Checking the tide…
Live cam
Club Evexia ↗Coming up
About the bike path flooding
Is the Mill Valley–Sausalito bike path flooded today?
The top of this page answers that live. It reads the current NOAA water level for San Francisco Bay and today's tide forecast, then tells you whether the path at Bothin Marsh is clear, when to avoid it, or when it should be clear again.
When does the Sausalito bike path flood?
The Mill Valley–Sausalito Multiuse Pathway floods at Bothin Marsh when the tide at NOAA's San Francisco gauge reaches roughly 6.4 feet (MLLW). That happens mostly during winter king tides, from November to February, often on morning and midday high tides. Storms and low pressure can push water higher than predicted.
How long does the path take to drain?
Water lingers after the tide drops. We allow 60 to 90 minutes after the tide falls below 6 feet, longer after deeper floods. Puddles can remain after that.
Where does the path flood?
The low section runs through Bothin Marsh between Mill Valley and Sausalito, near Shoreline Highway (Highway 1) and the Manzanita park-and-ride. The Club Evexia live cam on this page looks over Shoreline Highway near the route.
Is there an app with flood alerts?
Yes. The Bike Path Flood Tracker iPhone app is coming soon. It sends a reminder at 6 PM the evening before a flood window and at 6 AM the morning of.
Sources & how this works
All times Pacific. Overnight-only windows (9 PM–6 AM) are hidden; clearing may take longer than shown.
6.4 ft MLLW is an approximate flood reference from Caltrans observations in Marin's 2021 engineering study, p. 18. 6.0 ft is our precautionary band, not an official measured cutoff. Lower water does not guarantee a dry path.
NOAA San Francisco gauge 9414290 is a regional proxy. Bothin Marsh has similar high tides but variable local timing. Wind, low pressure, rain and drainage affect flooding. We do not apply an unvalidated wind correction.
The next available ~48 hours use NOAA weather-informed water-level guidance; later days use astronomical tides. Past readings come from observed levels. Windows are approximate, rounded outward to 15 minutes, with a 30-minute lead and a provisional 90-minute drainage allowance. This allowance is not a calibrated clearance forecast. The amount of water retained on the path is unmeasured, so no accumulated-depth equation is assumed. The animated scene is illustrative, not a surveyed cross-section or a live view of riders.
- Marin · Manzanita flood study (2021)
- One Tam · local tide study
- NOAA · San Francisco water levels
- NOAA · weather and tides
- Local rider reports · Reddit
Free NOAA data. Shared cache: predictions up to 24 hours; observations and wind up to 5 minutes. Last successful response saved in your browser for offline reference.
NOAA · SF Bay water model · NWS · local weather
Dated local reports are current for at most 90 minutes. The drainage estimate is a provisional planning rule: 90 minutes after the falling caution crossing, adjusted by a recent wet report. It is not a calibrated dry-out forecast. Historical observations keep an already flooded day marked Avoid.
Local engineering confirms delayed and incomplete drainage. Gauge height minus the 6.4-foot reference is a regional proxy, not measured water depth on the path. Observed high water in the last 72 hours informs lingering-water warnings; it cannot prove when puddles clear. Mill Valley flood and slow-drainage advisory.
Marin County · Mill Valley–Sausalito Multiuse Pathway
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