Dawn Falls Trail Loop

This hike takes you up a narrow trail to a rare shaded fire road, then descends through redwoods.

Location: Baltimore Canyon Open Space Preserve
Length: 2.7 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Shade: shaded
Parking: street parking at the end of Madrone Ave (go early to find a spot near the trailhead; this is a residential street)
Public Transportation: bus 22 stops in Larkspur, but it’s a 20-minute walk to the trailhead, mostly uphill
WC: none
Dogs: allowed on all trails

Link to park website

Hiked: Jul 2020

Our Trail Route

We had to park a few hundred feet down from the trailhead on Madrone Ave., so first we walked up to the trailhead. To follow our route, cross the bridge and then you’ll hit the four-way trail intersection. Take the narrow Barbara Springs Trail, marked to the left just beyond the large sign. It’s pretty much entirely uphill. We found at least one fallen log to climb over.

Climb up to the Southern Marin Line Fire Road and turn right. This is an easy, flat trail popular with bikers and dog-owners. About 0.34 miles in, you’ll see a trail marker but continue on your path for another mile. Then you’ll hit another four-way intersection of trails—turn right onto Dawn Falls Trail to make your way back down.

Dawn Falls Trail is another narrow trail, with quite a lot of downhill at first. It flattens out at the bottom of the waterfall. Then it’s just a nice easy stroll back to your starting point.

Notes

We hiked this in summer so there was no waterfall, but the shaded trails were still nice. I’d hike this one again, especially the Dawn Falls Trail, which I think my dog would love. The only issue is finding parking!

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