Cataract Falls
Mount Tamalpais (Marin County) · near Fairfax / San Rafael · SF Bay Area
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 3 miles
- Elevation gain
- 800 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Winter–spring after rain (Dec–April) · The falls need recent rain to flow
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. Mount Tamalpais watershed / state park lands. Free parking along Bolinas-Fairfax Road past Alpine Lake (limited). The falls only flow well after rain — a winter/spring hike.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- A staircase of mossy waterfalls · Lush fern-and-redwood canyon · Best after winter rain · Mount Tam's waterfall classic · Green and dripping in season
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- The trailhead is on Bolinas-Fairfax Road past Alpine Lake on Mount Tam — combine with the mountain's summit drive and the Marin coast (Stinson Beach, surfing guide). Go after a winter storm for the fullest falls. Mount Tam is also a legendary MTB birthplace (MTB guide). Parking is limited; arrive early on rainy weekends.
The guide
Cataract Falls is Marin County's beloved rainy-season waterfall hike — not a single dramatic cascade but a magical staircase of…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Cataract Falls — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.926, -122.636