Alamere Falls, Bolinas
Bolinas, California
Details
Distance
12 miles
Elevation Gain
500 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Description
Added by Galya Tapolsky
a 12 mile hike to the California Coast where a beautiful waterfall mergers with a beach.
As you arrive at the parking lot there is a bathroom but no water fountain, so please provide/bring tons of water with you because the hike does make you work for it. I would recommend bringing cliff bars or snacks, sunscreen, hat, swimwear, and extra warm layers.
The hike is total 5-6 miles to Alamere Falls. Remember when you reach the waterfall, you do have to turn around and hike back 6 miles to the car, so save water and snacks to gain more energy. A big mistake I made is by drinking all my water on the way to the waterfall and hiking back super thirsty.
The hike to the waterfall is super calm and you wont find yourself conquering any hard hills or mountains. The road is wide and open surrounded by beautiful trees and wildlife, plus your view most of the time is the coast, where you can watch the waves chasing each other and get fresh air breeze.
The road goes for many many miles but to go to Alamere Falls at some point you have to change trails to the left. There is no sign for it, but from estimating, its about 5 miles on the main road and around that time I would look for rocks on the ground which are formed into an arrow that points to the left, exposing a new trail. Take that trail for half a mile straight to the beach. It looks like you have to crunch down going through trees, its totally normal because the trail is less ish traveled.
Once you reach the end of the waterfall you have an option to hike down to the beach where you have to be very careful and not rush. The downhill is extremely slippery, so I would make you are wearing good and stable hiking shoes. What I found helps is seating down and crunching down and slowly move down step by step. My boyfriend and I worked as a team most of the way going down and up by pulling and supporting each other. At that moment I am sure there will be tons of people so you can get a pretty good idea of what to do.
I know people recommend going to Alamere Falls when its a low tide so you can walk along the beach and its all about timing. I was there with the sun was super bright and tide was high. The water is absolutely freezing, so its definitely not swimming experience.
The hike is not easy but its worth it in the end. Enjoy it! g
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