What time of day should a Sea Cliff household take its holiday guests down to the water? This season the answer is late morning. California's King Tides fall on November 24 through 26 and December 23 through 25, which covers Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. On every one of those six days the highest water arrives between about 9:45 a.m. and 11:40 a.m. The deep low tides that follow it mostly come after the sun has set. And China Beach, the cove at the end of Sea Cliff Avenue, is the hardest of the local beaches to get to this year.
Six tide days, two kinds of afternoon
These predictions are for NOAA's San Francisco station at the Golden Gate, number 9414290, measured in feet above mean lower low water. Sunset times are for San Francisco.
| Date | Morning high | Afternoon low | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Nov 24 | 10:05 a.m., 6.94 ft | 5:03 p.m., −1.49 ft | 4:53 p.m. |
| Wed, Nov 25 | 10:49 a.m., 7.03 ft | 5:52 p.m., −1.65 ft | 4:52 p.m. |
| Thu, Nov 26 | 11:38 a.m., 6.95 ft | 6:42 p.m., −1.61 ft | 4:52 p.m. |
| Wed, Dec 23 | 9:46 a.m., 7.19 ft | 4:53 p.m., −1.74 ft | 4:55 p.m. |
| Thu, Dec 24 | 10:37 a.m., 7.23 ft | 5:42 p.m., −1.83 ft | 4:55 p.m. |
| Fri, Dec 25 | 11:30 a.m., 7.08 ft | 6:29 p.m., −1.70 ft | 4:56 p.m. |
The source data is in NOAA's tide predictions and the San Francisco sun tables at timeanddate.
The water drops a long way in an afternoon. On November 25 it goes from 7.03 feet to −1.65 feet in about seven hours, a fall of nearly 8.7 feet. On December 24 the drop is close to 9.1 feet. The midnight high tides are much smaller, all between 4.9 and 5.1 feet. That leaves the late-morning high as the one worth planning around.
The low tides are where the timing gets awkward. Civil twilight ends around 5:20 p.m. in late November. November 24's low arrives inside that last half-hour of dusk. The next two lows come in full dark: November 25's about half an hour after twilight ends, and Thanksgiving's about eighty minutes after.
December 23 is the one evening that lines up
On Wednesday, December 23, the predicted low of −1.74 feet arrives at 4:53 p.m., two minutes before the 4:55 p.m. sunset. It is the only one of the six King Tide days when the lowest water arrives before the sun goes down. On Christmas Eve the low comes at 5:42 p.m., about seventeen minutes after twilight ends. On Christmas Day it comes at 6:29 p.m.
That matters on this stretch of coast. The National Park Service notes that low tide can uncover rocky crevices between China Beach and Baker Beach, with starfish, anemones and mussels. The California Coastal Commission's King Tides safety page warns that tide pools uncovered at low tide can become dangerous once the water starts rising again. It also warns that high water can cover beaches and access points and trap people between the surf and the cliffs. At dusk on a short winter day, both warnings carry more weight.
Swell can push actual water above any of these numbers. The Commission's King Tides page points out that the predictions are astronomical and leave out storm surge, and it mentions the possibility of unusually strong El Niño conditions this season. The Commission's participation page suggests checking swell forecasts before heading out.
China Beach is the hardest way down to the water this season
The neighborhood's own beach is in the middle of a long rebuild. The National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy are leading a $25 million rehabilitation of China Beach. Work began in May 2023 and is still going. The plans include a refurbished bathhouse with restrooms, overhead rinse stations, low foot-rinse stations and picnic facilities near the lower plaza. The design also keeps a palm tree and the historic flagpole at the west arrival plaza.
Two projects are now overlapping at the same cul-de-sac. The NPS alerts page carries a notice titled "China Beach Construction & Seacliff Avenue Closures Fall - Winter 2026," posted September 6.
- Inside the park. Work on the bathhouse, lower terrace and picnic areas is in progress. Much of the parking lot is being used for construction staging.
- On the street. The SFPUC's Seacliff 1 pump station project reported waterline work underway at the end of the Sea Cliff Avenue cul-de-sac as of September 16. Sewer repairs come next, and final paving has not yet been scheduled.
- On 26th Avenue. Street paving for the Seacliff 2 project is finished, but crews are still working inside the pump station.
The Conservancy says beach access will be maintained, with occasional temporary closures for safety. NPS adds that the cove has no lifeguard and the surf is unpredictable. For a group of guests on a King Tide morning, the Seacliff 2 work also means the cul-de-sac has the least space of any of the nearby ways down to the water.
Where the morning high water is easiest to watch
This puts the late-morning high on the two shoreline areas on either side of Sea Cliff.
Baker Beach
To the east, Baker Beach looks straight at the Golden Gate Bridge. NPS warns that large waves, undertow and rip currents make it unsafe for swimming. With high water near 7 feet before noon, the beach will be narrower than usual. Its general beach guidance says to watch for sneaker waves and never turn your back on the ocean.
The Lands End Coastal Trail
To the west, the Lands End Trailhead leads to the Mile Rock Overlook and a spur trail down to Mile Rock Beach. NPS warns that the rugged, windy cliff sections near Eagle's Point can be treacherous. The Coastal Commission's safety guidance lists bluff edges among the most dangerous places to stand, because powerful waves can arrive without warning. From the overlook you see the King Tide from above, which is the safer place to watch it from.
Anyone who takes photos can add them to the California King Tides Project. The project collects geotagged photos on an interactive map and asks for shots taken as close to the local high tide as possible, ideally within 30 minutes. For these six days, that means roughly 9:15 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. The Commission's only listed San Francisco event this season is "Rising Tides" at Ferry Plaza on Saturday, November 14, from 1 to 4 p.m., across town from Sea Cliff.
Afternoons at the Legion, except on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
The water peaks before lunch and goes out after dark. That leaves the afternoon free for the Legion of Honor at the top of Lincoln Park. Its biggest show of the season opens three days before the November tides start. Azzedine Alaïa: Sculpting Fashion runs November 21, 2026 through April 11, 2027. It is the first major U.S. retrospective of the designer, with 80 garments, including pieces worn by Tina Turner, Grace Jones and Rihanna.
The museum's calendar and the tide calendar don't fully line up:
- Tuesday, November 24, and Wednesday, November 25. The Legion is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., and the last tickets are sold an hour before closing. A morning on the trail fits easily before a museum visit.
- Thursday, November 26. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving. The 11:38 a.m. high tide is the main outdoor event that day.
- Wednesday, December 23. The museum keeps regular hours. Closing at 5:15 p.m. is twenty minutes after the 4:55 p.m. sunset and the 4:53 p.m. low tide.
- Thursday, December 24. FAMSF lists only Thanksgiving and Christmas Day as closures, so Christmas Eve follows normal hours.
- Friday, December 25. The museum is closed, and the 11:30 a.m. high tide is the day's outing.
Book ahead for Alaïa. Its ticket is timed for entry. Free Saturdays for residents of the nine Bay Area counties cover the permanent collection only, and full price still applies to special exhibitions. The Legion's 4:30 p.m. free admission also covers only the permanent collection. Two shows on paper and prints are already open. Eternal Paris: Photographing the City of Light runs through April 4, 2027, with nearly 50 photographs by artists from Baldus to Atget and Brassaï. Miró: Proof Against All runs through July 25, 2027.
November dates on the bluff before the first tide
A few events on the Legion and Conservancy calendars fall in the weeks after this post goes up:
- Tuesday, November 10, 4 to 5:30 p.m. "Lost Cemetery of Lincoln Park," a members-only walk with historian John Martini. It is full, and the event page lists a waitlist contact.
- Thursday, November 12, and Thursday, December 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. "Golden Gate Historic Landscaping and Maintenance" volunteer mornings at Lands End.
- Saturday, November 14. "A Closer Look: The Mysteries of a 17th-Century Carved Limewood Panel" at the Legion.
- Saturday, November 21. "A Conversation on Azzedine Alaïa," on the exhibition's opening day.
For lunch after a morning on the trail, Clement Street has two places that opened this year. The San Francisco Standard reported that Clementina, a fully gluten-free Italian trattoria at 343 Clement Street, was set to open in March. Rose Pizzeria at 1 Clement Street started serving in late April, according to the Richmond Review, with a 44-seat dining room and outdoor seating.
We at ACT follow Sea Cliff closely, from the construction notices on Sea Cliff Avenue to the exhibitions at the Legion. If you are thinking about how this coast and its calendar fit into your own plans for the year ahead, we would be glad to talk. Schedule a Confidential Consultation.