Alamere Falls

Moderate

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Location: Pt. Reyes National Seashore, near Bolinas, Marin County Stream: Alamere Creek Alternate Names: Height: ~40 ft. Access:         Distance: 8.6 miles (RT) Elevation: 250 ft. (+400 ft., -500 ft.) Season: Dec-May Form:   Lat/Long:37.95419, -122.78298 Directions:Take Hwy #101 to San Rafael, and take the Sir Francis Drake Blvd. exit. Drive 20 miles to Olema, then drive south on Hwy #1 for 9.1 miles to Bolinas Rd. (unsigned). Turn right and drive 1.8 miles to Mesa Rd. Turn right and drive 4.7 miles to Palomarin trailhead.

What more could you ask for! A waterfall dropping right into the ocean! Thats what you get at Alamere Falls, and more! This is an excellent hike along the California Coast Trail starting from the Palomarin trailhead near Bolina. It is incredibly pretty with amazing ocean views and lush vegetation (especially in spring).

It is a 4 mile hike on the Coast Trail from the Palomarin Trailhead to the turnoff to Alamere Falls. The turnoff is unsigned and easy to miss. Indeed, I saw many people walk right on by it with no clue whatsoever. Don't miss it! If you get to the bridge over Alamere Creek, you must know that you have gone too far (by about a half mile). This spur trail may have poison oak (but I did not see any), and it leads to the top of Alamere Falls. Getting to the bottom (and ocean) is very difficult and potentially very dangerous. Even getting down to the top of Alamere Falls (where the upper falls is located), is a bit tricky. Be careful. If the ground is wet, it may be slippery and dangerous.

Once down the first part, you have to cross Alamere Creek (below the upper falls), which may be difficult at high flows. You can get a nice side view of Alamere Falls from the cliffs, but again be careful, and don't get too close to the edge. If you fall off, you will die.

To get down to the beach, you must scramble down the cliff. This is dangerous and not for everyone. It is very steep and a fall here could cause a serious injury. But if you are careful, it is really not too bad.

Once down at the beach, you will be treated to a wonderful experience, standing beside a 40 ft. waterfall on the ocean. It is a lot more impressive in the winter months after there has been a lot of rain.

One very important thing to note is that you must check the tides before you come! At high tide the ocean waves will be crashing right up against the cliff, and it will be impossible to get down to the base of the falls. On one Saturday,we were hiking back from Wildcat camp and we saw hundreds of people going to Alamere Falls. Not one of them would have been able to see the falls because it was high tide and the waves were crashing against the cliffs. I don't know if it is different in the summer, but in the winter you certainly cannot get down to the beach at high tide. You can also hike up from Alamere Falls to Wildcat camp along the beach (or vice versa), but again, this can only be done at low tide.

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