Cascade Falls-Mill Valley
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: Start at Old Mill Park, 64 Cascade Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941, entrance near intersection with Throckmorton Ave., then walk to Cascade Falls Trailhead at 420 Cascade Drive, Mill Valley
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser. (Information links may change. We do our best to update.)
Old Mill Park info link (City of Mill Valley):
https://www.cityofmillvalley.gov/699/Parks
Old Mill Park info link (Mill Valley Library):
https://www.millvalleylibrary.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Old-Mill-Park-18
Old Mill Park info link (Marin Arts):
https://www.marinarts.org/venue/old-mill-park/
Cascade Falls info link (Marin Mommies):
https://www.marinmommies.com/easy-family-waterfall-hike-mill-valleys-cascade-falls
Distance:
0.9 miles from Old Mill Park to the Cascade Falls trailhead, and 0.5 miles round trip from the trailhead to the falls and back. With a bit of a stroll in Old Mill Park as well, this makes for about 2.5 miles of walking.
Considerations:
General note: All information is subject to change based on current health and safety guidelines.
• There is also a Cascade Falls in Fairfax in Marin County, a different waterfall and different hike!
• If trying to visit the Cascade Falls Trailhead directly, note that visitors have reported that online map apps sometimes give incorrect directions for that.
• Parking is extremely limited near the Cascade Falls trailhead, which is a good reason for walking from Old Mill Park.
• There are no toilet facilities at Cascade Falls, another reason we started from Old Mill Park.
• Toilet facilities are near the entrance of Old Mill Park by the intersection of Cascade Drive and Throckmorton Ave.
• There are picnic table areas and playground structures on site at Old Mill Park, but not at Cascade Falls.
• Part of this hike is along a narrow road. Many people use this for walking, but stay alert for cars.
• Heed health and safety notices, including wildlife alerts.
The trail:
Over the years I’ve enjoyed trying to visit various waterfall sites in Marin. The timing hasn’t always worked out for strong water flow, especially in drought years. I was also discouraged for years from trying Cascade Falls in Mill Valley because I heard the parking was impossible. After visiting Old Mill Park (check out the Old Mill Park Stroll Hike Notes), though, we realized we could confidently visit Cascade Falls by walking from Old Mill Park.
We found street parking within a couple of blocks of Old Mill Park, which is also near the start of the Dipsea Trail stairs. Old Mill Park toilets and playground are located near Throckmorton Ave.
We strolled through Old Mill Park to Old Mill Creek which connects with Cascade Drive. It is 0.9 miles along Cascade Drive, a narrow, redwood-lined road that makes for a scenic walk on its own, but visitors can also walk on the trail along Old Mill Creek for a good portion of the way. There is a point at which you’ll have to rise up from the creek trail and walk along Cascade Drive.
There is a rustic wooden sign on Cascade Drive, at a spot where a few cars can park, announcing that you have arrived at Cascade Falls. Cascade Creek flows down from Cascade Falls to connect with Old Mill Creek.
Within a short distance, visitors will see a fork in the trail, rising up to the left, lower trail to the right. The lower trail to the right brings visitors to the falls in a short distance. It’s then possible to climb up and behind the falls, to circle back along the other side of the creek. On our visit, however, the creek was running high enough that it wasn’t that easy to cross over and come down the other side, so we came back along the lower trail on our visit.
The trail isn’t steep getting to the falls, but there is a wooden footbridge and some roots and trees to maneuver past, so those with mobility issues might need some assistance. Those who wish to climb up behind the falls need to be able to climb a steeper path with rocks and roots to get above the falls.
This is a popular visiting spot for local families. We saw families with kids hanging out at the edge of Cascade Creek below the falls. This site packs a lot of great scenery in a small area, which is why it is hard to park near the trailhead.
The walk back along Cascade Drive to return to Old Mill Park was pleasant, and I always appreciate the scenery we see in the reverse on out and back walks. Check out Old Mill Park Stroll Hike Notes for a more detailed description of Old Mill Park.
Cascade Falls-Mill Valley Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Heart Focus” Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: Start at Old Mill Park, 64 Cascade Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941, entrance near intersection with Throckmorton Ave., then walk to Cascade Falls Trailhead at 420 Cascade Drive, Mill Valley
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser. (Information links may change. We do our best to update.)
Old Mill Park info link (City of Mill Valley):
https://www.cityofmillvalley.gov/699/Parks
Old Mill Park info link (Mill Valley Library):
https://www.millvalleylibrary.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Old-Mill-Park-18
Old Mill Park info link (Marin Arts):
https://www.marinarts.org/venue/old-mill-park/
Cascade Falls info link (Marin Mommies):
https://www.marinmommies.com/easy-family-waterfall-hike-mill-valleys-cascade-falls
Distance:
0.9 miles from Old Mill Park to the Cascade Falls trailhead, and 0.5 miles round trip from the trailhead to the falls and back. With a bit of a stroll in Old Mill Park as well, this makes for about 2.5 miles of walking.
Considerations:
General note: All information is subject to change based on current health and safety guidelines.
• There is also a Cascade Falls in Fairfax in Marin County, a different waterfall and different hike!
• If trying to visit the Cascade Falls Trailhead directly, note that visitors have reported that online map apps sometimes give incorrect directions for that.
• Parking is extremely limited near the Cascade Falls trailhead, which is a good reason for walking from Old Mill Park.
• There are no toilet facilities at Cascade Falls, another reason we started from Old Mill Park.
• Toilet facilities are near the entrance of Old Mill Park by the intersection of Cascade Drive and Throckmorton Ave.
• There are picnic table areas and playground structures on site at Old Mill Park, but not at Cascade Falls.
• Part of this hike is along a narrow road. Many people use this for walking, but stay alert for cars.
• Heed health and safety notices, including wildlife alerts.
The trail:
Over the years I’ve enjoyed trying to visit various waterfall sites in Marin. The timing hasn’t always worked out for strong water flow, especially in drought years. I was also discouraged for years from trying Cascade Falls in Mill Valley because I heard the parking was impossible. After visiting Old Mill Park (check out the Old Mill Park Stroll Hike Notes), though, we realized we could confidently visit Cascade Falls by walking from Old Mill Park.
We found street parking within a couple of blocks of Old Mill Park, which is also near the start of the Dipsea Trail stairs. Old Mill Park toilets and playground are located near Throckmorton Ave.
We strolled through Old Mill Park to Old Mill Creek which connects with Cascade Drive. It is 0.9 miles along Cascade Drive, a narrow, redwood-lined road that makes for a scenic walk on its own, but visitors can also walk on the trail along Old Mill Creek for a good portion of the way. There is a point at which you’ll have to rise up from the creek trail and walk along Cascade Drive.
There is a rustic wooden sign on Cascade Drive, at a spot where a few cars can park, announcing that you have arrived at Cascade Falls. Cascade Creek flows down from Cascade Falls to connect with Old Mill Creek.
Within a short distance, visitors will see a fork in the trail, rising up to the left, lower trail to the right. The lower trail to the right brings visitors to the falls in a short distance. It’s then possible to climb up and behind the falls, to circle back along the other side of the creek. On our visit, however, the creek was running high enough that it wasn’t that easy to cross over and come down the other side, so we came back along the lower trail on our visit.
The trail isn’t steep getting to the falls, but there is a wooden footbridge and some roots and trees to maneuver past, so those with mobility issues might need some assistance. Those who wish to climb up behind the falls need to be able to climb a steeper path with rocks and roots to get above the falls.
This is a popular visiting spot for local families. We saw families with kids hanging out at the edge of Cascade Creek below the falls. This site packs a lot of great scenery in a small area, which is why it is hard to park near the trailhead.
The walk back along Cascade Drive to return to Old Mill Park was pleasant, and I always appreciate the scenery we see in the reverse on out and back walks. Check out Old Mill Park Stroll Hike Notes for a more detailed description of Old Mill Park.
Cascade Falls-Mill Valley Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Heart Focus” Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
