Beach Waterfall Hike at Alamere Falls

Beautiful place to visit. I enjoyed the hike with sooo much excitement and the views are wonderful and worth hiking 12 miles. The beach and waterfall both are amazing. We found many deers near wildcat camp ground. Found Mushrooms, banana slugs on the walkway and beautiful flowers. While coming back, we enjoyed watching the sunset.

I was here on 2/9/2025, after a big rain. Alamere Falls is a coastal waterfall in Point Reyes. It flows directly into the ocean. Alamere Falls tumbles over fragile shale cliffs at Alamere Creek Beach. It has a few Falls upstream above the main Falls and that area is sometimes called the "Upper" Alamere Falls. It consists of three separate cascades. Together, these cascades are approximately 20–30 feet in height and are a dramatic sight as well as the main Alamere Falls which cascades over a ~40-foot-tall drop!!! There is free parking, and it has a basic bathroom at the trailhead, plus the trail is easy to follow. I hiked a little over 4 miles one way with about 1,350 ft of elevation gain. I used a shortcut, but finding and using that shortcut was a little challenging. I used the shortcut because it allowed me to walk up the whole upstream to the "Upper" Alamere Falls. Alamere Falls has spectacular images. It is a natural snapshot made for everyone to take. Hiking shoes are very helpful especially if you want to take the shortcuts. I expect to go back there sometime soon.

This was one excellent hike! The trail goes next to the ocean, in the woods, and narrow paths. It has everything you wish for. Most part of the trail is shaded. At some point there’s a deviation that leads to falls. Both paths will lead to falls, but one has rocks where you need to climb down and the other is a normal trail. The normal trail path is longer and the one that looks like a cave with tree branches is a short cut trail. We took the longer path while going to the falls. Walking on the beach sand was the hardest. While coming back we took a shorter route - that’s rocky and a bit difficult route but one can get back to their car faster. We had to climb up to the cliffs. There were loose rocks and I was afraid of slipping down. We had to cross the falls too either long jumping from one side to another or walking in cold water, you can choose what’s best for you. Overall it was a good experience. What to pack? - hiking poles, snacks, water, sun glasses, hat, comfortable shoes. Make sure that you check the weather and tides forecast before going to this hike.

Great hike. All Trails rates it as difficult and I would concur. 14 miles at and back with an 1,800 elevation gain and a combination of rack, dirt, mud and sand trails can make this challenging. However, the views and serenity that comes from this place is amazing. I have seen people talk about taking the shortcut which will shave off about 4 miles from the hike. Please don’t. Stay on the main trail to protect the bluffs. There is a rope at the falls that is needed to climb up and down the bluff. The bluffs are crumbling and make it dangerous. I was at the fall for about 30 min and could hear rock falls the entire time. Save this for future generations

Beautiful hike! Long way: 13 miles Short cut: 8.8 miles What to wear: Long sleeves and pants, hiking shoes or tennis shoes with traction. Gloves for gripping on rocks. Walking sticks. Cap or hat. Snacks and drinks. WetNaps and hand sanitizer. Bathroom: only at the parking lot. There are four outhouse style toilets. There is no running water or sink to wash your hand. Went on Saturday. started our hike at 10 AM and finish by 3 PM with couple of stops to rest and about an hour to take picture and have lunch. We took the shortcut way, but I’m a slow hiker so it still took us four hours. Our friend who have done it round-trip on the shortcut route did it 2 1/2 hours. Parking lot was full by 10 AM so come early. The trail is sort of well-kept. There are different terrains from mud to rock to pebbles to dust and dirt roads. There is a little bit of climb here and there, but nothing too strenuous. Wear long pants and long sleeve shirt because there are ticks and poison oak. If you want to take the shortcut way look out for a bunch of sticks and rocks after the 3rd lake on the right side. The shortcut way is best way to see the three other waterfalls on top of the main waterfall. you can also take the short way back to your car so you don’t miss the upper three waterfalls. If you do decide to take the long way for more hiking, check on the tide schedule. if it’s high tide, you will be stuck by rocks because it’s 1 mile to the waterfall on the beach. The shortcut way is a little bit more adventurous, and a little bit of climbing up and down rocks. If you are going to do the short way, please bring all the suggested gears above. Watch the video that I have up in here that shows you how steep it is to go down to the beach and to the waterfalls. Specially, on a misty day where the mist will actually become like rain and the rocks and sand are slippery. It’s a gorgeous hike and I would do it again on a sunny day. we miss all the ocean view since that day was very foggy. people bring dogs, but you will have to carry your dog if you do the shortcut way because it’s very hard climb for dogs.