The Monarch Preserve within this park is a monarch butterfly over-wintering site. The park has a visitor center and offers guided tidepool tours year-round at low tide. Take Swift Street west from Highway 1, then West Cliff Drive north until it ends at the state beach. Natural Bridges is located at the north end of the town of Santa Cruz. The rocky ledges and tidepools are easily accessible but are exposed and visible only during low tides. The tidepools are located 100 yards north of the hostel building. From the north, take Highway 280 south from San Francisco, then go west on Highway 92 to Highway 1, and take Highway 1 south to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse. Pigeon Point Lighthouse is located on Highway 1, 20 miles south of Half Moon Bay. Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park Extending 1,000 feet from shore to a depth of up to 13 feet, Duxbury Reef is the largest shale reef in North America. Walk south along the shore at low tide to the adjacent Duxbury Reef. Turn left on Elm Road and follow until it to the end. On Highway 1, proceed 4.5 miles north of Stinson Beach, then take Olema-Bolinas Road west to Bolinas. Tidepools at the rocky beach are best visited at minus tides, since very little beach remains at high tide.Īgate Beach and Duxbury Reef State Marine SanctuaryĪgate Beach is located in Bolinas. The walk down the cliff is steep and strenuous. To reach the tidepools, hike the 1.5-mile Palomarin Beach Trail from the Mesa Road trailhead. Turn right onto Mesa Road and follow it 4.5 miles to the parking lot. On Highway 1, proceed 4.5 miles north of Stinson Beach, then take Olema-Bolinas Road west for 1.8 miles to Mesa Road. Palomarin Beach is at the south end of Point Reyes. Palomarin Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore During spring and summer low tides, volunteer naturalists are available to help interpret the tidepools for visitors. The tidepools are rich and easily accessible. Shell Beach is located on Highway 1 three miles south of Jenner. The visitor center is open on weekends from April through October and offers interpretive tidepool walks. There are many tidepools along the park’s coastline, including Gerstle Cove Marine Reserve. Salt Point State Park is 18 miles north of Jenner on Highway 1.
There is a wheelchair accessible boardwalk at the point. Enter the park and drive west to the Seal Watching Station and tidepools at Laguna Point. MacKerricher State Park is three miles north of Fort Bragg on Highway 1, near the town of Cleone. Here are a few good tidepools to visit in the Bay Area and beyond: Also be mindful of your own safety-be careful of the slippery footing, watch for rogue waves, and don’t turn your back on the ocean. When exploring tidepool areas, remember that their inhabitants can be damaged or destroyed by a simple act like turning over a rock and exposing the animals below to the sun. You can sign up for regular monitoring or wait for an intertidal bioblitz. The citizen science program at the California Academy of Sciences is looking for volunteers, and offers a way to explore in the company of experts and amateur enthusiasts. Consult tide tables to determine the best time to visit.
As a rule, tidepools are most exposed and best explored at low tide. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is home to some of the most diverse and accessible tidepools in the state, but there are many other good tidepooling destinations along California’s more than 1,000 miles of coastline.
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