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.
Tuesday 29th April 2025
at 7:18am for a low tide of -1.65ft.
sunrise is 6:16am and sunset is 7:57pm
Wednesday 30th April 2025
at 8:12am for a low tide of -1.57ft.
sunrise is 6:15am and sunset is 7:58pm
Tuesday 27th May 2025
at 6:18am for a low tide of -1.84ft.
sunrise is 5:51am and sunset is 8:22pm
Wednesday 28th May 2025
at 7:06am for a low tide of -1.87ft.
sunrise is 5:51am and sunset is 8:22pm
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
Tuesday 29th April 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.65ft at 7:18am
lowest tide is-1.65ft
7:18am-1.65ft7:00pm2.56ft
Wednesday 30th April 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.57ft at 8:12am
lowest tide is-1.57ft
8:12am-1.57ft7:54pm2.90ft
Thursday 1st May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.31ft at 9:06am
lowest tide is-1.31ft
9:06am-1.31ft9:00pm3.12ft
Friday 2nd May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.93ft at 10:06am
lowest tide is-0.93ft
10:06am-0.93ft10:18pm3.17ft
Saturday 3rd May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.54ft at 11:12am
lowest tide is-0.54ft
11:12am-0.54ft11:48pm2.98ft
Sunday 4th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.20ft at 12:18pm
lowest tide is-0.20ft
12:18pm-0.20ft
Monday 5th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.12ft at 1:18pm
lowest tide is0.12ft
1:06am2.55ft1:18pm0.12ft
Tuesday 6th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.44ft at 2:06pm
lowest tide is0.44ft
2:12am2.00ft2:06pm0.44ft
Wednesday 7th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.80ft at 2:48pm
lowest tide is0.80ft
3:06am1.43ft2:48pm0.80ft
Thursday 8th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.20ft at 3:30pm
lowest tide is1.20ft
3:48am0.89ft3:30pm1.20ft
Friday 9th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.63ft at 4:00pm
lowest tide is1.63ft
4:30am0.42ft4:00pm1.63ft
Saturday 10th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.06ft at 4:36pm
lowest tide is2.06ft
5:06am0.04ft4:36pm2.06ft
Sunday 11th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.44ft at 5:06pm
lowest tide is2.44ft
5:36am-0.26ft5:06pm2.44ft
Monday 12th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.47ft at 6:12am
lowest tide is-0.47ft
6:12am-0.47ft5:42pm2.76ft
Tuesday 13th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.61ft at 6:42am
lowest tide is-0.61ft
6:42am-0.61ft6:12pm3.02ft
Wednesday 14th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.68ft at 7:18am
lowest tide is-0.68ft
7:18am-0.68ft6:48pm3.20ft
Thursday 15th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.69ft at 7:54am
lowest tide is-0.69ft
7:54am-0.69ft7:24pm3.34ft
Friday 16th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.67ft at 8:36am
lowest tide is-0.67ft
8:36am-0.67ft8:12pm3.42ft
Saturday 17th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.59ft at 9:24am
lowest tide is-0.59ft
9:24am-0.59ft9:12pm3.44ft
Sunday 18th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.48ft at 10:12am
lowest tide is-0.48ft
10:12am-0.48ft10:30pm3.31ft
Monday 19th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.31ft at 11:06am
lowest tide is-0.31ft
11:06am-0.31ft
Tuesday 20th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.07ft at 12:00pm
lowest tide is-0.07ft
12:00pm-0.07ft
Wednesday 21st May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.27ft at 12:54pm
lowest tide is0.27ft
1:06am2.29ft12:54pm0.27ft
Thursday 22nd May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.69ft at 1:48pm
lowest tide is0.69ft
2:06am1.47ft1:48pm0.69ft
Friday 23rd May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.19ft at 2:36pm
lowest tide is1.19ft
3:00am0.56ft2:36pm1.19ft
Saturday 24th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.70ft at 3:24pm
lowest tide is1.70ft
3:48am-0.31ft3:24pm1.70ft
Sunday 25th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.17ft at 4:12pm
lowest tide is2.17ft
4:36am-1.04ft4:12pm2.17ft
Monday 26th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.56ft at 5:00pm
lowest tide is2.56ft
5:30am-1.56ft5:00pm2.56ft
Tuesday 27th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.84ft at 6:18am
lowest tide is-1.84ft
6:18am-1.84ft5:48pm2.85ft
Wednesday 28th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.87ft at 7:06am
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.