Tidal chart cape may how to#

First, you can see how high and low the tides will be, as well as at what time they will rise and fall.

On a tide chart, you can learn several critical things. Tide warnings on the general overview map of Olympic National Park (Photo: National Park Service) ‘Caution’ usually suggests a low tide height below which it may be safe to round headlands.” On the general overview map of the national park, an X means impassable headland ALWAYS use overland trail and a red circle means to wait for low tide or use overland trail if available. One source for topographic maps is Discover Your Northwest at According to the Olympic National Park website, words on maps like ” ‘danger’ usually means that a headland cannot be rounded at any time by walking on the beach. For advance planning, you can download a tide chart for La Push from the National Park Service website ( but note that conditions can change.Ī topographic map will let you know what headlands become impassable at high tide, which ones should not be passed regardless of the tides and what areas to use caution when exploring the beaches of Olympic. Stop by any Olympic National Park visitor center or coastal ranger station to get both a topographic map and tide chart. And don’t assume tides will be the same every day because they are different. Don’t ever assume there will be two low tides in one day.

Tidal chart cape may how to#

Pick Up a Topographical Map and Tide ChartĪt Olympic, sometimes there is only one low tide on a day, so it is extremely important that you understand how to read a tide chart and have a topographic map with you, as well. People have died in the park because of the tides.

If you are unaware of when the tides are coming up or down, you could get trapped in between steep cliffs and the water, leaving you no escape. What you may not realize is that high tide can make some of these headlands impassable, such as at Point of Arches on Shi Shi Beach or Hole in the Wall on Rialto Beach. At low tide, you can walk down Olympic’s beaches, safely rounding some of its headlands and exploring tidal pools. Without these, you run the risk of literally walking into a dangerous situation that could be life threatening.īlame it on the tides. Going to the Pacific coast bordering Olympic National Park’s western side requires two important things: a topographic map and a tide chart.