again to see if the tar was an accident or if it’s a common occurrence.
Parking is free which is nice and there are dog friendly restaurants across the street as well.

This is a dog-​friendly beach. It’s great for introducing pets to water (and putting in paddleboards and other watercraft) because there are little to no waves.