Closing the Summer Draw Season: What’s Next?
As our summer draw season winds down, we often receive a few familiar questions: "Will there be a fall schedule?", "When will next summer’s schedule be out?", and "Why don’t you do this every weekend?" The answer to these questions lies primarily in the tides and the weather, two factors that are especially crucial along the Oregon coast.
The daily local tide table is essential for anyone planning a beach walk. It details the two low tides and two high tides each day, along with their heights. This information is not just helpful but necessary to avoid getting caught on the beach during a high tide, which can leave you with very little sand to walk on and an increased risk of not being able to escape from a sneaker wave.
Our summer schedule is carefully planned around these tide tables. Our goal is to take advantage of very low morning tides, allowing us to create our sand labyrinths, and rely on the overnight high tide to wash them away, leaving us with smooth sand for the next day’s draw. For instance, tomorrow's morning low tide is at 9:15 AM, with a height of 0.14 ft, providing us with plenty of sand to work with. The overnight high tide at
3:07 AM, reaching 6.56 ft, will fully wash away the path leaving smooth sand.
Typically, we plan for three or four consecutive days for each draw series, spaced about two weeks apart—this is simply how the tides work.
Each year, we wait until October to finalize the next summer’s schedule, ensuring we can view the tides through September of the following year. This allows us to maximize our chances of drawing on the sand past August, though it’s rare.
After the summer season, we remain vigilant for favorable tides for late afternoon walks. Weather becomes a significant factor from September through April because, well, it’s Oregon—it rains a lot. If we spot a good stretch of weather and favorable tides, we might organize an impromptu draw series. These spontaneous events come together quickly, often with just 48 hours’ notice. Over the years, we’ve enjoyed some spectacular draws on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and occasionally during Thanksgiving or a random January weekend when the conditions align.
We’ll be publishing our 2025 Summer Schedule in early October. If you’re part of our “tribe” and have subscribed to our membership, you’ll be the first to receive the new schedule and information about any impromptu draws. Head to our website, sandypathbandon.com to subscribe.
Until then, keep an eye on the tides, and we hope to see you on the sand again soon!
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