When to See Tide Pools in Cannon Beach

Low tides and volunteers offer a chance to learn more about all the life teeming beneath the waves.

BY LAURA J. COLE  |  Updated June 25, 2024

Common murres, pelagic cormorants, double-crested cormorants, Brandt's cormorants, and tufted puffins are among the most common birds seen swarming around Haystack Rock during the summer.

Things to know about exploring tide pools in Cannon Beach.

  • You won’t be able to walk up to Haystack Rock. The area surrounding the iconic outcropping has been designated a “Marine Garden,” meaning the marine life is protected. As such, volunteers rope off the area to ensure no one walks over the critical habitats or removes any wildlife.

  • There are still plenty of pools to explore outside that area that are full of starfish, mussels, anemones, and nudibranchs.

  • From May to Labor Day, volunteers are available as part of the Haystack Rock Awareness Program to explain more about life in the tide pools, on the rock, and along the Oregon coast.

  • Haystack Rock is a safe haven for tufted puffins to lay eggs and raise their chicks. The brightly colored birds are most visible from April through early July, and volunteers provide telescopes from May to Labor Day so visitors can better see them and are available to answer questions.

  • Be sure to wear rubber boots and sunscreen, and bring a rain jacket just in case. The Oregon Coast can be unpredictable. Though sneaker waves are more likely in the winter, they can and do occur throughout the year. Always face the ocean and be on the lookout, especially if you have little ones.

  • Dogs are welcome on the beach but must be leashed. Keep in mind that the rocks and barnacles near the tide pools are hard on their paws.

  • Tide pools can be found from Seaside to just north of Florence along the Oregon coast, including at Ecola State Park, Garibaldi, and Devil’s Punch Bowl Marine Gardens. Though the marine life can vary, most include sea stars, hermit crabs, anemones, mussels, barnacles, kelp, and nudibranchs.

Best times to see tide pools at Cannon Beach in 2024*

*After 7 am

Monday, August 19
7:07 am

Tuesday, August 20
7:46 am

Wednesday, August 21
8:24 am

Thursday, August 22
9:01 am

Thursday, September 19
8:25 pm

Best times to see tide pools at Cannon Beach in 2024*

*After 7 am

Monday, August 19
7:07 am

Tuesday, August 20
7:46 am

Wednesday, August 21
8:24 am

Thursday, August 22
9:01 am

Thursday, September 19
8:25 pm

Though they look like flowers, giant green anemones and aggregating anemones (pictured here with common sea lettuce) are living animals that use stinging cells to catch food and protect themselves. They are safe to touch but feel a little sticky.

Things to know about exploring tide pools in Cannon Beach.

  • You won’t be able to walk up to Haystack Rock. The area surrounding the iconic outcropping has been designated a “Marine Garden,” meaning the marine life is protected. As such, volunteers rope off the area to ensure no one walks over the critical habitats or removes any wildlife.

  • There are still plenty of pools to explore outside that area that are full of starfish, mussels, anemones, and nudibranchs.

  • From May to Labor Day, volunteers are available as part of the Haystack Rock Awareness Program to explain more about life in the tide pools, on the rock, and along the Oregon coast.

  • Haystack Rock is a safe haven for tufted puffins to lay eggs and raise their chicks. The brightly colored birds are most visible from April through early July, and volunteers provide telescopes from May to Labor Day so visitors can better see them and are available to answer questions.

  • Be sure to wear rubber boots and sunscreen, and bring a rain jacket just in case. The Oregon Coast can be unpredictable. Though sneaker waves are more likely in the winter, they can and do occur throughout the year. Always face the ocean and be on the lookout, especially if you have little ones.

  • Dogs are welcome on the beach but must be leashed. Keep in mind that the rocks and barnacles near the tide pools are hard on their paws.

  • Tide pools can be found from Seaside to just north of Florence along the Oregon coast, including at Ecola State Park, Garibaldi, and Devil’s Punch Bowl Marine Gardens. Though the marine life can vary, most include sea stars, hermit crabs, anemones, mussels, barnacles, kelp, and nudibranchs.
During low tide, the water retreats past Haystack Rock, but the vast majority of it is cordoned off to protect what has been deemed an important Marine Garden.
There are around 3,000 species of nudibranchs around the world, mostly in shallow, tropical waters. Hermissenda crassicornis (pictured here) are found from Northern California to the Sea of Cortez and though only growing to about 3 inches long are aggressive and will fight each other.
Mussels, barnacles, and limpets cover many of the rock outcroppings surrounding the tide pools. Not only do they hurt to walk on, doing so can break the animals's shell, causing it to lose water, dry up, and die.
Common murres, pelagic cormorants, double-crested cormorants, Brandt's cormorants, and tufted puffins are among the most common birds seen swarming around Haystack Rock during the summer.
Tufted puffins spend the winter hundreds of miles offshore and return to former nesting sites, such as the grassy areas atop Haystack Rock, where they reunite with their life-long mates. (Photo by Diana Robinson / Flickr)
Though they look like flowers, giant green anemones and aggregating anemones (pictured here with common sea lettuce) are living animals that use stinging cells to catch food and protect themselves. They are safe to touch but feel a little sticky.
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