wellness
Bike Trails Oxnard: New Family Cycling Routes
Oxnard Parks opens safe cycling routes for families and beginners. Discover flat, traffic-free paths at Beach Park and Santa Clara River levee with 10 mph speed zones.
How we reported this
Oxnard Parks and Recreation opened two marked family cycling loops this month at Oxnard Beach Park and along the Santa Clara River levee near Fifth Street.
Summer demand for outdoor activity has risen sharply in Oxnard, where residents already use the city’s 28 parks for daily exercise. Families want routes that keep children on flat, separated pavement rather than busy roads. City planners responded by painting green bike lanes and adding signs that limit speeds to 10 miles per hour on the new sections.
Two routes open now
The first loop starts at the Oxnard Beach Park parking lot on Harbor Boulevard and runs 1.8 miles south along the sand-adjacent path before returning on the parallel service road. The second route follows the Santa Clara River levee from the Fifth Street trailhead west for two miles to the pedestrian bridge at Rose Avenue. Both paths stay inside city limits and avoid the main lanes of Pacific Coast Highway.
Oxnard Cycling, a volunteer group that meets at Heritage Park every Saturday, helped test the new markings last month. The group logged 47 rides with children under 12 and reported zero incidents on the protected sections. City records show the number of annual bike permits issued to Oxnard households rose from 1,240 in 2023 to 1,890 in 2025.
Practical steps for first rides
Rentals at the beach park concession stand cost $12 for two hours on standard bikes and $18 on tandem models sized for an adult and child. Helmets are included. Riders should arrive before 10 a.m. on weekends to avoid the midday crowd that fills the lot after 11. Maps are posted at both trailheads and available as a free PDF on the city website.
Beginners can start on the shorter beach loop and add the river section once they feel steady. The paths close at sunset, and the city asks all users to yield to pedestrians at every crossing. Local pediatricians at Clinica Sierra Vista on Oxnard Boulevard recommend these routes for families building regular activity habits this summer.