Cascade Falls

Cascade Falls rests inside Marin County’s Cascade Canyon Open Space Preserve. Near Downtown Fairfax, the hike to the moderately-sized waterfalls starts at the Cascade Canyon trailhead. The trailhead is present in the Cascade Drive which fords the Cascade Creek before leading to the top of the falls with great views of Cascade Lake and Lake Tahoe.

 The CCOSP has a number of routes for hiking to the waterfalls, some strenuous and lengthy, some quiet and tranquil and some are animated with the energy of mountain-bikers and children. The frequently-taken route is the Bayview Trailhead present on the back side of Bayview Campground. It is a 1.5 miles round trip from the Bayview Campground to the top of the falls present at the elevation of 250 feet.The trailhead welcomes dogs on leashes and bikers and equestrians except on some of the challenging fire roads. Bikers often strutted around on the Pine Mountain Tunnel Road, which was earlier prohibited for public usage as it traversed the boundaries with private properties. The hiking strolls are a pleasant experience given the plethora of vegetation - Coast Oak, Madrones, California Bay, Buckeye wood along with an impressive selection of wildflowers including milkmaids, hound’s tongues, shooting stars, mission bells and native ferns and flowers such as Iris, gooseberry and deciduous native creambush.