Magnificent reef to visit for first-time tidepoolers and experienced naturalists alike.

• How to get there
• When to visit
• Other considerations

Great selection of tide-pools with an excellent visitors center. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is a 3-mile stretch of protected beach, tide pools, marshes and bluffs.

The volunteer docents are super knowledgeable and on weekends and holidays you’ll find them on hand about the reef to answer any questions and point out the really cool critters that live in the tidepools!

Adjacent to and possibly within the reserve is an endangered species of butterfly, the San Bruno elfin butterfly.

From the Fitzgerald website: at the sheltered sandy cove at the south end of the Reserve, take the trail to the bluff tops to return to the parking lot. Walk through the tangled garden of an old estate and through a century-old forest of wind-sculpted Monterey cypress trees. In the spring, California gray whales migrate north offshore. In the summer and fall, brown pelicans skim wave tops.

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 Magnificent reef to visit for first-time tidepoolers and experienced naturalists alike. in the next 30 days during daylight hours.

Wednesday 30th April 2025 at 7:36am for a low tide of -1.66ft. sunrise is 6:15am and sunset is 7:58pm

Thursday 1st May 2025 at 8:36am for a low tide of -1.34ft. sunrise is 6:14am and sunset is 7:59pm

Wednesday 28th May 2025 at 6:36am for a low tide of -2.05ft. sunrise is 5:52am and sunset is 8:22pm

Thursday 29th May 2025 at 7:24am for a low tide of -1.82ft. sunrise is 5:51am and sunset is 8:22pm

See more good times to visit

What you could see

Parking

From Highway 1 at Moss Beach, turn west on California Avenue and proceed to the parking lot at the end of the street. The reserve’s main entrance is at the end of California Avenue.

Allow 45 minutes to reach the reserve from the intersection of Highways 280 and 92. (Buses with students can use either Highway 1 or Highway 92).

Buses will be directed where to park upon arrival.

Parking is extremely limited. If your group is traveling by car, carpooling is required.