Helen Markt Falls and Cataract Falls
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Note: These Hike Notes describe mostly the same hike as the earlier Laurel Dell and Cataract Creek post, but includes new information and trail updates, plus a new, larger photo gallery.
Location: Laurel Dell Trailhead, West Ridgecrest Blvd., Stinson Beach, CA
Starting Point: Laurel Dell Trailhead is located on W. Ridgecrest Blvd., about 3 miles northwest of Pantoll Campground (via Pantoll Road and W. Ridgecrest Blvd.) There is a parking pull-off area with a gate and a Mt. Tamalpais Watershed sign at a curve in the road. There’s a glorious view of the ocean across the road from the parking area, and the Laurel Dell trail starts downhill facing inland.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Mt. Tam State Park brochure link (California State Parks):
https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/471/files/MountTamalpaisSPFinalWebLayout110816.pdf
Mt. Tam Watershed information (Marin Water):
https://www.marinwater.org/mt-tam-watershed
Mt. Tam project and road status info (CA State Parks):
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471
Mt. Tam Watershed map (Marin Water):
https://www.marinwater.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/Watershed%20Visitor%20Map.pdf
Distance:
There are multiple hike options starting from Laurel Dell trailhead. This set of notes and photo gallery covers a very short walk on Laurel Dell “Road” (it’s a trail/fire road) (approximately 0.3 miles) down to a short connector trail, the Ray Murphy Trail (which does not show up on many maps) that connects to Cataract Creek and the Cataract Trail. From this junction it’s about 0.5 miles from there to Cataract Falls heading northwest. This makes for a relatively short 1.6 miles round trip to the falls and back, though the hike may feel a bit more challenging considering the steep sections like the stairs that go to the bottom of the falls.
Considerations:
• The drive is part of the Mt. Tam experience. Our route was Panoramic Highway, Pantoll Road, and W. Ridgecrest Blvd., all of which are scenic but also somewhat narrow and curvy in places. Drive with caution in case of animals, hikers, etc., on the road.
• There is space for several cars at the Laurel Dell Trailhead parking area.
• As is always the case, trailheads are easier to park at on weekdays and earlier in the day rather than on a weekend afternoon.
• There is a pit toilet near the Laurel Dell picnic area, but not at the trailhead (0.7 miles away from the trailhead if taking Laurel Dell Road/trail, a bit longer if taking Cataract Trail). Bathroom options include making an earlier stop at Bootjack or Pantoll Campground.
• Dressing in layers, using sun protection, and having water are advised for any hike.
• Be aware of poison oak along any trail. Scrubs like Technu are good to have in case of contact.
• Pay attention to health, safety and wildlife notices.
• Trails can be muddy and slippery after rain, though that’s what brings the falls to life. Laurel Dell Road closer to the falls is prone to flooding, so we take Cataract Trail during wet season.
The trail: (Note: some trail description overlaps with the earlier Laurel Dell and Cataract Creek post)
The Laurel Dell Trailhead on W. Ridgecrest Blvd. makes for a lovely vista stop even if you’re not hiking. Parking is on the inland side, recognizable by the gate and Mt. Tamalpais Watershed sign. Across the road on the ocean side, the gently rolling hills frame the ocean, with the Stinson Beach and Bolinas in view in the distance.
Laurel Dell fire road itself is a smooth, welcoming path that winds gently down from the open hills into wet, woodsy creek terrain. Instead of continuing northwest on Laurel Dell fire road, we left that and took the short connector trail, the Ray Murphy Trail. This trail is not marked on many maps. The trails and creek at this juncture are a bit scattered even on the maps. The deep, woodsy paths in this area featured moss, ferns, wet rock steps and wooden footbridges.
We enjoyed the damp, mossy trails, sometimes with slippery rocks, until we came to the Laurel Dell picnic area, where there is a vault toilet available. There are signs from the picnic area upon reentering Cataract Trail warning that the trail can be rugged and steep, and that horses are not allowed.
The mission on this return trip to Cataract Falls was to identify and photograph Helen Markt Falls, which I saw noted on an online map but could not find on any of three paper maps I referred to. Helen Markt Falls appeared to be slightly upstream from the main Cataract Falls I’d visited previously. Was Helen Markt Falls a separate waterfall? Was it hard to see from the trail? We kept a sharp look out to answer these questions.
It turns out that the Cataract Falls complex includes nine cascades, with the first four cascades at the top end being Helen Markt Falls. It is not easy to identify where Helen Markt Falls ends and Cataract Falls begins as they meld into each other, and the higher cascades are buried in foliage more than the lower end. Short side trail breaks allowing a drop to get a better view of the Helen Markt cascades were wet and slippery and the water flow was powerful on this visit, so I only ventured partway toward the edge of the water.
We continued along Cataract Trail until we saw the wooden fences indicating a more civilized (and frequently used) part of the trail that brought us to Cataract Falls proper. The roaring sound of the falls was as compelling as the visuals. We took the long stairs down to the base of Cataract Falls, where I’d been several times in dryer times. Previously we were able to walk through the creek bed when the falls were barely a trickle. We sat on the rocks of the creek bed for a snack break, which was impossible this visit due to the powerful flow from the falls which stayed strong along Cataract Creek.
We aimed to tale Laurel Dell fire road back instead of Cataract Trail. We quickly abandoned that plan as Laurel Dell Road was flooded and there were no rocks or logs to use as steppingstones. This part of Laurel Dell Road was wet previously, but still passable without getting too wet. That is not an option during wet season.
We backtracked to return via Cataract Trail and back up the short stretch of Laurel Dell Road that connects back to Ridgecrest Blvd. The view from here is well worth a short wander across the road to look out from the hillside trails to Stinson Beach, Bolinas and the Pacific.
(Helen Markt Falls and Cataract Falls Hike Notes were originally paired with the “A Rose by Any Other Name” 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, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Note: These Hike Notes describe mostly the same hike as the earlier Laurel Dell and Cataract Creek post, but includes new information and trail updates, plus a new, larger photo gallery.
Location: Laurel Dell Trailhead, West Ridgecrest Blvd., Stinson Beach, CA
Starting Point: Laurel Dell Trailhead is located on W. Ridgecrest Blvd., about 3 miles northwest of Pantoll Campground (via Pantoll Road and W. Ridgecrest Blvd.) There is a parking pull-off area with a gate and a Mt. Tamalpais Watershed sign at a curve in the road. There’s a glorious view of the ocean across the road from the parking area, and the Laurel Dell trail starts downhill facing inland.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Mt. Tam State Park brochure link (California State Parks):
https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/471/files/MountTamalpaisSPFinalWebLayout110816.pdf
Mt. Tam Watershed information (Marin Water):
https://www.marinwater.org/mt-tam-watershed
Mt. Tam project and road status info (CA State Parks):
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471
Mt. Tam Watershed map (Marin Water):
https://www.marinwater.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/Watershed%20Visitor%20Map.pdf
Distance:
There are multiple hike options starting from Laurel Dell trailhead. This set of notes and photo gallery covers a very short walk on Laurel Dell “Road” (it’s a trail/fire road) (approximately 0.3 miles) down to a short connector trail, the Ray Murphy Trail (which does not show up on many maps) that connects to Cataract Creek and the Cataract Trail. From this junction it’s about 0.5 miles from there to Cataract Falls heading northwest. This makes for a relatively short 1.6 miles round trip to the falls and back, though the hike may feel a bit more challenging considering the steep sections like the stairs that go to the bottom of the falls.
Considerations:
• The drive is part of the Mt. Tam experience. Our route was Panoramic Highway, Pantoll Road, and W. Ridgecrest Blvd., all of which are scenic but also somewhat narrow and curvy in places. Drive with caution in case of animals, hikers, etc., on the road.
• There is space for several cars at the Laurel Dell Trailhead parking area.
• As is always the case, trailheads are easier to park at on weekdays and earlier in the day rather than on a weekend afternoon.
• There is a pit toilet near the Laurel Dell picnic area, but not at the trailhead (0.7 miles away from the trailhead if taking Laurel Dell Road/trail, a bit longer if taking Cataract Trail). Bathroom options include making an earlier stop at Bootjack or Pantoll Campground.
• Dressing in layers, using sun protection, and having water are advised for any hike.
• Be aware of poison oak along any trail. Scrubs like Technu are good to have in case of contact.
• Pay attention to health, safety and wildlife notices.
• Trails can be muddy and slippery after rain, though that’s what brings the falls to life. Laurel Dell Road closer to the falls is prone to flooding, so we take Cataract Trail during wet season.
The trail: (Note: some trail description overlaps with the earlier Laurel Dell and Cataract Creek post)
The Laurel Dell Trailhead on W. Ridgecrest Blvd. makes for a lovely vista stop even if you’re not hiking. Parking is on the inland side, recognizable by the gate and Mt. Tamalpais Watershed sign. Across the road on the ocean side, the gently rolling hills frame the ocean, with the Stinson Beach and Bolinas in view in the distance.
Laurel Dell fire road itself is a smooth, welcoming path that winds gently down from the open hills into wet, woodsy creek terrain. Instead of continuing northwest on Laurel Dell fire road, we left that and took the short connector trail, the Ray Murphy Trail. This trail is not marked on many maps. The trails and creek at this juncture are a bit scattered even on the maps. The deep, woodsy paths in this area featured moss, ferns, wet rock steps and wooden footbridges.
We enjoyed the damp, mossy trails, sometimes with slippery rocks, until we came to the Laurel Dell picnic area, where there is a vault toilet available. There are signs from the picnic area upon reentering Cataract Trail warning that the trail can be rugged and steep, and that horses are not allowed.
The mission on this return trip to Cataract Falls was to identify and photograph Helen Markt Falls, which I saw noted on an online map but could not find on any of three paper maps I referred to. Helen Markt Falls appeared to be slightly upstream from the main Cataract Falls I’d visited previously. Was Helen Markt Falls a separate waterfall? Was it hard to see from the trail? We kept a sharp look out to answer these questions.
It turns out that the Cataract Falls complex includes nine cascades, with the first four cascades at the top end being Helen Markt Falls. It is not easy to identify where Helen Markt Falls ends and Cataract Falls begins as they meld into each other, and the higher cascades are buried in foliage more than the lower end. Short side trail breaks allowing a drop to get a better view of the Helen Markt cascades were wet and slippery and the water flow was powerful on this visit, so I only ventured partway toward the edge of the water.
We continued along Cataract Trail until we saw the wooden fences indicating a more civilized (and frequently used) part of the trail that brought us to Cataract Falls proper. The roaring sound of the falls was as compelling as the visuals. We took the long stairs down to the base of Cataract Falls, where I’d been several times in dryer times. Previously we were able to walk through the creek bed when the falls were barely a trickle. We sat on the rocks of the creek bed for a snack break, which was impossible this visit due to the powerful flow from the falls which stayed strong along Cataract Creek.
We aimed to tale Laurel Dell fire road back instead of Cataract Trail. We quickly abandoned that plan as Laurel Dell Road was flooded and there were no rocks or logs to use as steppingstones. This part of Laurel Dell Road was wet previously, but still passable without getting too wet. That is not an option during wet season.
We backtracked to return via Cataract Trail and back up the short stretch of Laurel Dell Road that connects back to Ridgecrest Blvd. The view from here is well worth a short wander across the road to look out from the hillside trails to Stinson Beach, Bolinas and the Pacific.
(Helen Markt Falls and Cataract Falls Hike Notes were originally paired with the “A Rose by Any Other Name” 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, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
