Click the links below to prepare for your trip to the Reserve:
- December – February 5:00 P.M. March 6:00 P.M. (before Daylight Savings Time starts)
- March 7:00 P.M. (after Daylight Savings Time starts)
- April – August 7:00 P.M.
- September 8:00 P.M. (through Labor Day)
- September 7:00 P.M. (beginning the day after Labor Day)
- October 7:00 P.M. (first week[s] of October)
- October 6:00 P.M. (last three weeks of October)
- November 6:00 P.M. (before Daylight Saving Time ends)
- November 5:00 P.M. (after Daylight Saving Time ends)
In general, you can explore the tidepools for at least an hour before and an hour after the low tide.
That interval varies depending on how low the tide is – on a 0’0” or negative low tide you may be able to explore for two or more hours of either side of the low tide. Other factors, such an offshore storm creating high waves might cut your exploration time shorter.
For safety, remember to never turn your back on the ocean when you are out on the rocks – a big wave can come along any time!
The Reserve is a California State Marine Protected Area/Marine Managed Area and access to the Reserve is not restricted.
Visitors who are not with a large group of 15 or more people can explore the Reserve without a docent guide.
Groups of 15 or more must make a reservation through the San Mateo County Parks web site
Tides vary day-to-day. To find out what the tides are today, follow this link: Princeton/Half Moon Bay tide tables. Point to a date for a list of tide heights and times. Click a date to get a detailed view to see when the tide will be lower than 1 foot, for the best tidepooling conditions.
What if there’s “no suitable low tide” when you want to visit? What this means is that the tidepools are under water that is too deep to see the tidepool creatures, or that the low tide does not occur during daylight visiting hours (8 a.m. – sunset, daily). Even if the tide is not low enough for tidepooling, there are blufftop trails to explore.
Due to the sensitivity of the Reserve’s intertidal marine life and to protect the creatures that call the Reserve home, recreational activities are not allowed on the Reserve’s beaches. This includes no food, drinks, beach toys, tents, buckets, shovels, ball-playing or other activities that might disturb the natural habitat.
There are picnic facilities and bathrooms near the main entrance.
Our naturalist programs are tailored to third grade and up for several reasons.
- Observing the animals requires that kids hold still and be silent for several minutes at a time, to keep from scaring the wildlife away.
- No one is allowed to touch the plants or animals.
- The slippery rocky reef and the stairs to and from the beach can be difficult to navigate for smaller children.
- Few young children have the patience to listen to and take direction from our volunteer naturalists for the 2-hour period of the tour.
We recommend that younger children visit with their families on weekends or holidays, when they can explore in a flexible time frame and have their parents’ undivided attention.
Harbor seals live in the Reserve’s waters year round. If you visit during a low tide, you will probably see several lying on the rocks at the water’s edge, or on the beach resting and soaking up the sun. Between March and June you may see very small pups lying near their mothers.
Bring binoculars and view the harbor seals from a distance. Obey all Marine Mammal caution signs and, if orange cones have been put out by Reserve staff, do not cross.
DO NOT APPROACH harbor seals; they are wild animals and federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. They are easily scared away by people coming too close or being too loud.
USE SPECIAL CAUTION during the March-to-June pupping season, because if a mother seal is scared away from her baby, she is likely to abandon the pup, which will die. If you see a pup that looks abandoned, STAY AWAY and contact the Reserve staff. They will monitor the pup and contact the Marine Mammal Center for a rescue if necessary.
Because the Reserve is both a County Park and a state Marine Protected Area, you must contact the reserve staff to obtain permits before you can shoot there. Leave a message for a return call at (650) 728-3584.
From the parking lot (located on Lake Street between California Street and Nevada Street), walk back along Lake Street towards California Street.
Just past the corner where California Street dead-ends into Lake Street, you will see a bridge. Follow the path over the footbridge. Take the first path that branches off to the right after you cross the creek. Follow that trail as it goes up along the split-rail fence and it will take you along the top of the bluff. The cypress forest is all along the top of the bluff. You can take the trail all the way through to Cypress Avenue. Then you can go back the way you came to return to the parking lot, or complete the trail loop by turning left (inland) on Cypress for about a block, and you will come to the paved path again. Follow the path and it will take you back over the footbridge to the parking lot.
The walk through the cypress forest takes 10-15 minutes, so you can do the whole loop in as little as 30 minutes.