Marin County Open Space District,
Marin County
2.2 mile out and back hike departs from the edge of a residential Larkspur neighborhood and leads to Dawn Falls.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 2.2 mile out and back hike is easy, with about 300 feet in elevation change. Trailhead elevation is about 160 feet, and the featured hike climbs to about 400 feet. There is a short moderately-steep stretch. Other hikes departing from this trailhead range from the easy end of moderate to tough, depending on far you trek.
Exposure:
Mostly shaded.
Trail traffic:
Moderate.
Trail surfaces:
Dirt trails.
Hiking time:
1 hour or so.
Season:
Late winter and/or early spring are ideal for flowers and the waterfall.
Getting there:
From US 101 in Marin County, exit Paradise/Tamalpais Drive. Drive west on Tamalpais about 0.8 mile, then turn right at the stop sign onto Corte Madera. Drive about 0.6 mile (Corte Madera becomes Magnolia), then turn left onto Madrone Avenue (just past the Lark Creek Inn). Drive on narrow Madrone (and then Valley Way) about 0.8 mile, to a small turnaround at the end of the road.
GPS coordinates* for trailhead:
Latitude
Longitude
(* based on Google Earth data, shown as degrees, minutes, seconds)
Gas, food, and lodging:
Pay phone, gas, stores, and restaurants in downtown Larkspur, or back in Corte Madera. No camping in the immediate area.
Trailhead details:
Parking is only permitted in the white-outlined roadside spaces. There are 5 spots about 30 feet from the trailhead, and a handful more back down the road. No parking or entrance fees. No drinking water, restrooms, or maps. No designated handicapped parking, and trails are not suitable to wheelchairs. There is no direct public transit to the preserve, but Golden Gate Transit buses run along Corte Madera Avenue past Madrone, and you could walk just under 1 mile to the trailhead.
Rules:
Bikes are not allowed on the single trail departing from this trailhead. Some trails are signed hiking only, while others are open to hikers and equestrians. Dogs are permitted on this page's featured hike: in the open space preserve dogs are permitted on leash on trails; off leash under voice command on fire roads. Dog owners must have a leash for each dog. Dogs are not permitted on trails in Mount Tamalpais State Park.
The Official Story:
MCOSD's Baltimore Canyon page
MCOSD 415-499-6387
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Download the Baltimore Canyon pdf map from the MCOSD website.
• Trails of Mt. Tamalpais and the Marin Headlands, by Gerald Olmsted is a good map for exploring Baltimore Canyon and the surrounding parklands (order this map from Amazon.com).
• Mount Tam Trail Map, published by Tom Harrison Maps (order from Tom Harrison Maps). Comparable to the Olmsted map.
• Open Spaces: Lands of the Marin County Open Space District, by Barry Spitz (order this book from Amazon.com) has a simple map and trail descriptions, and is very good guide to the smaller trails around Baltimore Canyon.
• Hiking Marin by Don and Kay Martin (order this book from Amazon.com) has a good map and several suggested hikes.
• Tamalpais Trails, by Barry Spitz (order this book from Amazon.com), is a good guide to the trails, and has a simple map (much of this information is also duplicated in Open Spaces).
View
photos from this hike. Baltimore
Canyon is one the prettiest places imaginable
for a winter hike, when Larkspur Creek is engorged with storm runoff and
the trees are coated with lush moss. The preserve also provides cool shade
in summer, wildflowers in spring, and autumn color, courtesy of many big-leaf
maples.
The trailhead consists of a few parking spaces
squeezed onto the roadside at the edge of a residential neighborhood.
Like all the similar trailheads in nearby Corte Madera and Mill Valley,
parking at this Larkspur staging area is always tough. Dawn Falls Trail
actually stretches east all the way to Baltimore Avenue, a short distance
from public transit and Corte Madera Avenue, but private property blocks
access.
The adjacent parklands of King Mountain,
Blithedale Summit, and Mount Tamalpais provide opportunity for long hikes,
but most visitors to Baltimore Canyon are content with an out-and-back
trek to Dawn Falls. A few easy loops and partial loops are possible, such
as the route consisting of Dawn Falls Trail, Ladybug Trail, and King Mountain
Loop. You can combine Dawn Falls Trail, Southern Marin Line, and Barbara
Springs Trail for a 3 mile loop, but when I visited I couldn't even find
Barbara Springs Trail. Hikes extending past this handful of trails are
more difficult; you'll face dramatic elevation changes as you climb west
to Blithedale Ridge.
Start at the trailhead and walk down
the 
generically-signed
MCOSD path toward Larkspur Creek. The narrow path, closed to cyclists,
drifts downhill through redwoods, then crosses the creek on a pretty bridge
and reaches an unsigned junction at about 300 feet. Turn right onto
Dawn Falls Trail.
The trail is initially wide and level,
but bicycles are prohibited on this hiking and equestrian path. Barbara
Springs Trail departs on the left, heading steeply uphill, an option for
a loop if you can find it. Redwoods are prominent, but you might also
see California bay, madrone, big-leaf maple, and tanoak. Larkspur Creek
follows along the trail, which can get muddy in winter and early spring.
Dawn Falls Trail passes through an old fence line and shrinks in size
to a footpath. Although there are some slight variations in elevation,
the trail maintains an easy pace. 
Two
wooden segments of fence keep visitors on a rerouted course. The trail
drops down to creek level, and at about 0.50 mile, you'll pass an easy-to-miss
signed junction with Ladybug Trail on the right (the signpost is on the
other side of the creek, and there is no bridge). Continue straight
on Dawn Falls Trail.
In the dark heart of Baltimore Canyon you
might see mushrooms in winter, and moss covering just about every tree
trunk and rock. Madrone, California bay, redwood, and big-leaf maple stretch
toward the sky, and in some cases the trees are so tall that you might
have to look for leaves on the ground nearby to distinguish between madrone
and maple. There's an unsigned junction at about 0.70 mile, with a well-worn
path veering left. Continue straight (right) on Dawn Falls Trail.
The trail cuts through an unusual break
in tree cover, where huckleberry, blackberry, hazelnut, and California
coffeeberry make the most of their time in the sun. When I hiked here
in January 2002 on an overcast day, 
I
could hear a foghorn, repeatedly bleating a mournful call, like a lost
sheep on a Scottish moor. Dawn Falls Trail darts back into the woods,
and you'll soon reach a series of tight switchbacks. The trail grade picks
up considerably, as does the flow of adjacent Larkspur Creek. Ascending
along the slope of the canyon, in winter the sound of rushing water is
pleasantly loud. At 1.12 miles, you'll reach Dawn Falls and the turnaround
point of the hike. Dawn Falls has a short initial cascade (mostly screened
by tanoak branches), and then a sharp drop of about 25 feet. There are
nice unobstructed views from the side of the trail, but unfortunately,
there isn't much room to sit. When you're ready, retrace your steps
back to the trailhead.
Total mileage: 2.24 miles
Last hiked: Tuesday, January 7, 2002
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