Alamere Falls Tides: Tide Chart and Times
Marin County, California · Pacific time · feet
The tide at Alamere Falls today starts with a high of 4.4 ft at 4:56 AM, falls to a low of 3.5 ft at 9:03 AM, climbs to a high of 5.8 ft at 2:51 PM, then falls to a low of −0.5 ft at 10:37 PM.
The falling tide is now 5.2 ft
Next high
13h 30m
4:59 AM
Next low
6h 8m
10:37 PM
Alamere Falls is a 40-foot waterfall that drops off a coastal bluff onto Wildcat Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. The safe way to reach it is a beach walk that only works at low tide.
Also covers Wildcat Beach, Palomarin.
Saturday, October 31
Saturday, October 31
- ▲ ▲ High tide4:56 AM4.4 ft 4.4 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide9:03 AM3.5 ft 3.5 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide2:51 PM5.8 ft 5.8 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide10:37 PM−0.5 ft −0.5 ft
Sunday, November 1
- ▲ ▲ High tide4:59 AM4.6 ft 4.6 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide9:40 AM3.4 ft 3.4 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide3:10 PM5.4 ft 5.4 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide10:41 PM−0.2 ft −0.2 ft
Monday, November 2
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:52 AM4.9 ft 4.9 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide11:12 AM3.0 ft 3.0 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide4:35 PM5.0 ft 5.0 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide11:39 PM0.2 ft 0.2 ft
Tuesday, November 3
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:36 AM5.2 ft 5.2 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:28 PM2.3 ft 2.3 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:58 PM4.8 ft 4.8 ft
Wednesday, November 4
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:31 AM0.6 ft 0.6 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:14 AM5.6 ft 5.6 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:30 PM1.6 ft 1.6 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:15 PM4.7 ft 4.7 ft
Thursday, November 5
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:18 AM1.0 ft 1.0 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:48 AM5.9 ft 5.9 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:20 PM0.8 ft 0.8 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:21 PM4.6 ft 4.6 ft
Friday, November 6
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:59 AM1.5 ft 1.5 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:19 AM6.1 ft 6.1 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:05 PM0.3 ft 0.3 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:19 PM4.5 ft 4.5 ft
Today and Tomorrow at Alamere FallsThis Week at Alamere Falls
Feet above MLLW · Pacific time · shaded = night
Tap the chart for the height at any time. The full week is in the table below.Hover or tap the chart for the height at any time.
Predicted vs Actual Water Level
NOAA Point Reyes gauge · last 2448 hours
Tide predictions cover only the pull of the moon and sun. NOAA's Point Reyes gauge, about 11 miles away, measures the real water level every 6 minutes, so the gap between the two lines is the weather: storm surge, wind, air pressure and runoff. The same gap usually holds across the Marin coast and Tomales Bay.
Loading live readings from NOAA…
Predicted Measured
Today at a Glance
Tidal range today
6.3 ft
Typical this month: 5.9 ft
Spring and neap cycle
Between springs and neaps
Next spring tide Nov 9, next neap Nov 3
How they work →Moon
Waning gibbous
60% lit, waning. New moon Nov 8
Sunrise and sunset
7:35 AM / 6:13 PM
10h 38m of daylight
Alamere Falls Tide Table, Next 7 Days
From today · Pacific time
Today, Oct 31
- ▲ High 4:56 AM4.4 ft
- ▼ Low 9:03 AM3.5 ft
- ▲ High 2:51 PM5.8 ft
- ▼ Low 10:37 PM−0.5 ft
Sunday, Nov 1
- ▲ High 4:59 AM4.6 ft
- ▼ Low 9:40 AM3.4 ft
- ▲ High 3:10 PM5.4 ft
- ▼ Low 10:41 PM−0.2 ft
Monday, Nov 2
- ▲ High 5:52 AM4.9 ft
- ▼ Low 11:12 AM3.0 ft
- ▲ High 4:35 PM5.0 ft
- ▼ Low 11:39 PM0.2 ft
Tuesday, Nov 3
- ▲ High 6:36 AM5.2 ft
- ▼ Low 12:28 PM2.3 ft
- ▲ High 5:58 PM4.8 ft
Wednesday, Nov 4
- ▼ Low 12:31 AM0.6 ft
- ▲ High 7:14 AM5.6 ft
- ▼ Low 1:30 PM1.6 ft
- ▲ High 7:15 PM4.7 ft
Thursday, Nov 5
- ▼ Low 1:18 AM1.0 ft
- ▲ High 7:48 AM5.9 ft
- ▼ Low 2:20 PM0.8 ft
- ▲ High 8:21 PM4.6 ft
Friday, Nov 6
- ▼ Low 1:59 AM1.5 ft
- ▲ High 8:19 AM6.1 ft
- ▼ Low 3:05 PM0.3 ft
- ▲ High 9:19 PM4.5 ft
Minus Tides at Alamere Falls
Daylight low tides below zero in the next 60 days, the best times for tidepooling and walking the low beach. More on what a minus tide is.
- Saturday, Nov 7, 3:46 PM−0.2 ft
- Sunday, Nov 8, 4:25 PM−0.5 ft
- Monday, Nov 9, 5:03 PM−0.6 ft
- Sunday, Nov 22, 3:13 PM−0.5 ft
- Monday, Nov 23, 3:58 PM−1.2 ft
- Tuesday, Nov 24, 4:45 PM−1.6 ft
- Saturday, Dec 5, 2:55 PM−0.2 ft
- Sunday, Dec 6, 3:35 PM−0.5 ft
Alamere Falls Tide Chart: Why the Beach Walk Needs a Low Tide
Check an Alamere Falls tide chart before you leave the trailhead, because the last mile is on the beach. The National Park Service route goes to Wildcat Campground, then 1.1 miles south along Wildcat Beach to where the falls pour onto the sand. At higher tides, Wildcat Beach can be completely underwater.
Wildcat Beach is 2.9 miles long and sits deep in the Phillip Burton Wilderness. The only safe place to get onto it is at Wildcat Campground. From the Palomarin Trailhead that is at least 5.5 miles of hiking before you even reach the sand.
When the Beach Is Not Passable
The tide is only part of it. How much sand is on the beach changes through the year. The park notes that even at a fairly low tide in early spring, waves washed almost to the base of the bluffs at the south end of the beach. On one late summer day there wasn’t enough sand to pass safely at a moderate tide.
So the rule is simple. If the waves are reaching the bottom of the bluffs, do not try to walk to the falls. If the tide is going out, you can wait for the water to drop. Otherwise turn back and come another day. Rising water can trap you against the cliff with no way out.
Skip the steep shortcut down the bluff that people call the Alamere Falls Trail. It is not a maintained trail, and the park says visitors get hurt on it almost every week.
Tides for Alamere Falls are predicted from NOAA’s Point Reyes station, about 11 miles to the northwest. Before you go, also check the National Weather Service for any beach hazard statement or high surf advisory on the coastal North Bay.
Tides Near Alamere Falls
All Marin tides →How the tide is running right now at the closest spots.
Also close to Alamere Falls: Limantour Beach 7.6 mi · Stinson Beach 8.3 mi · Inverness 11 mi · Point Reyes 11 mi · Muir Beach 13 mi
Where the Alamere Falls Tide Station Is
37.9942, -122.9736
Tide times for Alamere Falls come from NOAA's Point Reyes tide station (9415020), about 11 miles away.
About Tides at Alamere Falls
How the tide works at Alamere Falls
Alamere Falls gets mixed semidiurnal tides, the usual pattern on the California coast: two highs and two lows most days, with one high noticeably higher than the other and one low noticeably lower. The lower low is the one that uncovers the most shore.
A typical day here swings about 5.9 ft from low water to the next high. The biggest spring tides of the next month stretch that to about 9.0 ft, and the quietest neap days shrink it to about 3.4 ft. The next spring tides peak around Nov 9.
Where the Alamere Falls predictions come from
Every time and height is a NOAA prediction for NOAA's Point Reyes tide station (9415020), about 11 miles away. It is a reference station, with predictions calculated from harmonic constituents measured at that spot.
The curve between each high and low is drawn with the standard cosine method, so heights between the turns are close estimates. Weather can move the real water level: strong onshore wind and low air pressure raise it, and offshore wind and high pressure lower it. Read more on how tide predictions work.
Reading the tide clock, table and chart
The tide clock's hand sweeps from high tide at the top to low tide at the bottom and back, one full turn per tidal cycle of about 12 hours and 25 minutes. The countdowns on either side show the time to the next high and the next low.
The day picker and the 7-day table list each turn of the tide with its time and height. On the chart, each crest is a high and each trough a low; shaded bands are night. Heights are feet above mean lower low water, so a negative number is a minus tide. Our guide on how to read a tide chart goes further.
Alamere Falls Tide Questions
What tide do you need to walk to Alamere Falls?
You need a low tide. The park says to walk the 1.1 miles south from Wildcat Campground along Wildcat Beach at low tide, because at higher tides the beach can be completely underwater. The park gives no exact safe height, since sand levels change. If waves reach the base of the bluffs, don't go.
Is the Alamere Falls trail safe?
The shortcut many people call the Alamere Falls Trail is not a maintained trail. The National Park Service strongly advises against it. Hikers get hurt scrambling down that rutted route almost every week, and the falls see several search and rescue calls each year. The official route goes through Wildcat Campground and down the beach.
How long is the hike to Alamere Falls from Palomarin?
The shortest legal route starts at the Palomarin Trailhead near Bolinas and is at least 6.5 miles each way to the falls. You follow the Coast Trail to Wildcat Campground, then walk about a mile south on the beach. From Bear Valley it is at least 7.3 miles, and from Five Brooks at least 7.1 miles.
What time is high tide at Alamere Falls today?
The panel at the top lists today's highs and lows at Alamere Falls with their times and heights, and the tide clock counts down to the next high and the next low. Times are Pacific time and heights are in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).
How big is the tide at Alamere Falls?
Over the next 30 days the daily swing at Alamere Falls runs from about 3.4 ft on the quietest neap days to 9.0 ft on the biggest spring tides, with 5.9 ft on a typical day. Like the rest of the California coast, most days bring two highs and two lows of unequal size.
Where do the Alamere Falls tide times come from?
They are astronomical predictions from NOAA's Point Reyes tide station (9415020), about 11 miles away. Wind, storms, river runoff and air pressure can push the real water level higher or lower than predicted, so treat them as a planning guide, not a guarantee, and never use them for navigation.