The Oregonian travel section said these will be the lowest tides in the last 8 years on Wednesday and Thursday mornings this coming week. To put it in perspective they described it as imagine you're standing at the water's edge at a minus 3' tide. Then imagine what it would be like to stand in that same spot at high tide under 13' of water. That sounds worth an early drive for. Anyone have any easily reachable  favorite tidepool spots?  I was thinking you might be able to walk out past Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach and get a shot looking back at the beach? 

We couldn't wait !!

Our first visit to the north coast in 3 years with no business attached.

Stayed at Nehalem Bay State Park

Probably my favorite Oregon campground at the coast. We enjoy going for walks in the low profile pine woods there too.

Made a monster beach bonfire last night. Barely had it going for 5 minutes and a group of 12 or so people decended upon the spot to visit.

---

M. D. Vaden of Oregon

Atlas Grove & Grove of Titans Redwoods

My favorite tidepool place is south of Cannon Beach, in the Hug Point area. The only place to camp nearby is at Oswald West State Park. I'd love to go camp overnight on the Bayocean Spit, but that's all sand--no tidepools there.

While at Westport, WA this past weekend, doing my granny thing, I noticed a terrific number of dead crabs on the beach, almost a solid wall at the high tide line. Does anyone know if this die-off is normal at this time of year, or does this spell doom and gloom for the Dungeness crab fishery?

---

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.--E.Abbey

You can only walk around Arch Cape in a minus tide.  Turn off Highway 101 west onto Leech Avenue, the first road north of the tunnel at the north end of Oswald West State Park.  It's a quarter mile south.  You'll need to ford a creek.

When I went there last week, the tidepools were thick with anemones, sea stars, and barnacles.

Thanks for the tip, tide pools are great.
The image of standing under 13' of water got me to thinking.  Why the imbalence in tides?  A minus tide is rare and minus 3' extreamly rare but plus is the norm.  Why isn't sea level the middle of the tide cycle with tides of say minus 4 and plus 4 instead of minus 3 and plus 10.  Does anyone know?
Bill

The first 5 days of July are all supposed to have tides lower than minus 2 also. It's always going to be the early morning low tide that hits these numbers, not the afternoon one.

Tides are always at their highest and lowest during Full Moons, which happens to be on Wednesday.  They are also higher/lower around the spring and autumn equinoxes.