King Tides in Marin: When They Hit and Where It Floods

King tides in Marin are the highest tides of the year, and they arrive in winter, mostly from November through January. On the bay side they push water over low roads, parking lots and paths near Mill Valley, Sausalito and San Rafael, usually for an hour or two around a high tide that peaks in the middle to late morning.

NOAA calls “king tide” a non-scientific term for exceptionally high tides. The tide itself is predictable months ahead. What you cannot predict that far out is the weather that rides on top of it.

What Is a King Tide?

A king tide is a spring tide that happens when the moon is also at perigee, its closest point to Earth. Spring tides come with every new and full moon, when the sun, Earth and moon line up and their pulls add together. When that lineup falls near perigee, the moon pulls harder still, and the high tide climbs higher than usual.

NOAA says these perigean spring tides happen about six to eight times a year and can run more than a foot higher than other spring tides. In California the biggest ones fall in winter. The same days bring some of the lowest low tides of the year. In November and December those lows fall around or after sunset, so they are hard to use for tidepooling.

For the full story on the monthly cycle, see spring and neap tides.

Highest Predicted Tides in Marin, Next Five Months

The twelve days with the highest predicted high tide at Sausalito, with the same day's highest tide at Stinson Beach and San Rafael. Heights are feet above mean lower low water, times are Pacific.

Why King Tides Matter More Than the Number

A predicted king tide is only part of the water you see. Tide tables cover the pull of the moon and sun, not storm surge, wind or rain. The California Coastal Commission notes that its king tide dates are picked from astronomical predictions alone.

Add a winter storm and the water can rise well past the forecast. In early January 2026, king tides and heavy rain together flooded homes and businesses in Sausalito, Mill Valley, Corte Madera and San Rafael, and Highway 101 near Lucky Drive went under. In late October 2026, abnormally warm Pacific water pushed ordinary high tides past what forecasters expected, and Shoreline Highway in Mill Valley flooded several days in a row.

Where Marin Floods During King Tides

Most of Marin’s tidal flooding happens on the bay side, where roads and neighborhoods were built on filled marsh just above the high tide line. These are the places that come up again and again in county, Caltrans and news reports.

Place	What floods
Manzanita, near Mill Valley	Highway 1 (Shoreline Highway) and the Manzanita Park and Ride lot at Tam Junction
Mill Valley	Miller Avenue near Almonte Boulevard, and the Mill Valley to Sausalito bike path
Sausalito	Gate 5 Road and the Marinship area along the waterfront
Marin City	The main road into the neighborhood, near Highway 101
San Rafael	The Canal neighborhood, built on former marshland
Larkspur and Greenbrae	Lucky Drive and the Redwood Highway frontage road
China Camp	North San Pedro Road along the shoreline
Novato	Highway 37 between Atherton Avenue and Highway 101, when Novato Creek backs up
Stinson Beach	Calle del Arroyo, the road to Seadrift

Caltrans says high tides alone can flood the Manzanita Park and Ride at certain times of the year, and it has closed the lower lot and the Highway 1 shoulder parking ahead of big tides. Highway 37 near Novato has closed several times when king tides and rain overtopped levees along Novato Creek, including in January 2017.

Gate 5 Road in Sausalito had its worst flooding in decades during the January 2026 king tides. The historic downtown was mostly spared. In Stinson Beach, a Marin County sea level rise report found that Calle del Arroyo is often impassable during the annual king tides.

The outer coast floods less often, but Stinson takes the worst of it when big surf lines up with a king tide. In January 2023, storm waves on top of a very high tide damaged about 22 structures in the Calles area.

Check the tide for your spot: Sausalito, Richardson Bay and Mill Valley, San Rafael, Stinson Beach and the Petaluma River near Novato.

How to Photograph King Tides for the California King Tides Project

The California King Tides Project asks people to photograph the shoreline during king tides and upload the pictures to a statewide map. The Commission uses the photos to see how these tides hit the coast and how sea level rise is changing the shoreline.

Pick a spot you know well, so the picture means something next to a normal day. A fixed landmark in the frame, like a sign, a piling or a seawall, makes the water level easy to read. Shoot within about an hour of the predicted high, when the water is highest. The Coastal Commission’s gallery already holds Marin photos from Shoreline Highway in Mill Valley, the Canal in San Rafael and the beach at Stinson.

Staying Safe During a King Tide

Do not drive through flooded roads. Salt water hides the road edge and potholes, and it can stall a car fast. During the October 2026 flooding, a driver was stranded on Shoreline Highway and had to be towed out.

The Coastal Commission asks people not to chase king tide photos unless they can do it safely, especially in El Niño winters with stronger storms. On the coast, stay well back from the water at Stinson, Muir Beach and Rodeo Beach when surf is up, and never turn your back on the ocean.

If you live or park near one of the flood spots above, move your car to higher ground the night before a big tide.