The lowest tide on the Cabrillo National Monument tide table this December comes on Christmas Eve. It drops to -1.88 feet at 3:47 p.m. The tidepool area at the end of Point Loma closes at 4:30 p.m. every day, so the bottom of that tide leaves you 43 minutes on the rocks. November has a similar problem. Its deepest afternoon low inside park hours is Wednesday, Nov. 25, at -1.51 feet, and it arrives at 3:55 p.m., 35 minutes before the closure.
These tides are worth planning around. The National Park Service says late fall and winter are the best time to visit because the extreme low tides that expose the most marine life happen in daylight. In summer, the low lows come at night. But the tide doesn't keep the park's hours. Every winter run of low tides starts in the early afternoon, gets deeper and later each day, and passes the 4:30 cutoff just as it reaches its lowest point. That makes the first two or three days of each run the most useful ones.
Two Clocks, and Only One Moves
The park's clock stays put. Cabrillo opens at 9 a.m., the Oceanside Trail and Bayside Trail close at 4 p.m., the tidepools and Coastal Area close at 4:30 p.m., and the main gate closes at 5 p.m. After that, the park is closed to walkers, joggers and cyclists too.
The tide's clock shifts every day. Here is the afternoon low for one week of the November run, from the NPS November tide table:
- Sun., Nov. 22: 1:38 p.m., -0.51 ft
- Mon., Nov. 23: 2:21 p.m., -1.05 ft
- Tue., Nov. 24: 3:06 p.m., -1.4 ft
- Wed., Nov. 25: 3:55 p.m., -1.51 ft
- Thu., Nov. 26: 4:46 p.m., -1.4 ft
- Fri., Nov. 27: 5:41 p.m., -1.12 ft
Each day the low arrives about 45 to 55 minutes later than the day before. By Thursday it's 16 minutes past the tidepool closure, and that Thursday is Thanksgiving, one of the two days a year the whole park is closed. The second closure is Christmas Day, which falls in the middle of the December run.
NPS gives two guidelines that decide which of these days work. A tide of 0.7 feet or lower gives the best chance to explore the pools. And the usual advice is to arrive about two hours before low tide, while the water is going out, and stay about two hours after, with the 4:30 p.m. closure as the hard stop. The lows above clear 0.7 feet with plenty of room, so the depth isn't the problem. The time on the clock is.
The Afternoons That Fit Inside Park Hours
Apply both rules to the November and December tables and a few afternoons stand out. "Usable window" below runs from two hours before the low to two hours after it, or to the 4:30 p.m. closure if that comes first.
| Date | Low tide | Height | Usable window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 23 | 2:21 p.m. | -1.05 ft | 12:21 to 4:21 p.m., full window |
| Tue., Nov. 24 | 3:06 p.m. | -1.4 ft | 1:06 to 4:30 p.m., about 1.5 hours after low |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | 3:55 p.m. | -1.51 ft | 1:55 to 4:30 p.m., 35 minutes after low |
| Mon., Dec. 21 | 1:33 p.m. | -0.94 ft | 11:33 a.m. to 3:33 p.m., full window |
| Tue., Dec. 22 | 2:17 p.m. | -1.48 ft | 12:17 to 4:17 p.m., full window |
| Wed., Dec. 23 | 3:02 p.m. | -1.8 ft | 1:02 to 4:30 p.m., about 1.5 hours after low |
| Thu., Dec. 24 | 3:47 p.m. | -1.88 ft | 1:47 to 4:30 p.m., 43 minutes after low |
Tuesday, Dec. 22 has the best balance of the winter. At -1.48 feet, it's within half a foot of the Christmas Eve low, and the whole four-hour window fits inside park hours with 13 minutes to spare. Monday, Nov. 23 gives the same full window with a shallower tide, and it's the most relaxed November option for anyone who wants to walk the rocks on the outgoing tide without watching the clock.
The Wednesday dates suit visitors who mainly want to see the lowest water. Get there early enough to be on the rocks while the tide drops, and expect to leave around the bottom of the tide or soon after.
All of these dates fall on weekdays. That timing helps on the road down, because NPS says lower-park parking fills quickly on weekends.
One detail about the tables. The NPS tide charts are predictions for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Pier in La Jolla. The park says the times differ only slightly at Cabrillo and that the low-tide viewing window runs an hour or more on either side of the low.
January and February Start Earlier in the Day
The same pattern repeats in the new year, and it starts early enough that the best windows fit comfortably inside park hours. These figures come from NOAA's tide predictions for its Point Loma station. They are subordinate-station values based on the main San Diego station, and like any tide table they're forecasts, not measured heights.
January 2027
- Wed., Jan. 20 at 2:09 p.m., -1.58 ft
- Thu., Jan. 21 at 2:49 p.m., -1.81 ft
- Fri., Jan. 22 at 3:28 p.m., -1.80 ft
February 2027
- Thu., Feb. 18 at 1:50 p.m., -1.45 ft
- Fri., Feb. 19 at 2:26 p.m., -1.54 ft
- Sat., Feb. 20 at 3:01 p.m., -1.41 ft
Thursday, Jan. 21 is the deepest daytime low on any of these lists that still leaves most of the window open. It reaches -1.81 feet at 2:49 p.m., an hour and 41 minutes before the closure. In this run, the deepest tide and the most convenient tide land on the same day. February's run starts earlier still. Thursday, Feb. 18 bottoms out at 1:50 p.m., early enough to finish the whole four-hour window by 3:50 p.m.
Getting Down to the Water
At midday on a good tide, the slowest part of the trip is usually the road down. Parking for the lower coast is limited to three lots on Gatchell Road. When those lots fill, rangers close the tidepool road, usually for about 30 minutes, until spaces open up. On an afternoon like Dec. 23, a half-hour wait at the turnoff takes a half hour out of the time before the 4:30 closure.
You can also park up top and walk down the Oceanside Trail. That trail closes at 4 p.m., half an hour before the tidepools do, so check it against your timing before you commit. NPS discourages walking down Cabrillo Road because it's narrow, has no shoulders, and drivers may not see you.
From Lots 1 and 2, the Coastal Trail runs along the shoreline. NPS describes eroded, uneven stairs and steep sections, and says the trail isn't suitable for strollers.
A few more practical points:
- No cell service at the tidepools. If someone is picking you up, set the time and place before you go down. Otherwise you may have to hike back up the Oceanside Trail to the top of the park.
- Shoes with grip. NPS recommends closed-toe shoes with good soles and strongly discourages sandals and flip-flops on rocks slick with water and algae.
- Entrance fees. As listed on the Cabrillo fees page, entry is $20 per private vehicle, $15 per motorcycle, and $10 per person on foot or by bike, capped at $20 for a walking or cycling group of four. Visitors 15 and younger are free, and passes are good for seven days. The Cabrillo National Monument Annual Pass is $35 and covers 12 months for one vehicle and its passengers or a group of four on foot or by bike. If you're planning around four separate tide runs this winter, the annual pass costs less than two vehicle entries.
- Cards preferred. The park prefers credit and debit cards and plans to go cashless, though no date has been set.
What Stays on the Rocks
The pools at the tip of the peninsula are protected, and the rules are specific. You can touch tidepool animals, gently. NPS compares it to touching your own eyeball and asks visitors not to poke anemones or squeeze sea hares. Collecting anything is prohibited, including living or dead organisms, shells and rocks. Attached animals such as limpets, chitons, mussels, sea stars and urchins should stay where they are. Rocks shouldn't be turned over, and animals that are moving away or hiding shouldn't be picked up. Containers, nets and prying tools aren't allowed in the tidepool area. Fishing isn't allowed anywhere in the monument, and the surrounding waters are also protected from fishing under California's Marine Protection Act.
These rules matter more on the best afternoons. A -1.8-foot tide exposes the most rock, and the most rock means the most animals within reach of everyone who made the same plan.
Before and After the Low
An afternoon low leaves the morning free, and the park has other things open while you wait. Cabrillo's calendar lists an Open Tower Day on Sunday, Nov. 15, with tours of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse tower from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tickets are first-come and handed out onsite, and tours depend on the weather. The calendar page itself hasn't been updated recently, so it's worth confirming that listing with the ranger line at 619-523-4285, which is staffed 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Saturdays, NPS lists one-hour guided walks at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and an open military bunker from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The park notes that program schedules can change.
In January, gray whales migrate past the point. Last season the Cabrillo National Monument Foundation held a Whale Watch Festival on Jan. 10, 2026, where volunteers and park staff helped visitors watch for migrating gray whales from land. I haven't seen a 2027 date posted. If one is announced, compare it with the Jan. 20 to 22 tide run before choosing which visit to make.
One last timing detail. The Visitor Center closes at 4 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on weekends. All of this winter's best tidepool afternoons fall on weekdays except Saturday, Feb. 20, so if you want the bookstore, go before you head down to the rocks.
I live in Point Loma, a short drive from the tip of the peninsula and these tide tables. If you'd like to talk about where the winter light and water look their best from home on this side of the bay, I'd be glad to hear from you. Point of View Properties is always open for that conversation. Let's Connect.
