SF Bay Area Day Trips : Hike to Alamere Falls & Palomarin Trail

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Jun 15

Alamere Falls

Alamere Falls is a rare tide fall on the California Coast, only 1 hour drive from San Francisco. Tide falls are waterfalls that pour directly into ocean and there’s only about 25 in the entire world, that’s why is so special. The destination is located in Point Reyes National Seashore and it’s perfect for a day trip in San Francisco Bay Area. The scenery is really peaceful and we enjoyed amazing views there! Several trails are leading to Alamere Falls, but it’s impossible to get there by car. We chose the shortest one, Palomarin Trail, and it took us around 2-3 hour to get there from the campground. In this blog post I will show you our adventure to Alamere Falls and give you some travel tips regarding Palomarin Trail.

Best time to visit

The falls are a popular attraction due to the close location to San Francisco. It can be crowded on weekends and in the summer months, that’s why it’s highly recommended to get there early and find a parking spot. We hiked there in mid-week in the morning and it wasn’t packed at all. It was also slow on the trail.

Palomarin Trail via Coastal Trail

We hiked to Alamere Falls from Palomarin Trailhead, it’s the shortest trail to get there. You can leave your car at the campground before the trailhead starts. There are some maps, informations and restrooms. The official trail, recommended by National Park, via Coastal Trail is 21 km long (13 miles) and it leads to Wildcat Beach. Then you have to walk along the beach for 1 mile to reach the falls. We got there in 3 hours from the trailhead but you can also take a shortcut. The views were so beautiful, but the trail leaded through the bush and it wasn’t well maintained. Nevertheless, the views are worth hiking via Coastal Trail.

THE WILDCAT BEACH LOOKS SO WILD AND EMPTY!

Palomarin Trail via shortcut

Palomarin Trail is the easiest and shortest way to get to the falls, you can make it shorter by taking a shorter trail (shortcut) through bush and a steep climb downhill. Then you will get directly to the falls on the beach. By doing that you can save 1,5 hours one way, but you will also miss out on the views! The shorter trail is 12 km long (8 miles). We chose the shortcut on our way back, it was quite easy. I’d recommend you doing the Coastal Trail one way, and going back via a shortcut, climbing up from the falls. I saw that many people were choosing the shortcut, especially locals. This hike is not marked and not recommended by Point Reyes National Seashore headquarter. There are no signs indicating the trail.

THE HIDDEN PATH WHERE THE SHORT CUT STARTS

What you should bring and how to be prepared?

Please remember that the half of Palomarin trail is quite exposed to the sun, it might be so warm and dry there. I saw some snakes, lizards and we were going through thick bush, so you must be really adventurous to go there, especially going through Coastal Trail. Don’t forget to wear long pants or leggings, otherwise, you can hurt yourself. Nevertheless, the hike was amazing and we loved the views and the tidefall! What you should bring on the Palomarin hike?

Comfortable shoes
Lots of water and snacks
Hat
Sunscreen
Towel
Swimming suit

If you like this post, you can share it or pin it. You can also follow my California adventures on Instagram (@sarowly). Hope this post is useful for you guys and you will like these travel tips!