Driven by wind, not the daily tide
Ridges, bowls, and inland routes are shaped by wind and weather. Tide height is generally not the deciding factor there, though rain, fog, closures, and standing water still matter.
OREGON DUNES TIDE CENTER
Watch the water.
Time the coast.
Tides shape beaches, river entrances, estuaries, fishing windows, and shoreline access. This page pulls predictions directly from NOAA and shows all times in local Pacific time.
CHOOSE A DUNE REGION
Three gateways.
Three tide stations.
FINDING THE NEXT LOW-TIDE WINDOW
Building today’s beach-access plan…
NOAA predictions will be translated into a conservative planning window around the next low tide.
Checking seasonal access dates…
Always verify the official OHV map, current closures, and posted signs.
NEXT LOW---- ft
PLANNING WINDOW-- to --Two hours either side of low tide
NEXT HIGH---- ft
RIGHT NOW
Today’s predicted tide curve
The curve is interpolated between NOAA high and low predictions. The orange marker shows the current time; heights are feet above MLLW.
Loading today’s curve…
SEVEN-DAY SCHEDULE
Highs, lows,
and room to plan.
Predictions are astronomical estimates. Storm surge, swell, river flow, atmospheric pressure, and wind can change actual water levels.
Loading seven days of high and low tides…
TIDES & OHV RIDING
Inland dunes ride differently.
The beach can disappear.
Daily tides do not change the vast inland riding dunes, but they can completely reshape the legal wet-sand beach sections used for coastal access and riding.
Access changes hour by hour
On legal ocean-shore routes, the tide controls how much firm wet sand is exposed. An incoming high tide can narrow or remove the usable corridor.
01
BEACH ACCESS & REGULATIONS
Only designated stretches are open.
The Forest Service map identifies limited OHV beach sections in the South Jetty–Siltcoos and Horsfall–Spinreel areas. Other beach segments are closed to OHVs year-round.
On the mapped seasonal OHV beach segments, access is generally shown as open October 1 through April 30 and closed to all vehicles May 1 through September 30. Separate western snowy plover restrictions in designated management areas can run March 15 through September 15.
02
RIDING CONDITIONS
Low tide reveals the better surface.
As water recedes, it often leaves a wider strip of firm, hard-packed wet sand. That can provide smoother travel than the soft, dry upper beach.
As the tide rises, the firm corridor narrows. Riders may be pushed toward deep loose sand, driftwood, dune faces, or an impassable waterline. Never continue without a clear legal exit.
03
SAFETY & PLANNING
Build the outing around low tide.
A conservative planning target is the two-hour window on either side of predicted low tide—but it is only a starting point, not a guarantee of safe or legal passage.
Rough surf and rising water can move heavy logs or send sneaker waves far above the normal wash line. Storm surge, river flow, wind, and swell can make actual conditions more hazardous than the table suggests.
BEFORE A COASTAL ROUTE
Check the tide, the OHV map, current closures, and the shoreline itself.
TIDE FIELD NOTES
Low tide helps.
It does not guarantee safety.
Use the chart to plan—not to override surf warnings, closures, posted signs, or what you see on arrival.
River entrances
Siuslaw, Umpqua, and Coos entrances combine tide, current, river flow, wind, and ocean swell. Bar conditions can be hazardous even near low tide.
Beach walking
Falling tide often creates more room, but sneaker waves, driftwood, steep beach faces, and incoming sets remain serious hazards.
Fishing & exploring
Plan an exit before the tide turns. Never enter tide pools, rocks, or shoreline pockets without a clear return route.
Storm adjustment
Strong onshore wind and low pressure can raise actual water above predictions. Give winter systems considerably more margin.
OFFICIAL WATER SOURCES
Prediction here.
Conditions there.
Check NOAA observations, National Weather Service marine forecasts, and Coast Guard bar reports before activities near river entrances or exposed shoreline.