Richardson Bay Tides: Tide Chart and Times
Marin County, California · Pacific time · feet
The tide at Richardson Bay today starts with a high of 4.6 ft at 5:45 AM, falls to a low of 3.4 ft at 10:11 AM, climbs to a high of 5.7 ft at 3:54 PM, then falls to a low of −0.4 ft at 11:17 PM.
The falling tide is now 5.6 ft
Next high
14h 21m
5:50 AM
Next low
6h 48m
11:17 PM
Richardson Bay is the shallow arm of San Francisco Bay between Sausalito, Mill Valley and Tiburon. The tide floods the Mill Valley-Sausalito path at Bothin Marsh, closes parts of the Manzanita lot, and bares wide mudflats for shorebirds.
Also covers Mill Valley, Strawberry, Bothin Marsh.
Saturday, October 31
Saturday, October 31
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:45 AM4.6 ft 4.6 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide10:11 AM3.4 ft 3.4 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide3:54 PM5.7 ft 5.7 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide11:17 PM−0.4 ft −0.4 ft
Sunday, November 1
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:50 AM4.7 ft 4.7 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide10:45 AM3.3 ft 3.3 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide4:09 PM5.3 ft 5.3 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide11:25 PM−0.1 ft −0.1 ft
Monday, November 2
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:45 AM4.9 ft 4.9 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:12 PM2.8 ft 2.8 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:31 PM4.9 ft 4.9 ft
Tuesday, November 3
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:27 AM0.1 ft 0.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:31 AM5.2 ft 5.2 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:22 PM2.1 ft 2.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:53 PM4.7 ft 4.7 ft
Wednesday, November 4
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:21 AM0.5 ft 0.5 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:10 AM5.5 ft 5.5 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:20 PM1.4 ft 1.4 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:07 PM4.6 ft 4.6 ft
Thursday, November 5
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:08 AM0.9 ft 0.9 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:45 AM5.8 ft 5.8 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:09 PM0.7 ft 0.7 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:13 PM4.6 ft 4.6 ft
Friday, November 6
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:50 AM1.3 ft 1.3 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:18 AM6.0 ft 6.0 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:53 PM0.2 ft 0.2 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide10:13 PM4.6 ft 4.6 ft
Today and Tomorrow at Richardson BayThis Week at Richardson Bay
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 San Francisco (Golden Gate) gauge · last 2448 hours
Tide predictions cover only the pull of the moon and sun. NOAA's San Francisco (Golden Gate) gauge, about 5 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 this part of the bay.
Loading live readings from NOAA…
Predicted Measured
Today at a Glance
Tidal range today
6.1 ft
Typical this month: 5.8 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
7:34 AM / 6:12 PM
10h 38m of daylight
Richardson Bay Tide Table, Next 7 Days
From today · Pacific time
Today, Oct 31
- ▲ High 5:45 AM4.6 ft
- ▼ Low 10:11 AM3.4 ft
- ▲ High 3:54 PM5.7 ft
- ▼ Low 11:17 PM−0.4 ft
Sunday, Nov 1
- ▲ High 5:50 AM4.7 ft
- ▼ Low 10:45 AM3.3 ft
- ▲ High 4:09 PM5.3 ft
- ▼ Low 11:25 PM−0.1 ft
Monday, Nov 2
- ▲ High 6:45 AM4.9 ft
- ▼ Low 12:12 PM2.8 ft
- ▲ High 5:31 PM4.9 ft
Tuesday, Nov 3
- ▼ Low 12:27 AM0.1 ft
- ▲ High 7:31 AM5.2 ft
- ▼ Low 1:22 PM2.1 ft
- ▲ High 6:53 PM4.7 ft
Wednesday, Nov 4
- ▼ Low 1:21 AM0.5 ft
- ▲ High 8:10 AM5.5 ft
- ▼ Low 2:20 PM1.4 ft
- ▲ High 8:07 PM4.6 ft
Thursday, Nov 5
- ▼ Low 2:08 AM0.9 ft
- ▲ High 8:45 AM5.8 ft
- ▼ Low 3:09 PM0.7 ft
- ▲ High 9:13 PM4.6 ft
Friday, Nov 6
- ▼ Low 2:50 AM1.3 ft
- ▲ High 9:18 AM6.0 ft
- ▼ Low 3:53 PM0.2 ft
- ▲ High 10:13 PM4.6 ft
Minus Tides at Richardson Bay
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, 4:32 PM−0.2 ft
- Sunday, Nov 8, 5:09 PM−0.5 ft
- Sunday, Nov 22, 3:56 PM−0.5 ft
- Monday, Nov 23, 4:39 PM−1.1 ft
- Saturday, Dec 5, 3:41 PM−0.2 ft
- Sunday, Dec 6, 4:20 PM−0.5 ft
- Monday, Dec 7, 4:56 PM−0.6 ft
- Sunday, Dec 20, 2:52 PM−0.3 ft
Richardson Bay and Mill Valley Tides: Flooding and Mudflats
Richardson Bay tides decide when the Mill Valley-Sausalito path is dry and when it is underwater. Tides here are predicted from NOAA’s Sausalito, Corps of Engineers Dock station, near the mouth of the bay.
Bothin Marsh and the Bike Path
The Mill Valley-Sausalito Pathway is a flat 3.7-mile stretch of the San Francisco Bay Trail. Part of it crosses Bothin Marsh, and that section floods. The path tends to go under when the tide reaches about 6 feet, and on the highest tide days large parts of the trail and the marsh are covered. Marin County Parks is planning a route at the edge of the marsh to get the trail out of the water.
Across Highway 1, Caltrans says high tides alone can flood the Manzanita Park and Ride lot at certain times of the year. When high tides or heavy rain are forecast, it closes the lower half of the lot and the shoulder parking on Highway 1.
Low Tide on the Bay
Richardson Bay is shallow, and a low tide lays out wide mudflats that feed thousands of shorebirds. The bay has one of the healthiest eelgrass beds left in the Bay Area.
From October 1 to March 31, about 900 acres of the bay between Strawberry Point, Belvedere and Blackie’s Pasture are closed to boats and in-water activity, kayaks and paddleboards included. The closure protects ducks, geese and shorebirds that winter here.
Tides Near Richardson Bay
All Marin tides →How the tide is running right now at the closest spots.
Also close to Richardson Bay: Muir Beach 4.0 mi · Corte Madera Creek 4.7 mi · San Rafael 6.5 mi · Stinson Beach 7.8 mi · China Camp 9.0 mi
Where the Richardson Bay Tide Station Is
37.8650, -122.4933
Tide times for Richardson Bay come from NOAA's Sausalito, Corps of Engineers Dock tide station (9414819), about 0.9 miles away.
About Tides at Richardson Bay
How the tide works at Richardson Bay
Richardson Bay 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 5.8 ft from low water to the next high. The biggest spring tides of the next month stretch that to about 8.5 ft, and the quietest neap days shrink it to about 3.0 ft. The next spring tides peak around Nov 9.
Where the Richardson Bay predictions come from
Every time and height is a NOAA prediction for NOAA's Sausalito, Corps of Engineers Dock tide station (9414819), about 0.9 miles away. It is a subordinate station: NOAA predicts its highs and lows by applying time and height offsets to the San Francisco (Golden Gate) reference station.
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.
Richardson Bay Tide Questions
When does the Mill Valley-Sausalito path flood?
The path through Bothin Marsh tends to go under once the tide reaches about 6 feet above mean lower low water. On those days large stretches of the trail are covered and the whole marsh can be submerged. Wind, rain or a storm surge can bring flooding on a lower tide.
Does Highway 1 at Manzanita in Mill Valley flood at high tide?
It can. Caltrans says high tides alone can flood the Manzanita Park and Ride lot at certain times of year. When high tides or rain are forecast, Caltrans closes the lower half of the lot and the shoulder parking on Highway 1 next to it.
Can you kayak in Richardson Bay in winter?
Not in the sanctuary. From October 1 to March 31, about 900 acres of Richardson Bay off Tiburon and Belvedere are closed to boats, kayaks and paddleboards to protect wintering waterbirds. Buoys and pilings mark the area, which runs north to Blackie's Pasture.
What time is high tide at Richardson Bay today?
The panel at the top lists today's highs and lows at Richardson Bay 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 Richardson Bay?
Over the next 30 days the daily swing at Richardson Bay runs from about 3.0 ft on the quietest neap days to 8.5 ft on the biggest spring tides, with 5.8 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 Richardson Bay tide times come from?
They are astronomical predictions from NOAA's Sausalito, Corps of Engineers Dock tide station (9414819), about 0.9 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.