SCENIC SPECTACLE
Marin waterfalls flush as rain keeps coming
With a solid winter of rain in the hills, it's peak waterfall season in Marin County. The only question is which cascade to see first.
For Ian McLorg, chief park ranger with Marin County Parks, Dawn Falls is the first that comes to mind. The approximately three-quarter-mile trail to the falls is in the Baltimore Canyon Preserve.
“Dawn Falls, especially after some good rain, is a pretty spectacular waterfall,” McLorg said.
To access Dawn Falls Trail, he suggested entering via Crown Road in Kentfield and hiking the Southern Marin Line Fire Road.
“A short jaunt from the trailhead at Southern Marin Line Fire Road, you just head as if you're going
towards Corte Madera, and the Dawn Falls Trail drops off to your left down the fire road,” McLorg said. “That one is a great one to see this time of year.”
McLorg said Cascade Falls in the Cascade Canyon Preserve is also a great option. The trailhead is at the end of Cascade Drive in Fairfax. It's about half a mile to the falls.
“That one is quite spectacular and is a popular one for folks to come and visit,” McLorg said.
McLorg cautioned that parking for the trails can be limited because the trailheads are often around neighborhoods. He suggested parking closer to downtown and biking, ridesharing or using public transit to get to the trail.
McLorg also recommended Buck Gulch Falls in the Ignacio Valley Preserve. The trailhead, which
"I think probably in levels of difficulty to be able to access, Dawn Falls would probably rate the most difficult just because of hiking down from the fire road to falls and then hiking back out."
— Ian McLorg, chief park ranger with Marin County Parks