The Carson Show

Hiking to Carson Falls on Mount Tam

02.23.2017

{MARCH 2024 NOTE: This trail can be very slick and muddy right after rains, so wait for a decent dry spell before embarking on this hike and be sure to have good hiking boots. Exercise good judgment and caution when you do visit.}

Carson Falls is ready for primetime. This three-tiered, 100-foot stunner is hidden back in a canyon outside of Fairfax and reached on a 3.25-mile (round-trip) hike. The start of the hike is on a wide-open dirt fire road that offers up southern views of Mount Tam’s East Peak and the rolling Marin foothills.

Hike up this fire road for about a mile, with no waterfall in sight. You’ll then leave the fire road and dip into a dense forest on a singletrack trail. Hear that? Waterfalls are a-comin’! A series of short switchbacks leads you to the top of the falls. A rocky outcropping lets you get a closer look, but from up here you only get a partial perspective.

So be sure to cross over the old wooden bridge and make your way down to the base of the second tier, where the vantage is bigger and bolder. You can carry on to one more tier below, but after rains this section can get boggy with mud, and the trail may be closed off beyond that point. Return the way you came.

{MARCH 2024 NOTE:This trail can be very slick and muddy right after rains, so wait for a decent dry spell before embarking on this hike and be sure to have good hiking boots. Exercise good judgement and caution when you do visit.} From Highway 101 in Marin, exit Sir Francis Drake Blvd. toward San Rafael. Go about 6 miles to the town of Fairfax. Turn left on Pacheco, immediately right on Broadway, then left on Bolinas Rd. Follow this for 3.8 miles (go past the turn-off for Bon Tempe Lake and past the golf course). Park in the large pullout on the left (it fits about 20 cars.) Cross the road and go through the gate and up the fire road; this is Pine Mountain Fire Road. When the road levels after a mile, turn left onto Oat Hill Fire Road. Hike 0.25 mile to Carson Falls Trail on the right. Follow this down 0.25 mile to the falls. Dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View

  3. Hike the Rainbow

    Catch all the colors of a rainbow at Calero County Park on this 10-mile hike currently showcasing the season’s best blooms.

    View
  4. Hike Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve

    Purisima Charisma

    Hundred-foot redwoods, a shaded canyon, and views overlooking Half Moon Bay. This 10-mile loop hike in Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is a roller-coaster of uphill and downhill along with easygoing stretches through some of the Bay Area’s most beautiful landscape.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. People on a guided horseback tour with Central Coast Trailrides at Santa Margarita Ranch near Paso Robles

    Saddle Up with Central Coast Trailrides

    Untouched and sweeping, the mountainous scenery and deep valleys of Santa Margarita near Paso Robles are just begging to be explored. So saddle up for a scenic adventure with Central Coast Trailrides (CCT) at the 14,000-acre Santa Margarita Ranch.

    View
  2. A woman on a hiking trail with huge open space and yellow flowers around her at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks

    Going Wildwood

    Consider this your invitation to get a little untamed. In just one walk through Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks, you can chase the sound of a cascading waterfall, duck into a shadowy cave, and soak in big hillside vistas. The mostly flat 4.25-mile loop makes wild feel wonderfully accessible.

    View
  3. Two people fly fishing on the Truckee River with guides from Reno Fly Shop

    Zen and the Art of Fly Fishing

    Learning to fly fish is one of the most fun and beautiful ways to connect with nature, family, friends, and yourself. It’s also a great way to truly experience the magic of a place. Make that place Reno Tahoe, where a fly fishing adventure with Reno Fly Shop is like being planted in a plein air painting of dreamy outdoors.

    View
  4. A woman on the overlook deck overlooking the Truckee River at Oxbow Nature Study Area in Reno

    This Way to Oxbow and Dickerson Road

    Just west of downtown Reno—tucked right alongside the Truckee River—is a nature haven for wildlife spotting and waterside relaxing. The 22-acre Oxbow Nature Study Area is ideal for those seeking solitude and a short hike. Afterwards, explore the creative hub of Dickerson Road.

    View