The Martinez Waterfront This Winter: Which Days to Skip, and What's Still Worth the Walk

The Martinez Fishing Pier at 7 Court Street has new decking, new railings, better lighting, and benches and picnic tables built to ADA standards. Below the waterline, DRS Marine of Vallejo installed new sheet piles and replaced missing ones before any of the topside work began. The City reopened the pier on November 8, 2025 and expects the work to add about 50 years to its life.

A few hundred feet away, the rest of the marina is in different shape. The City lists sections of docks, the bait shop, the amphitheater and the restaurant as closed for safety or operational reasons. It also says much of the marina's critical infrastructure "has outlived its useful life." This winter, the City has added a third limit for anyone heading to the water: four dates when it asks people not to come at all.

For the coming months, that gives the Martinez waterfront a simple rule. The pier and the regional park district's shoreline are in good working order. The marina core works on the days the tides allow, and two of those stay-away dates fall right before Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve.

The Four Dates on the City's Tide Calendar

The City of Martinez and F3 Marina, the marina's operator, are coordinating winter preparations for extreme high tides. The City cites king tides, Kelvin wave water elevation and El Niño as the drivers. The City's marina preparations page lists these anticipated high-water dates:

1. October 28, 2026. This is a Wednesday, the first date of the season.
2. November 25, 2026. This is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
3. December 23–24, 2026. These run through Christmas Eve.
4. January 21, 2027.

On those dates the City says marina parking areas will be closed, including the North Court Street access. Walkways and docks may be inaccessible or underwater, and any vehicles already on site will be asked to move to the designated trailer parking area. The page says the same restrictions apply "during other high-tide events," so these four are the forecast peaks, not a complete list. Updates go out on the City website, on social media and on signs at the marina.

The timing matters most for anyone hosting guests. The day before Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve are the two days of the season when a waterfront walk with out-of-town family seems most likely to come up, and those are the days the City is asking people to stay away. Thanksgiving Day itself and the days after Christmas are not on the list.

Why the Marina Core Is the Fragile Part

The closures are a money problem that shows up as a maintenance problem. The Martinez waterfront covers 135 acres along the Carquinez Strait. The 70-acre marina includes a public launch ramp, the fishing pier, 332 boat slips, a park and marine-related businesses. The marina is supposed to pay for itself through slip licenses and other fees, but maintenance costs have grown faster than that revenue. As the East Bay Times reported on September 3, nearly $2 million from the City's general fund has gone to urgent marina needs over the past five years.

That gap drew the attention of the Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury, which made the marina the subject of a June report. The City Council approved its formal response in early September. Speaking to the East Bay Times, Mayor Brianne Zorn said the report "did not show that the city of Martinez was making major missteps. It was simply acknowledging all the things we'd already acknowledged, all the problems we'd already seen coming down the line."

The long-term fix is a public-private partnership. On December 17, 2025, the City Council unanimously approved a 24-month exclusive negotiating agreement with Tucker Sadler Architects to study feasibility, refine design concepts and begin environmental review. In August 2026, state legislation extended the allowable waterfront lease term from 49 to 66 years, and the City says the longer term supports long-term investment. The City says workshops, commission meetings and public presentations on the plan will take place throughout 2027. None of that changes this winter. The City's waterfront revitalization page is the place to follow it.

One closure has a clear date. Martinez Bait and Tackle closed on May 10, 2024 over safety concerns, according to Martinez News & Views, and the City still lists the bait shop among the closed facilities. Anyone fishing from the pier this winter should bring bait and gear from home.

The Pier Turns One on November 8

The fishing pier is the clearest sign of what new investment looks like at the waterfront. Planning began in 2019, when the City Council approved funding for inspections and design. In 2023 the City secured a $2.5 million federal Community Project Funding grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, championed by Congressmen Mike Thompson and John Garamendi, and that grant became the core of the budget. Construction started in November 2024.

Sunday, November 8 is the pier's first anniversary since its grand reopening. No current City or regional park district notice lists it as closed. The public boat launch is also still listed among the marina's amenities. The East Bay Regional Park District says a launch fee applies.

The Shoreline Runs on Park District Hours, and They Change November 1

West of the marina, the waterfront is run by a different agency on a different schedule. The East Bay Regional Park District operates the western section of the Ted and Kathy Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline, with open lawns, small family picnic areas, ponds and creeks. Nearly three miles of trails run through the marsh and along the shoreline, including the Pickleweed Trail. Dogs are not allowed in the marsh area. The ballfields, bocce courts, soccer fields and group picnic areas on the eastern side are run by the City. The City's Waterfront Park listing also includes a playground and skate park.

Daylight saving time ends Sunday, November 1, and the park district's posted closing times move earlier the same day. Grangers' Wharf closes before 5 p.m. all winter.

Parking at the shoreline is free. The park district says the picnic area near the playground stays open while tables are removed and replaced in phases. Its current alerts list a blue-green algae caution for the Martinez shoreline, which is an advisory and not a closure of the trails or park. The park district's alerts page is worth checking before bringing a dog near the water.

The park district has three guided walks scheduled at Radke Martinez this season:

• Monday Birding: Monday, November 9 at 9 a.m.
• Winter Bird Walks: Sunday, December 6 at 9:30 a.m.
• Winter Bird Walks: Sunday, December 20 at 9:30 a.m.

None of the three falls on a City high-water date. The December 20 walk is three days before the December 23–24 closure, which makes it the last organized outing on the shoreline before Christmas.

Building a Season Around the Tide Dates

With the closed dates and the earlier sunsets set, the rest of the season fits around them. Downtown Main Street is a few blocks inland, and its holiday calendar from the City fills in the days the water is off limits:

The Día de Muertos First Friday includes a community altar, story time, music, dancing, crafts and a downtown walk. Holiday Frolic has two deadlines that come up fast. Parade entries close November 23, and the downtown window contest starts November 20, with public voting November 21 through December 1 and winners announced December 3.

For a sit-down view of the strait after the trails close, the Martinez Yacht Club advertises a full-service bar open daily, an indoor fireplace and an outdoor deck looking out on the Carquinez Strait. Its clubhouse is also available for party and event rentals.

Earlier this year we covered the waterfront's role in the city's anniversary events in our Sesquicentennial corridor guide, and downtown's new event rules in our piece on the Entertainment Zone. Our Martinez neighborhood page has more about the city.

Home values in Martinez reflect more than square footage, and much of what shapes daily life here, from the shoreline to downtown events, never shows up on a comparable sale. If you own near the water or downtown and want to know how an appraiser would weigh your home today, The Corio Group can walk you through it. Request your home valuation.