Cascade
Canyon Open Space Preserve,
Marin County Open Space District,
Marin County
In brief:
1.2 mile out and back hike to a waterfall in the backyard of Fairfax.
Getting there:
From US 101 in Marin County, exit Sir Francis Drake/San Anselmo. Drive west on
Sir Francis Drake about 5 miles to Fairfax. Turn left at a traffic light onto
Pastori, drive one block, then turn right onto Broadway. Drive 0.3 mile on Broadway,
then turn left at a stop sign onto Bolinas Road. Drive 0.4 mile on Bolinas, and
at a stop sign, make a soft right onto Cascade. Proceed 0.5 mile on Cascade Drive
to roadside parking before the street deadends at the preserve gate.
Trailhead details:
Very limited side of street parking in a residential neighborhood. The last stretch
of road before the deadend is signed "no parking on pavement," so make
sure to find a spot well off the roadway, and respect any and all private parking
spots. No entrance or parking fees, drinking water, paper maps, or toilet facilities.
There are no designated handicapped parking spots, and trails are very poorly
suited to wheelchairs and/or strollers. There is no public transit to the preserve,
although Golden Gate Transit runs buses run along Sir Francis Drake, and it's
a reasonable, mostly level bike ride to the trailhead. Visit the Transit
Info website for more info.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, pay phones, stores, and restaurants back in downtown Fairfax. No camping
in the immediate area.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
Preserve elevation ranges from about 200 feet to a high point of 1042 feet. Once
you climb away from Cascade Creek, nearly all the fire roads and trails are steep,
but this 1.2 mile out and back hike only gains about 150 feet, and is easy.
Rules:
Most preserve trails are multi-use, but a few exclude bicycles. Dogs are allowed
in the preserve, on leash only.
The Official Story:
MCOSD's Cascade
Canyon page
MCOSD 415-499-6387
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Download the Cascade Canyon pdf map from MCOSD.
• Trails of Mt. Tamalpais and the Marin Headlands, by Gerald Olmsted (order
this map from Amazon.com) is a useful map for Cascade Canyon and the surrounding
parklands.
• Trails of Northeast Marin County (map), published by Pease Press
is a great guide to Cascade Canyon, but the map ends just to the west of the preserve.
• 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.
• Hiking Marin by Don and Kay Martin (order
this book from Amazon.com) has good maps of Cascade Canyon and several suggested
hikes.
Cascade Canyon in a nutshell
-- a printable, text-only guide to the featured hike.
View
photos from this hike
Cascade Canyon is bordered to the north by White Hill Open
Space Preserve, 
and
to the west by Marin Municipal Water District lands (Pine Mountain), and these
three properties blend into a large, but still little-known parcel of recreation
land laced with trails and fire roads just north of the Mount Tamalpais watershed.
Less than 1 mile from downtown Fairfax, Cascade Canyon's trailhead at the end
of Cascade Drive is a logical staging area from which to begin a hike, but the
preserve is plagued by a shortage of parking. Arrive early to find a spot, and
be sure to obey all posted parking regulations along narrow, winding Cascade Drive.
And bring at least one good trail map, since the preserve is minimally signed.
If you'd like to explore Cascade Canyon Open Space
Preserve from bottom to top, make the 3.6 mile round trip to a viewpoint at the
end of Burnt Tree Fire Road, a hike which gains over 800 feet in elevation on
the the way to the preserve's highest point. Another option is a long trek combining
Cascade Canyon, MMWD, Giacomini OSP, and White Hill OSP trails, stringing together
High Water Trail, Cascade Fire Road, Pine Mountain Road, White Hill Fire Road,
Blue Ridge Fire Road, Wagon Wheel Trail, and Middle Fire Road. This 9 mile 
loop
is a demanding climb, but these fire roads and trails can be lonely and quiet,
especially on winter weekdays. Cascade Canyon and adjacent parklands are popular
with mountain bikers, so be alert for bicycle traffic, and if you explore the
upper reaches of the preserve, respect the signed boundary with Tamarancho Scout
Camp, where access is permitted by advance permit only.
The easiest hike at Cascade Canyon is an out and
back trip to Cascade Falls, a hike I love in late winter, when the falls are full
and wildflowers are abundant. Start at the open space gate at the end of Cascade
Drive, and walk on the wide trail, Cascade Fire Road, toward the information kiosk.
Coast live oak and California bay trees cover an ascending hillside on the right,
while San Anselmo Creek (also known as Cascade Creek) runs just off to the left.
Here on a March hike I watched a half dozen tiny spring azure butterflies fluttering
and landing in a trailside patch of grass, and two California tortoiseshell butterflies
scattering off the trail to more a private destination -- spring was definitely
in the air! After about 140 feet of level walking, you'll pass a cypress huddled
together with a huge cercocarpus, then reach an unsigned fork. 
Cascade
Fire Road plunges straight ahead through Cascade Creek on the first of 4 fords,
and High Water Trail offers a dry route when the creek is full. Bear right
on High Water Trail.
The path, closed to cyclists, lingers near the creek's
shoreline. Coast live oak, California bay, madrone, and buckeye are the dominant
trees, and the grassy slope on the right of the trail hosts a reliable show of
wildflowers in late winter, including milkmaids, hound's tongue, bluedicks, shooting
stars, mission bells, and buttercups. Narrow High Water Trail clambers up and
down a bit, nears the creek again, then plunges back into woods where maidenhair
fern and gooseberry thrive. Not long after crossing a little bridge, the trail
wanders into a lightly forested clearing (this description will make sense when
you see it). Cascade Fire Road enters from the left after fording the creek. At
0.28 miles from the trailhead, this is the end of High Water Trail. Bear right
onto Cascade Fire Road.
The wide multi-use trail begins an easy climb, through
California bay and buckeye woods where toyon, monkeyflower, and poison oak comprise
the understory. Look for Indian warrior, milkmaids, hound's tongue, and mission
bells along the trail in March. At 0.34 
miles
the fire road crests at a junction. Generically signed Cut Trail rises steeply
toward Middle Fire Road on the right. Continue straight on Cascade Fire Road,
which begins a descent. Black oaks are prominent, particularly on the left. In
March, creambush, a deciduous native, begins to leaf out -- in summer look for
frothy white blossoms on these wispy shrubs. At 0.41 miles, Middle Fire Road departs
unannounced on the right. Continue straight/left on Cascade Fire Road,
crossing the creek on a bridge, then reaching an unsigned T junction. Cascade
Fire Road continues to the left, heading out of the preserve and into MMWD lands.
Turn right onto Cascade Falls Trail.
Initially the trail, open to hikers and equestrians
only, keeps a level course right along the creek, well shaded by California bays,
with some coast live oak and buckeye. Good wildflower displays in late winter
include hound's tongue, milkmaids, shooting stars, and mission bells. Later in
spring, look for fairy bells, trilliums, and iris. Cascade Falls Trail rises easily,
only to drop and end at 0.60 miles, at the base of Cascade Falls. The falls shoot
down a single 15 foot drop, pool in a basin, then continue downstream. Rough steps
lead to the top of the falls, but the official trail ends there. When ready, retrace
your steps back to the trailhead.
Total distance: 1.20 miles
Last hiked: Wednesday, March 3, 2004
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
and
to the west by Marin Municipal Water District lands (Pine Mountain), and these
three properties blend into a large, but still little-known parcel of recreation
land laced with trails and fire roads just north of the Mount Tamalpais watershed.
Less than 1 mile from downtown Fairfax, Cascade Canyon's trailhead at the end
of Cascade Drive is a logical staging area from which to begin a hike, but the
preserve is plagued by a shortage of parking. Arrive early to find a spot, and
be sure to obey all posted parking regulations along narrow, winding Cascade Drive.
And bring at least one good trail map, since the preserve is minimally signed.
loop
is a demanding climb, but these fire roads and trails can be lonely and quiet,
especially on winter weekdays. Cascade Canyon and adjacent parklands are popular
with mountain bikers, so be alert for bicycle traffic, and if you explore the
upper reaches of the preserve, respect the signed boundary with Tamarancho Scout
Camp, where access is permitted by advance permit only.
Cascade
Fire Road plunges straight ahead through Cascade Creek on the first of 4 fords,
and High Water Trail offers a dry route when the creek is full. Bear right
on High Water Trail.
miles
the fire road crests at a junction. Generically signed Cut Trail rises steeply
toward Middle Fire Road on the right. Continue straight on Cascade Fire Road,
which begins a descent. Black oaks are prominent, particularly on the left. In
March, creambush, a deciduous native, begins to leaf out -- in summer look for
frothy white blossoms on these wispy shrubs. At 0.41 miles, Middle Fire Road departs
unannounced on the right. Continue straight/left on Cascade Fire Road,
crossing the creek on a bridge, then reaching an unsigned T junction. Cascade
Fire Road continues to the left, heading out of the preserve and into MMWD lands.
Turn right onto Cascade Falls Trail.