LONG: Palomarin to Alamere Falls Via Wildcat Camp

We will begin at the Palomarin trailhead and take the Coastal Trail to Wildcat Camp. From there, we'll walk on the beach for about a mile with a constant view of the falls before us. Once at the falls, we will scramble up the cliff through a narrow notch and cross the stream to access the shortcut back to the Coastal Trail. Be prepared for wet feet! Note that the cliff's notch is very short and very steep, and the National Park Service recommends that it, along with the shortcut, be avoided. However, like most hikers on this trail, those of us that climbed it last year had no problem. The entire hike will be roughly 11 miles out and back with 1,470 feet of elevation.  

To allay concerns, all of us will hike the Coastal Trail to Wildcat Camp, where we will dine on the beach with a view of the falls in the distance. From there, hikers can choose whether to continue to the falls and climb up the notch to the shortcut trail, or backtrack along the Coastal Trail. Both ways are roughly the same distance and the Coastal Trail alone is one of the best hikes on the North Coast with or without the falls.

Before you RSVP, please watch this entire video or begin at 23:00 to observe the climb up the notch from the beach. The shortcut trail is narrow and there is an abundance of poison oak. If you are using poles, consider packing gloves for this short stretch. 

Low tide (-0.07') will occur at 3:00 PM so we should have plenty of space on the beach to enjoy the falls.

Make sure the treads on your shoes are in good shape and wear long pants to avoid poison oak that is on the shortcut back to the Coastal Trail. Bring an extra pair of footwear to leave in the car if you don't want to travel home with wet feet.

Hike leader: Jeff Zalles • (415) 999-5333 • jeffzalles@gmail.com