Tucked between Lands End and Baker Beach, down a paved drive or stairway from the parking lot, China Beach in San Francisco is a national park site. Well loved for its beach access, tide pools and picnic area it has spectacular views of the Marin Headlands and Golden Gate Bridge. At low tide take a walk north to Baker beach to see anemones and sea stars clinging to the rocks.
The area used to be a campsite for the Chinese fishermen, during and after the 1849 gold rush. You can see a monument to these early residents at the trailhead near the parking area at the end of Sea Cliff Avenue. The monument reads “Their efforts to supply the needs of a young city helped establish one of the area's most important industries and traditions”
Good times to visit in the next 30 days
To get the most out of tidepooling, you'll want to go when the tide
is low so that the rocks of the beaches are visible and as the ocean
tide gets lower it leaves behind little pools of water in which you can
see lots of fun critters!
Try to arrive before the lowest tide time, so that you can have some
fun on the tidepools before the tide rises again. Below are the four
best low tides for Descend the stairs and take a low tide walk from the tiny cove of China beach through to Bakers beach. in the next 30 days during
daylight hours.
Wednesday 8th May 2024
at 6:18am for a low tide of -1.39ft.
sunrise is 6:06am and sunset is 8:06pm
Thursday 9th May 2024
at 7:06am for a low tide of -1.50ft.
sunrise is 6:05am and sunset is 8:07pm
Friday 10th May 2024
at 7:48am for a low tide of -1.40ft.
sunrise is 6:04am and sunset is 8:08pm
Sunday 26th May 2024
at 8:12am for a low tide of -1.16ft.
sunrise is 5:52am and sunset is 8:21pm
If you don't see anything, sit very still, wait and watch!
How to get there
Parking
Parking can be tricky so arrive early in the day for the best chance of grabbing a spot in the small parking lot.
Directions to tidepools
Access to the beach is via a paved drive or stairway down from the parking lot to water level. There are some tidepools to the south or you can take a low tide walk north (right) to Baker beach.
As a general rule it is always a good idea to get to the tidepool site
before the lowest tide so that you can have a good time looking at critters
before the tide starts to come in.
Low tides in the next 30 days
Sunday 28th April 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.62ft at 9:12am
lowest tide is-0.62ft
9:12am-0.62ft8:42pm3.40ft
Monday 29th April 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.56ft at 10:12am
lowest tide is-0.56ft
10:12am-0.56ft10:00pm3.47ft
Tuesday 30th April 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.48ft at 11:12am
lowest tide is-0.48ft
11:12am-0.48ft11:36pm3.29ft
Wednesday 1st May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.41ft at 12:18pm
lowest tide is-0.41ft
12:18pm-0.41ft
Thursday 2nd May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.29ft at 1:18pm
lowest tide is-0.29ft
1:00am2.78ft1:18pm-0.29ft
Friday 3rd May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.08ft at 2:12pm
lowest tide is-0.08ft
2:12am2.03ft2:12pm-0.08ft
Saturday 4th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.27ft at 3:00pm
lowest tide is0.27ft
3:06am1.18ft3:00pm0.27ft
Sunday 5th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.72ft at 3:42pm
lowest tide is0.72ft
3:54am0.31ft3:42pm0.72ft
Monday 6th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.25ft at 4:30pm
lowest tide is1.25ft
4:42am-0.45ft4:30pm1.25ft
Tuesday 7th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.78ft at 5:12pm
lowest tide is1.78ft
5:30am-1.04ft5:12pm1.78ft
Wednesday 8th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.39ft at 6:18am
lowest tide is-1.39ft
6:18am-1.39ft5:54pm2.28ft
Thursday 9th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.50ft at 7:06am
lowest tide is-1.50ft
7:06am-1.50ft6:42pm2.69ft
Friday 10th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.40ft at 7:48am
lowest tide is-1.40ft
7:48am-1.40ft7:36pm3.01ft
Saturday 11th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.14ft at 8:42am
lowest tide is-1.14ft
8:42am-1.14ft8:36pm3.22ft
Sunday 12th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.78ft at 9:30am
lowest tide is-0.78ft
9:30am-0.78ft9:48pm3.30ft
Monday 13th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.41ft at 10:30am
lowest tide is-0.41ft
10:30am-0.41ft11:06pm3.21ft
Tuesday 14th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.06ft at 11:30am
lowest tide is-0.06ft
11:30am-0.06ft
Wednesday 15th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.26ft at 12:24pm
lowest tide is0.26ft
12:24am2.91ft12:24pm0.26ft
Thursday 16th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.56ft at 1:18pm
lowest tide is0.56ft
1:30am2.46ft1:18pm0.56ft
Friday 17th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.89ft at 2:00pm
lowest tide is0.89ft
2:24am1.92ft2:00pm0.89ft
Saturday 18th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.25ft at 2:42pm
lowest tide is1.25ft
3:12am1.35ft2:42pm1.25ft
Sunday 19th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.64ft at 3:18pm
lowest tide is1.64ft
3:54am0.81ft3:18pm1.64ft
Monday 20th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.03ft at 3:54pm
lowest tide is2.03ft
4:30am0.32ft3:54pm2.03ft
Tuesday 21st May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.41ft at 4:24pm
lowest tide is2.41ft
5:00am-0.12ft4:24pm2.41ft
Wednesday 22nd May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.73ft at 5:00pm
lowest tide is2.73ft
5:36am-0.48ft5:00pm2.73ft
Thursday 23rd May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.77ft at 6:12am
lowest tide is-0.77ft
6:12am-0.77ft5:36pm3.00ft
Friday 24th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.99ft at 6:48am
lowest tide is-0.99ft
6:48am-0.99ft6:18pm3.20ft
Saturday 25th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.12ft at 7:30am
lowest tide is-1.12ft
7:30am-1.12ft7:00pm3.33ft
Sunday 26th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.16ft at 8:12am
lowest tide is-1.16ft
8:12am-1.16ft7:48pm3.39ft
Monday 27th May 2024
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.09ft at 9:00am
As this is a National Park, there is no collecting of any sort allowed here and you are also not allowed to fly a drone or unmanned vehicle without a special use permit
Accessibility and Safety
There are no lifeguards are on duty And there are really unpredictable surf conditions so swimming is not recommended.
There is a paved path to the beach from the car park but the tidepools themselves may not be wheelchair accessible.
Pet Policy
No pets allowed.
Food options
This site is nestled between lands end and the Presidio so there are some excellent cheap lunch spots on Clement or Geary street just a few blocks south
Picnics
Picnic tables are on a first-come first-served above beach level, there’s a sheltered sandy cove for picnics too.
To sunbathe out of the wind, there is a small deck on top of the lifeguard equipment pick-up station.
There’s no fires allowed on the beach but there are prepared grills and available if you get there early, no reservations are possible.
Restrooms and cold water showers may be open sunrise to sunset but the official website has listed that the bathhouse is not open to the public. Work is undergoing from by the National Park Service to improve facilities.