Hike:Cataract Falls
Length: 3 miles round trip minimum but you can explore more
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Hikers: Brett, Mark, Rascal, Dempsey and some folks from the east bay
Date: February
So this little gem of a hike is pretty popular but for several very good reasons. First of all the drive to get there puts you through the nice little town of Fairfax. The town has a great little organic health food store to load up some goodies and a great cafe across the street for when you are heading back to the city after the hike.
From Fairfax the drive twists and turns up and down a few valleys before putting you along side of a reservoir and dropping you off at the trail head. The hike starts off flat along the reservoir then kicks up when you reach the base of the falls. I am going to keep this entry short because words wont do it justice. For the next mile and a half or so you walk along beautiful water falls in a lush rain forest that seems more like Costa Rica then the Bay Area. Bring your camera because you will take some pictures that are worthy of a frame Just before the big falls at the top there are some stairs leading down to a small clearing along the creek with enough room for about 6 people to eat. This is a great place for lunch and there are a couple trees near the trail for hanging your hammock.
Past the falls is a picnic area and some more trails that feed into Mount Tam. The first time we did this hike was with Brett and Mark and we found a loop starting near the bathrooms of the picnic area that lead us to a great view of the city where we encountered a coyote on the hunt.
The second hike was with Dan and Kara and Rascal from the east bay where we got a late start after enjoying a few pints at Marin Brewing company. Long story short is after we cooked dinner (Lasagna) at the waterfall spot we had to hike down by headlamp. It was a lot of fun.
Last week I took Ashley and her 3 dogs on the trail after meeting up at the Marin Brewing Company and enjoyed some amazing weather.
I mention the Marin Brewing Company alot but for good reason. If you have the time you should swing in for a beer. The patio is great when it is sunny and the beers are well made.
Thats it for now. Still trying to play catch up with all these other hikes
