Story:
This was a beautiful hike. A lot of shade with lush ferns and waterfalls. On June 30, 2012 it was still lush, but the water levels were kind of low. It will be a good one to do in the early spring or after a few rains.
This was a beautiful hike. A lot of shade with lush ferns and waterfalls. On June 30, 2012 it was still lush, but the water levels were kind of low. It will be a good one to do in the early spring or after a few rains.
There is a lot of climbing, but we just finished hiking the Inca Trail a month ago, so we can't really complain about about few hills. :)
We followed tommangan's trip, except we didn't go to the picnic grounds at Laurel Dell (I guess we missed a nice waterfall there). But it was still a beautiful and challenging 7.5 mile hike.
We started on Cataract Trail from the "parking area" on Bolinas-Fairfax Rd. We arrived at 10:30 and there were still a few spots to park. (On tommangan's blog, he has a full write up of his trip along with a link to Google Maps to get directions to the trailhead.) We took Cataract Trail to High Marsh Trail. Continued up High Marsh to Kent Trail. Just after this junction you're about half way done. We found a nice log along the path to sit on while we ate our PB&J's. Kent Trail will take you down to Alpine Lake, where you'll then take Helen Markt Trail. Helen Markt Tr. was probably the most challenging, with a lot of ups and downs. There are also several fallen tree trunks to either step over, climb over, or duck under. Helen Markt will eventually take you back to Cataract Trail (you'll recognize the waterfall). From here you retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
Tips:
Park on the shoulder of the road at the trail head.
Park on the shoulder of the road at the trail head.
No restrooms at the trailhead.
Dogs allowed on leash.
A lot of stairs and ups and downs.
A lot of shade.
Several fallen trees to step over/under.
Tags:
Cataract Trail, High Marsh Trail, Kent Trail, Helen Markt Trail, Cataract Falls, Alpine Lake, Mount Tamalpais Watershed, Marin Municipal Water District
Cataract Trail, High Marsh Trail, Kent Trail, Helen Markt Trail, Cataract Falls, Alpine Lake, Mount Tamalpais Watershed, Marin Municipal Water District
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