Moderate temperatures help make Emma Wood State Beach popular for swimming, surfing and fishing. Catches include perch, bass, cabezon and corbina. The Ventura River estuary is at the mouth of the Ventura River at the southeast end of the park. It attracts a variety of wildlife including raccoons, songbirds and great blue herons. Dolphins are occasionally seen just offshore. The park also features the crumbling ruins of a World War II coastal artillery site. The offshore Channel Islands can be seen from the beach.

Emma Wood State Beach offers family camping for self-contained vehicles only and group camping is available at Ventura River Group Camp.

Emma Wood State Beach offers primitive camping for fully self-contained vehicles ONLY. Tents are not permitted. No water, restrooms, electricity, fire rings, or phones or dump station are available. There are 90 campsites, which are not level and may contain a mixture of asphalt, dirt, cobble and ocean debris. Maximum vehicle length is 40 feet, due to small turnaround areas.

High tides may close the campground at any time. Railroad tracks and Highway 101 are adjacent to the campground which can be noisy. Leashed dogs are permitted in the campground only, and are prohibited on the beach.

Group camping is available at Ventura River Group Camp, with reservations required year around. This group campground is separated by 2 freeway miles from Emma Wood State Beach. The group sites offer developed tent camping for groups of up to 30 people and primitive RV camping for groups up to 50 people and 20 vehicles. The maximum length for an RV is 45 feet.

There is a day use area in the park, and beach access is available. A bike path connects the park to nearby Ventura and also to the coast highway to the north.