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 25th June 2025
at 6:06am for a low tide of -1.67ft.
sunrise is 5:49am and sunset is 8:35pm
Thursday 26th June 2025
at 6:54am for a low tide of -1.62ft.
sunrise is 5:50am and sunset is 8:35pm
Friday 27th June 2025
at 7:42am for a low tide of -1.41ft.
sunrise is 5:50am and sunset is 8:35pm
Saturday 28th June 2025
at 8:24am for a low tide of -1.07ft.
sunrise is 5:50am and sunset is 8:35pm
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
Saturday 14th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.93ft at 8:18am
lowest tide is-0.93ft
8:18am-0.93ft8:06pm3.32ft
Sunday 15th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.81ft at 9:00am
lowest tide is-0.81ft
9:00am-0.81ft9:06pm3.17ft
Monday 16th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.56ft at 9:42am
lowest tide is-0.56ft
9:42am-0.56ft10:12pm2.89ft
Tuesday 17th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.15ft at 10:24am
lowest tide is-0.15ft
10:24am-0.15ft11:30pm2.41ft
Wednesday 18th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.39ft at 11:12am
lowest tide is0.39ft
11:12am0.39ft
Thursday 19th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.02ft at 12:06pm
lowest tide is1.02ft
12:42am1.72ft12:06pm1.02ft
Friday 20th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.66ft at 1:00pm
lowest tide is1.66ft
1:48am0.91ft1:00pm1.66ft
Saturday 21st June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.23ft at 1:54pm
lowest tide is2.23ft
2:42am0.08ft1:54pm2.23ft
Sunday 22nd June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.67ft at 2:48pm
lowest tide is2.67ft
3:36am-0.64ft2:48pm2.67ft
Monday 23rd June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.96ft at 3:48pm
lowest tide is2.96ft
4:30am-1.20ft3:48pm2.96ft
Tuesday 24th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 3.10ft at 4:42pm
lowest tide is3.10ft
5:18am-1.54ft4:42pm3.10ft
Wednesday 25th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.67ft at 6:06am
lowest tide is-1.67ft
6:06am-1.67ft5:42pm3.12ft
Thursday 26th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.62ft at 6:54am
lowest tide is-1.62ft
6:54am-1.62ft6:36pm3.07ft
Friday 27th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.41ft at 7:42am
lowest tide is-1.41ft
7:42am-1.41ft7:36pm2.97ft
Saturday 28th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.07ft at 8:24am
lowest tide is-1.07ft
8:24am-1.07ft8:36pm2.84ft
Sunday 29th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.61ft at 9:06am
lowest tide is-0.61ft
9:06am-0.61ft9:36pm2.68ft
Monday 30th June 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.05ft at 9:48am
lowest tide is-0.05ft
9:48am-0.05ft10:48pm2.43ft
Tuesday 1st July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.58ft at 10:30am
lowest tide is0.58ft
10:30am0.58ft
Wednesday 2nd July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.25ft at 11:18am
lowest tide is1.25ft
11:18am1.25ft
Thursday 3rd July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.90ft at 12:06pm
lowest tide is1.90ft
1:06am1.65ft12:06pm1.90ft
Friday 4th July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.47ft at 12:54pm
lowest tide is2.47ft
2:00am1.17ft12:54pm2.47ft
Saturday 5th July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.93ft at 1:48pm
lowest tide is2.93ft
2:54am0.70ft1:48pm2.93ft
Sunday 6th July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 3.23ft at 2:42pm
lowest tide is3.23ft
3:36am0.29ft2:42pm3.23ft
Monday 7th July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 3.40ft at 3:30pm
lowest tide is3.40ft
4:18am-0.05ft3:30pm3.40ft
Tuesday 8th July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 3.46ft at 4:18pm
lowest tide is3.46ft
4:54am-0.33ft4:18pm3.46ft
Wednesday 9th July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 3.44ft at 5:00pm
lowest tide is3.44ft
5:30am-0.57ft5:00pm3.44ft
Thursday 10th July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.77ft at 6:06am
lowest tide is-0.77ft
6:06am-0.77ft5:36pm3.35ft
Friday 11th July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.91ft at 6:42am
lowest tide is-0.91ft
6:42am-0.91ft6:18pm3.22ft
Saturday 12th July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.95ft at 7:18am
lowest tide is-0.95ft
7:18am-0.95ft7:06pm3.04ft
Sunday 13th July 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.85ft at 7:54am
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.