7 min
Overview
Alamere Falls is a coastal waterfall at the southwestern end of Point Reyes National Seashore. It is one of two tide falls—a waterfall that flows directly into the ocean—near San Francisco. The other is insta-famous McWay Falls. There is some controversy regarding the route to get to Alamere Falls, which I will get into below. Regardless, this leg-stretcher features coastal views, wildflowers, freshwater lakes, an ocean-side campground, and an inimitable waterfall that belongs on your waterfall hike bucket list. This trail description for Alamere Falls begins at the Palomarin Trailhead at the end of Mesa Road in Bolinas. Palomarin is one of three major trailheads for Alamere Falls: The others are Bear Valley (14.6 miles roundtrip) and Five Brooks (14.8 miles roundtrip). The Palomarin route is the shortest of the three, which may explain its popularity. This brings us to the controversy. You may see Alamere Falls advertised as an 8.4-mile hike online and in guidebooks. The 8.4-mile route is a shortcut on an unmaintained trail that some have dubbed the “Alamere Falls Trail.” It involves scrambling down a deeply rutted and eroded cliff next to Alamere Falls. Park rangers at Point Reyes National Seashore discourage this route because it erodes the cliffs, may damage plants, and because it is dangerous. Here is the full statement on Point Reyes National Seashore’s webpage for Alamere Falls: Please take note! Many social media posts, websites, and older (and some newer) guide books reference an “Alamere Falls Trail” (also sometimes referred to as a “shortcut to the falls”). The “Alamere Falls Trail” is NOT a maintained trail, and poses many hazards to off-trail hikers—crumbling and eroding cliffs, massive poison oak, ticks, and no cell phone service. Visitors who use this unmaintained trail may endanger themselves and rescuers, and inadvertently cause resource damage, such as trampling plants, which may lead to the death of the trampled plants. On an almost weekly basis, visitors get hurt scrambling down the heavily
Trail Stats
22.2 km
594 m
186 m
0 m
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