Alamere Falls - Point Reyes National Seashore

One of my favorite hikes in the area! At an easy walk the hike took us ~2 hours each way. On the way to the waterfall, you pass by a lake and river and some little swimming holes before reaching the waterfall that empties into the beach. He trail itself is sometimes shaded, and sometimes in the sun. We stopped and hung out near Alamere Falls right on the beach to have a pick nick. We even saw 2 foxes!!

Serene and easy hike all the way down to beach and over to the falls using the sanctioned route. I saw a lot of wild life and pretty plants. Plan your trip by checking the weather and tide forecasts so you can enjoy too!

I saw people coming down the "shortcut" and it looked a bit risky with the rocks breaking off and lots of loose rocks falling down. So it's easy to lose grip or lose your step. Be careful!

The falls are beautiful and unique how the water cascades over to the ocean! It's very popular with people sitting around picnicking and taking pictures, it's quite the social scene and a great activity for groups.

The Coast Trail from the Palomarin Trailhead had lots of different terrains: coastal trail alongside the cliff with views of the ocean, shaded wooded areas, heavily brush areas with very tall, towering hemlock bushes, and a sandy beach walk. The hike isn't too strenuous but it's long at 10-13 miles with about a 50-minute drive from Mill Valley so it's not for people who don't want to hike a long way though there are tons of other waterfalls in Marin if interested in something shorter and easier.

This was the only waterfall hike I did a lot of prep for, be sure to pack snacks, a big lunch, sunscreen, a hat, band aids for blisters, external phone charger, sweatshirt, and a bathing suit if going in the ocean or Bass Lake.

All Trails says the hike is 13 miles but there is a shortcut trail which makes this hike around 10 miles. This trail is unmarked from the Coast Trail so it's not obvious. I was confused when I got to the beach from the Coastal Trail at Wildcat Camp because there were no signs to the falls but if going that way make sure to make a left turn then the falls are a 30-minute beach walk. I later heard you should check the tide because it might be hard to get there if it's high.

To the immediate left of the falls is the shortcut trail, it seemed like more people went this way. I went back this way and wasn't impressed with this trail because I thought it was kinda dangerous, at least going down not as much going back up. There are crumbling falling rocks, it's easy to lose footing and it bottlenecks with so many people trying to get up and go down at the same time. I didn't think it was the safest thing so not the best decision if hiking with young children or babies.

One of the best hike with amazing waterfall! I've been here 4 times and always introduce people here. Something to note is that coming at the right time does matter! Like in the first 2 photos was mid June 2024 and there was like no waterfall, idky. In the video it was taken last year in August when me and my bf went and the waterfall was amazing. However, during high tides it's impossible to get down to see the waterfall.
It's 4-6 hours there and back depending on your pace. Taking the short cut saves you 1-2 hours!! BUT it can be dangerous because when you can have to come down the cliff to get to the bottom. I wouldn't recommend going alone, bring a partner. The trail has plenty of shades to rest. Love it!

Recently I've been saying that destinations are not important but rather who you share the moments with is more important. But in reality, who am I kidding, destination does matter, perhaps it can be described as icing on the cake. Well, today I got both quality destinations and people.

The road to the trailhead was windy and had lots of potholes near the end.  Fortunately, we drove an SUV.
We arrived at trailhead at 9am on a Sunday in Sep, there were plenty of parking spaces, and 2 pit toilets.
It was an overcast day without harsh lighting, perfect for pictures.
I would describe this as an easy hike with an adventurous short descent to the beach. The water was cool but not cold, I am glad I got to shower under the waterfall, no regrets.
Note the upper pools are beautiful enough to be a destination. I would have been perfectly fine to chill there if I could not go down to the beach.

Next time, might spend some time fishing at Bass Lake.

I get why people take the shortcut now. It's steep but the other option is to use your body as a weed whacker for a good 40 minutes as you tread through overgrown grass and greenery. The shortcut actually seems to be better maintained. You also have to time the tide when you go the long route.

Regardless of the route you take, make sure to wear or bring clothes/layers that will cover your legs and arms because there will be overgrowth touching you at some point in the hike.

It's a moderate to challenging hike mainly due to the length of the hike. Pretty typical coastal Bay Area hike until you reach the weed whacking incline, then you get a nice reprieve walking along the beach for around 20 minutes.

I thought the waterfall was underwhelming; photos make it look way taller. It's not worth the hike to me when you can see beauties like Burney and McCloud in Northern California. Cataract Falls in Mt. Tam was also more rewarding in my opinion. To be fair, I hiked Alamere on a cloudy day. I'm sure it's more stunning in the sunlight!

Wow! Spectacular! Magical! Super Epic!

Alamere Falls is a waterfall in Point Reyes National Seashore part of the Marin.

Alamere Falls is also known as "tidefall" since the waterfall flows directly into the ocean. It is one of only two known tidefalls in California, the other being McWay Falls.

Alamere Falls tumble over fragile shale cliffs at Alamere Creek Beach. Upstream of the main Alamere Falls is the upper Alamere Falls, consisting of three separate cascades. Together, these cascades are approximately 20-30 feet in height. All of these waterfalls are fed by the Alamere Creek.

Alamere Falls can be hiked from the Palomarin Trailhead at the end of Mesa Road out of Bolinas, California. It will take about 2.5 miles to get to two small lakes (Bass Lake and Pelican Lake)

Bass Lake can be accessed by a side trail that leads to a rope swing, and hikers often stop for a swim on a super hot days.

From the Palomarin Trailhead, the hike is about 4 miles one-way, to the top of the falls. To reach the bottom of the falls, you can follow the path to continue to Wildcat Campground, descend to the beach and then walk about a mile south; the one-way distance from Palomarin Trailhead to the base of the falls is 6.6 miles. I went the unofficial one mile trail to the left at the junction. Both trails lead along the beach, check out the tides before to figure out the exact time for low tide as you don't want to get trapped in high tide. The beach at Alamere Falls seems to be seriously unsafe to access at high tide. Be safe and don't get trapped by the ocean!

I will recommend to wear hat, sunscreen, bring water and snacks. If you hike in the dark, bring flashlights. Please garbage in, garbage out! Let's try our best to keep nature stay magical!

This is my absolute favorite hiking trail. It's not easy but totally worth my drive trip and my effort. I bet you will feel the same when you get the see the magic of Alamere Falls.

Enjoy!

Amazing hike and pretty waterfalls. I would recommend using the shortcut method. Look for the arrow on the ground. Be careful when you get to the main waterfall. There's no more rope so I would recommend wearing some long sleeves when you get to that point so that you don't hurt your hands when gripping onto the rocks and crouch low. It is much easier.

Also, get to the hiking trail early because it will be hard to find parking. Bathrooms are at the main parking lot. Trails are pretty flat until you get to the waterfall section. It was worth the hike and remember to bring food/ small snacks. There is a beach area near the main waterfall where you can eat if you want to. I would go back for sure.

We didn't do much research and didn't realize that the hike to the falls was so long. Since we didn't have enough time to do the full hike, we hiked about 40min in, and still had great ocean views.

I had read comments about parking being difficult to find, but there were ample spots available on a weekday when we visited.

Kids were able to handle the section of the hike that we covered. Not sure if it gets more difficult after.

This is one of my favorite waterfall hikes in the bay!

It's 10 miles round trip so it's not for the faint of heart so make sure to bring water, food, hat, sunblock, layers, music if you'd like! Best to come early because the parking lot can get packed midday especially during the weekends.

It's a hike with a variety of natural landscapes- water, trees, cliffs, leveled dirt path, hills. There's a point where there's an area where you're surrounded by plants with potential poison oak so I would recommend bringing pants and light long-sleeved sweater just in case. There are two options of getting to the waterfall- one is being a badass and climbing down the cliff very carefully. Another is taking the longer roundabout path. I've always taken the cliff route.

It's such a pretty hike and strenuous if you are not used to hiking so make sure to stretch before and after. Usually friends and I bring some wine and bahn mis to snack on when we get to the bottom to enjoy the falls.

Also whenever I go, there's always something crazy happening- one time there was a dude doing handstands at the top of the waterfall- wtf! We couldn't look after a while.

You need to check out this gorgeous hike especially if you're new to the bay and enjoy the great outdoors. There are several of us that keep returning for more!

Fu*kin-A! That was a nice beach waterfall! We got lucky with the weather too!! We came on a Saturday morning and avoided the crowd. One of California's treasured waterfalls and it's a must see! I am glad to be a Californian to be able to visit this place.

After taking the Palamarin Trailhead, it took 3.75 miles to the entrance of the Alamere Waterfall unofficial shortcut. It took another mile to the beach waterfalls. It is not recommended for children, elderly, short people, or that are physically challenged! I repeat this! Good thing we came really early as there was not much people yet.

Also, there is a lot of very narrow paths to the falls with lots of overgrown trees, plants and bushes. I recommend to wear pants versus shorts so you won't touch the poison oak. I am glad I wore a light jacket to wear along this path to avoid the overgrown branches above, too.

Also, there is some rock climbing on this path and walking sticks won't help. There is a rock wall part right before reaching the beach but it's now starting to crumble. I can tell this path will disappear soon enough as so much of the rock was starting to crumble from touching it. The rangers do not recommend this path so make sure to read on tips etc.

The waterfalls were very beautiful and serene! It's a nice place to hang out for a picnic or take in the ocean views. We were so glad to avoid the crowd that came after we left! We had the waterfalls to ourselves!

I can't imagine having to wait for a hundred people for your turn to go down to the beach. This path would be considered hard then moderate. It's so worth it to see while this path is still here. I don't think I can make a sixteen mile hike if this shortcut was not here. Picture worthy! Great workout! [32nd R]