On Thanksgiving afternoon, NOAA predicts a low tide of 1.36 feet below the zero line at its Los Angeles Outer Harbor station. The low arrives at 4:52 p.m. The sun sets over Los Angeles that day at 4:44 p.m. So the reef is at its widest eight minutes after the light is gone. The next afternoon is lower still, at 5:48 p.m., in full dark.
That gap between the sun and the tide sets this winter's schedule on the Palos Verdes shoreline. Low tides come later each afternoon through every minus-tide run, and sunset barely moves from late November through late January. The deepest lows you can see in daylight fall in the third week of December and the third week of January. The shore you reach them from has also changed, because Abalone Cove is still closed.
Each low tide comes later, and the light runs out first
All of these predictions come from the NOAA Tides & Currents station 9410660 in San Pedro, in local time. Sunsets come from timeanddate's Los Angeles tables. The table lists the best afternoon of each run and the days on either side of it.
| Date | Predicted low | Height | Sunset | Light left after the low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., Nov. 24 | 3:11 p.m. | −1.38 ft | 4:45 p.m. | about 1.5 hours |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | 4:00 p.m. | −1.47 ft | 4:44 p.m. | 44 minutes |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | 4:52 p.m. | −1.36 ft | 4:44 p.m. | none |
| Tue., Dec. 22 | 2:21 p.m. | −1.50 ft | 4:48 p.m. | about 2.5 hours |
| Wed., Dec. 23 | 3:07 p.m. | −1.81 ft | 4:48 p.m. | about 1.7 hours |
| Thu., Dec. 24 | 3:52 p.m. | −1.87 ft | 4:49 p.m. | 57 minutes |
| Fri., Dec. 25 | 4:38 p.m. | −1.71 ft | 4:49 p.m. | 11 minutes |
| Wed., Jan. 20 | 2:12 p.m. | −1.70 ft | 5:11 p.m. | about 3 hours |
| Thu., Jan. 21 | 2:53 p.m. | −1.92 ft | 5:12 p.m. | about 2.3 hours |
| Fri., Jan. 22 | 3:32 p.m. | −1.90 ft | 5:13 p.m. | about 1.7 hours |
In late November, the lowest low of the run lands right against sunset. The best Thanksgiving-week afternoon with usable light is Wednesday, Nov. 25. Tuesday has a slightly shallower tide but almost twice the light.
December gives you more room. The Christmas Eve low is about 0.4 feet lower than anything in Thanksgiving week and still comes nearly an hour before sunset. Wednesday, Dec. 23, is almost as low and leaves more time to walk back up. On Christmas Day the low comes 11 minutes before sunset, which is close enough to treat as a night tide.
January has the best afternoons of the season. Thursday, Jan. 21, has the lowest predicted daytime low in the three months above. Sunset is later by then and the tide comes earlier, so the low arrives more than two hours before dark.
Early December has a smaller run. Its lowest point is −0.66 ft at 3:17 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 8. That is fine for a short visit, but it doesn't uncover nearly as much as the late-December and mid-January runs.
The light left after the low is also your time to climb out
On the Peninsula, the walk back up a bluff trail is what uses up the light. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes' beach access brochure describes its shoreline routes as "mostly steep trails, pedestrians only, no vehicles." A low tide 40 minutes before sunset still leaves you climbing a bluff trail at dusk.
Some parking gates are set by the sun too. At Ocean Trails, the California Coastal Trail Association says the La Rotonda Drive lot gate closes at dusk. The Point Fermin Park lot in San Pedro is a seasonal lot open sunrise to sunset, according to LA Recreation and Parks. On the late days of a run, a car can end up behind a closed gate.
The best-known RPV cove is still closed
For many years the default answer for Rancho Palos Verdes tide pools was Abalone Cove. The City's Abalone Cove Park page still says Abalone Cove Beach, Sacred Cove Beach and every beach-access trail in the Abalone Cove Reserve have been closed to the public since July 9, 2024, until further notice, because the Portuguese Bend Landslide sped up. The park on the bluff is still open from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. Its lot runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and parking costs $6 for 30 minutes to two hours and $12 for longer, card only. The brochure lists Portuguese Bend beach access as temporarily closed too, with the Bow & Arrow Trail shut.
Two other well-known stops don't reach the water at all. The brochure marks Vicente Bluffs Reserve and the Point Vicente Interpretive Center as "No Beach Access." Both have free parking and bluff-top trails. They are good places to look down on the coast but not places to start a low-tide walk.
Where the City says you can reach the shore
On the same brochure, the RPV access points listed as open run west to east like this:
- Pelican Cove. Beach access with free parking. Fishing is prohibited. The City's Terranea parking map shows Pelican Cove Park outside the resort and marks the public lots separately from restricted resort parking.
- Long Point, via Terranea Resort. Beach access with free parking, and fishing prohibited. For accessible beach access, the City says to contact Terranea. The resort map shows public day parking along with the Bluff Top Trail and the Discovery Trail rest area.
- Ocean Trails Reserve. Four trails go down to the shore, parking is free, and fishing is allowed with a valid license. You can park on Trump National Drive or at the end of La Rotonda Drive. The Coastal Trail Association puts a beach-path trailhead at the west end of the La Rotonda lot. A paved route leads to the bluff, and a switchback trail drops to the beach about a quarter mile downcoast. The group also describes the shoreline below as rocky and hard to walk in either direction.
Ocean Trails is worth extra planning because it combines several of these factors: a steep trail, a dusk gate and a rough shoreline. The January afternoons, with two to three hours of light after the low, give it the most room. The brochure also says no dogs on the beach and asks visitors to stay on authorized trails under RPV Municipal Code 12.16.080. Before you go, check the City's trail conditions page or call the number on the brochure, (310) 544-5366, because closures here have changed with the land.
To the north, the Palos Verdes Estates Shoreline Preserve covers that city's whole coastline and has free street parking along Paseo del Mar. The Coastal Trail Association notes a landslide area where the bluff-top trail ends.
San Pedro has the easiest way down, and a guided option
The gentlest route to the water on this side of the hill is at White Point and Royal Palms. LA County Beaches and Harbors describes a paved road from the bluff down to the beach, with White Point's tide pools to the left of the road. The County calls them some of the most diverse tide pools in Southern California. Parking is limited while the L.A. County Sanitation Districts work on underground infrastructure. That construction is expected to continue through 2027, and the beaches stay open.
At Point Fermin, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium runs free, educator-led tidepool walks. They are open to all ages, children must come with an adult, and groups of 15 or more are asked to reserve. The fall calendar lists walks on these dates:
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 12:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 8, 1:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 20, 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1 p.m.
The Dec. 22 walk is the one to plan around. It starts at 1 p.m. and is listed to end at 2:30 p.m. That day's −1.50 ft low comes at 2:21 p.m. A naturalist leads the walk, and it wraps up more than two hours before the 4:48 p.m. sunset.
Look, but don't take anything home
Much of the RPV coast lies inside two state marine protected areas. In the Point Vicente State Marine Conservation Area, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife makes it unlawful to injure, damage, take or possess living, geological or cultural marine resources. The Abalone Cove SMCA carries the same ban, with narrow exceptions for squid caught with a hand-held dip net and for certain fish taken by spearfishing. The rules are on the CDFW Point Vicente and Abalone Cove page. Statewide, all ocean waters are closed to abalone take, according to CDFW's invertebrate regulations.
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium's tide pool guidance adds the habits that keep the reef healthy over a busy holiday week. Don't flip or move rocks, don't step on living organisms, and leave every animal and natural item where you found it. Wear closed-toe shoes with grip, place your feet carefully, and keep an eye on the ocean. On a rising tide in fading light, that last point matters most.
If a low-tide afternoon this winter has you thinking about where you'll live next, and your plans include a home near Pelican Cove, Ocean Trails or the bluffs above White Point, Patrice Meepos and her team know this shoreline and can help you think through the move calmly and clearly. Work With Patrice.
