San Buenaventura State Beach is a two-mile stretch of wide, sandy beach running north from the pier along the edge of Ventura Harbor. It is the kind of California beach that does everything well without doing anything spectacular: clean sand, consistent surf, reliable sunshine, and a bike path running the full length of the waterfront that connects it to Emma Wood State Beach to the north. Swimmers, surfers, and joggers all use it without getting in each other's way.
The bike path is one of Ventura's genuine assets — it extends along the coast past the harbor and north toward the campgrounds at Emma Wood, and on a clear day you get good views of the Channel Islands sitting on the horizon. There is parking along the beach road, though in summer the lots fill early on weekends. The beach is managed by California State Parks and is free to access.