Southern California king tides are flooding beach bars right now - I have a SoCal trip next week, reroute inland or go anyway?
I booked a coastal stay in Southern California for next week and now I am seeing reports of king tides flooding beach bars and restaurants, plus an unusual storm pushing more flood risk toward the Four Corners. I have never dealt with a king tide trip before. Is the flooding the kind of thing that clears between tides and life goes on, or should I actually reroute inland and eat the change fee? What would you check before deciding - tide charts, road closures, hotel cancellation window?
2 answers
- Check the tide chart and the road, not the beach cam
Do not decide from a beach cam. King tides are predictable - check the actual tide chart for your dates, then check Caltrans road closures for the coastal route you would drive. If the high tide windows overlap your beach days and the access road floods at high tide, move inland now while you can still cancel free. If it is just spray on a seawall at peak tide, keep the booking. I would not pay a change fee on a rumor, but I would pay it on a tide chart that says your beach is underwater at noon.
- Let the cancellation window decide, not the photo
Before you reroute, read the cancellation window in numbers. If your hotel lets you cancel free until 48 hours out, waiting costs you nothing and the tide forecast will be firmer in two days - that is free information. If the free window closes today, compare the change fee against one wasted beach day, not the whole trip: a single inland day trip to a museum or a hike costs far less than rebooking the whole stay. Do not let a dramatic flood photo make a whole-trip decision that a calendar and a fee schedule can make for you.