McGrath State Beach in Oxnard, California, occupies the south bank of the Santa Clara River at its meeting with the Pacific, combining ocean beach, riverbanks, dunes, and estuarine habitat in one of California’s noted bird-watching areas. A nature trail links the beach to the Santa Clara Estuary Natural Preserve, and the park also supports camping, surfing, fishing, and major coastal trail routes. Its history has been shaped by the difficult balance between recreation and wildlife habitat in a flood-prone river mouth, where high estuary water can inundate facilities and force closures. A long shutdown beginning in 2011 underscored the challenge of maintaining this low-lying coastal landscape.