ALAMERE FALLS IN POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE

View of Marin County
Palomarin Trailhead
Bass Lake - Alamere Trail
Alamere Falls Trail

Hire to Bass Lake to Swim
A Rare Tidefall
Alamere Falls
30 Feet Tall Waterfall

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Mill Valley Cafe Del Soul
Shang Hai Kitchen
Stinson Beach Market
Stinson Beach Parkside Cafe

‹•› If you are coming from the South (San Jose, Palo Alto, Redwood City, or San Francisco), these are your last stop for all essential needs. Breakfast, coffee, lunch, snacks, sandwiches, and bottled water. After Sausalito is Mill Valley, Stinson Beach then winding roads, forest on the right, and ocean on the left.

• Cafe Del Soul (415) 388-1852 on 247 Shoreline Highway, Mill Valley, CA 94941 is an easy stop off the 101 and is on the way to Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, and Alamere Falls. It's the perfect place to pick up gorgeous wraps for the half-day hiking trip. Eat. Drink, Relax. Everything is made to order and made with love.

• Shang Hai Kitchen. (415) 383-8888 on 247 Shoreline Highway, Mill Valley, CA 94941 is the perfect place to stop for Chinese food plus Japanese fares such as sushi and sashimi. Best Chinese food in Marin County serves Beef Chow Mein, Sweet and Sour Pork, Walnut Shrimp, Orange Chicken, Wonton Soup, and Dumplings.

• Stinson Beach Market on 101 Calle del Mar, Stinson Beach, CA 94970. Groceries - Wine - Liquor - Deli - Produce - Meats - Coffee. It’s the perfect place to stock up energy bars, energy drinks, candy, bottled water, and everything else you need for the hiking trip, or your escape to the ocean around Stinson Beach.

• Parkside Cafe Stinson Beach (415) 868-1272 on 43 Arenal Ave, Stinson Beach, CA 94970. A charming mom and pop cafe serving American dishes, patio seating, a bake shop, and a snack bar. We serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Chilled seafood sampler dungeness crab, shrimp cocktail. Hot sandwiches and take out pizza.

Wildcat Beach
Hiking to the Falls
Coast Trail to Alamere Falls
Alamere Falls Sunset

HIKING THE ALAMERE FALLS TRAIL IN 2017

The most important things you need to know before you go. Alamere Falls is a tidefall waterfall that flows into the ocean in Point Reyes National Seashore.

‹•› Location & Parking: Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California. Welcome to the most popular hike in the SF Bay Area. On a nice weekend, be prepared to park a 1/2 mile or more away from the trailhead parking lot. In good weather, go very early, and go on a weekday.

‹•› What to wear and bring: Wear long sleeves, long pants, shoes with decent grip for hiking/climbing, short/bathing suit/towel, and a flashlight in case you don't make it back to the parking lot before dark. Camera, a sandwich, plenty of water, and some trail mix.

‹•› The route: The most commonly used route is the 6-mile (10 km) hike from the Palomarin Trailhead starting at the parking lot. Everyone follows the same path until three miles in where there's a huge Rabit Hole in the bushes to your left (look for an arrow made of rocks). Take it, this is the shortcut to the falls. If you missed the rabbit hole you're on your way to Wildcat Campground.

‹•› Overall: The view of the ocean, pristine beach, and the falls is gorgeous. Palomarin trail is relatively easy and is a gradual incline about halfway through until it starts to transition downhill toward the beach. A little over an 8-mile hike with great scenic views.

‹•› Warning: Unpaved road as you approach the parking lot, drive slow. Make sure to use the bathroom in the parking lot as there was none on the trail. Beware of getting too close to cliff edges and be mindful of coastal erosion. Mobil phone service is none.

Alamere Falls is a beautiful waterfall deep within the Phillip Burton Wilderness. The falls are an awesome sight as water cascades over a 30-foot-tall cliff onto the south end of Wildcat Beach. While no easy trek, an 8 miles (13 km) minimum round-trip hike is required, this spectacular spot is popular, and weekends are overcrowded. The drive was a little over two hours, but with no real traffic. We arrived shortly after 11:00 am, it was Monday in September, so we were able to find a parking space under a shaded tree. We took the Coast Trail from the Palomarin Trailhead and used the shortcut- look for a pile of rocks pointing to the left. Getting to the bottom of the waterfall was a bit tricky, but doable. Although the flow wasn't strong, the 30-foot-tall waterfall (which flows directly into the Beach) was still quite a sight. Altogether, we spent over 6 hours here.

Palomarin Trailhead. Such an amazing trail with breathtaking scenic views of the California Coastline, Lakes, and Forest. The hike itself is a there-and-back route that takes you in and out of small valleys, along seaside cliffs, and even next to beautiful, clear, freshwater lakes. There are some short ascents and descents along the route, but nothing outrageous. As for junctions, there are two on the way out to the falls; one left-hand turn at about the 2-mile mark, and another one just before the 4-mile mark. This last turn is through a "tunnel" in the shrubbery and is unmarked and easy to miss; so look for a pile of stones shaped like an arrow (or just carefully watch the flow of people).

The toughest part by far is the scramble down to the beach from the clift edges near the top of the falls. The trail is steep, sandy, slippery in spots and can be choked with folks trying to go both directions at once. The rule of thumb here is good footwear, staying low, friendliness and patience. Once you make it to the bottom, you'll be rewarded with one of the coolest, amazing views to be seen in northern California.

Coast Trail from Palomarin Trailhead to Bass Lake. It's a fairly easy 3 miles to the gorgeous lake from the parking lot. As soon as you pass the lake, on the left you will see a narrow unmarked dirt trail. Take this trail and you'll get to a nice clearing with easy lake access, this will be a great spot for lunch in the sun after swimming. The lake has no beach, the water is warm and tree branches reach over the water, forming a magical canopy, and huge bunches of calla lilies bloom on the shore. But Bass Lake doesn’t attract as many nudists as it did 10 years ago. The trail is sometimes overgrown; instead of a “beach,” Bass Lake is rimmed by a meadow that’s often muddy or, depending on the season.

The park rules (and posted signs) out there stated that no dogs are allowed on the trail, even on a leash. So if you take your dog, you will risk getting fined if any of the park rangers see you.