Dawn Falls Trail is a 2.3-mile out-and-back trail near Larkspur, California. It's considered to be a moderately challenging route. It will take about an hour to walk through this beautiful redwoods round trip to the Dawn Falls. This is a very popular area for birding, hiking, and running. The best part of the Dawn Falls trail is that it's not crowded but you may still see a few other people while exploring. This trail is open year round but the best time is from January through November. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash. However, I do see local dogs roaming without their leashes. Only a few parking spots deter many visitors. However, if you will be willing to be patience, there will on a parkingspot for you. This trail is maintained so clean here, so please no littering! Enjoy! read more

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*****pay attention ***** Word, to the ignorant drivers who have never been on switchbacks DO NOT come here. As you blast down the very single car lane, not paying attention and laughing away isn't cute. Be mindful of cars and pediatricians. Believe it or not its not all about you! The road to the trail is all kinds of messed up. It's a single lane through a neighborhood with very little turnouts. Believe it or not, there are huge redwoods along this road. If you have never been on a road like this, please park at the bottom of the road!!! PLEASE! Even the folks who were walking up the road to the trail aren't alert. It's sooo fun to be surrounded by people who believe it's all about them yes, im being harsh, but it was that bad! read more

Dawn Falls - Be mindful of others. It's a single car lane coming and going - Hiking Near Me - Larkspur, California

Gorgeous waterfalls. Very serene. Nice place to get away from busy places and little to no cell connection for complete quietness in nature. read more

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Nice shaded and tree covered out and back hike next to and over a creek. We came in January after the big 2-week long rainstorm so there was some water flowing, though not too much in most areas. The waterfall towards the end of the hike had a nice steady flow. Tucked into a tree filled and windy neighborhood, parking is limited. It looked like there were about 5 spots at the entrance, though most of them seemed to be taken by the neighborhood cars. We ended up parking down the road and extending our hike by about .3 miles each way. A beautiful addition to the hike. The start of the trail was mostly flat with a few bridge crossings and very small incline and declines. As you progress the terrain gets a little rougher with tree roots and more narrow passages. Then at the very end it gets pretty steep with some switch backs and more narrow terrain. Nice hike/walk and I would definitely do it again if I lived closer! read more

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Great walk with multiple options for trails. The falls themselves were under whelming but the walk was wonderful. Parking is scarce though. All in all though, I would highly recommend it read more

This hiking trail up through a canyon full of redwoods is stunning. Access and parking is a bit of a challenge, but worth the effort. DJ read more

What a beautiful hike in Marin County! It's not as popular as Muir Woods, but a great alternative for a moderately challenging hike with lots of shade from the forest canopy, a short steep incline to get you huffing and puffing, and a relaxing stroll downhill to loop you back to the start. If you make a left after the steep incline and follow it, you'll eventually get to the gorgeous views of verdant forestry, the bay and the surrounding cities from the top of the hill. Don't miss this! Highly recommend good hiking shoes with lots of traction, which will help you going down the jagged steep narrow declines of the trail. Parking is a bit challenging due to the 1 way residential street to get to the entrance. It's pretty narrow so watch out for others cars coming the other direction. It's been a pretty dry year and we didn't see any waterfalls but we did see some standing water under the bridge and other areas. Hope to come back when there are some falls we can admire! read more

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Great short hike with beautiful redwoods and lush forest floor. The waterfall is not too impressive however you can hike to the top of Dawn falls and continue your trek onto other trails with offer great views of the bay! Parking is in a very swanky neighborhood in Larkspur. read more

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Very nice hiking trail. Well maintained and easy hike. Parking can be a pain. Nice to go just after the rain. There's a steep incline before the falls. Just be careful it's a narrow trail with roots and rocks. But overall it's an easy three mile hike. read more

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Great hike for everyone in the family. There are accessible hiking for small children and there are also hikes that are also more challenging that head up the hill. I love that dogs are allowed, which is the best part! Parking is not great, get there early or park near that last turn before driving up to the trail. read more

Dawn Falls - Lucy enjoying the turkey tail mushroom - Hiking Near Me - Larkspur, California

Such a great hike! We decided to do the loop and the kids loved it. The out and back option is still great, especially for little ones. You're walking alongside a stream most of the time so there's a lot of opportunities to stop and enjoy the nature with the mini falls, streams, and the main falls at the end. Highly recommend! read more

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(Hiked 10/21) Amazing 1 day after heavy rains, water way down after 2 days but still flowing . Some muddy or wet patches read more

When you trek through this breathtaking Redwood forest, you can't help but feel like you're a Hobbit traversing Middle Earth. Or, at the very least, you feel like you're on your way to the Ewok Village. Situated deep in Larkspur's Madrone Canyon, Dawn Falls offers something for everyone (runner, walkers, dog-owners, etc.). Although steep in parts, this isn't the most challenging of trails. Everything is well paved. Even a hiking novice will feel comfortable here. If you come here in the morning, you'll be rewarded with fresh air, friendly wildlife (birds, squirrels, and more), flowing cascades, and and other hidden nature surprises. Word to the wise - parking is somewhat limited. It's best to park on the neighborhood streets a few blocks away. I always just park on Magnolia Street near Perry's Restaurant and Equator Coffee. From there, it's just a 15-minute stroll to the trailhead. After your hike, I'd recommend doing a picnic in Dolliver Park on Madrone Ave. They have plenty of tables, a playground for kids, and a public restroom. As much as I love Muir Woods, Dawn Falls is truly my go-to choice for a wonderful walk in the woods. I hope you have the chance to experience it for yourself. read more

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Get a way from the hustle and bustle of the city in this fun, dog friendly hike. It's a short not very strenuous fun hike with lots of Red Woods. There was no waterfalls or river (stream) today, but enjoyed the beautiful scenery with fresh air. The tall redwoods provided plenty of shade on the hike. read more

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Beautiful short hike, clean, dog-friendly (most dogs were on leash, all were friendly), well-maintained trails with many trail options if you wish to extend your hike. Parking is nearly impossible because there are only a few no-tow spots near the trailhead so I recommend parking further down Madrone Ave (before you see the "no outlet" street Echo Place). It's only a short walk to the trailhead and you can avoid the hassle. There is plenty of parking up to this point on the left of the street, but once you go around the curve up to the park the street narrows to the point that you may have to back all the way down if another car comes-and you will most likely not get a spot. I was here before 9am and there was no parking near the trailhead. There are only 5 parking spots, which appear to be shared with residents. I say this because I only passed 2 people on the trails and most of the parked cars appeared to be still fogged up from the night before. The hike itself is nice, pretty flat with several beautiful man-made bridges. You follow the stream and hike through huge redwoods and vibrant green moss covered trees. You will pass a lower mini falls and right before the top of the falls you will climb some steep but short switchbacks. The falls itself is taller then expected and had a decent water flow but wasn't spectacular this time of year. If you headed back after reaching the falls it would be less than a 3 mi round trip hike. However, we continued our hike to the top of the Dawn Falls Trail, which had a lot of stairs and was a great workout. We then retraced our steps and hiked to the bottom of the Dawn Falls Trail, then to Piedmont Trail and found a staircase that took us down to Shady Lane and it was a short walk to our car at Madrone Ave. Overall, we made it into about a 5 mile hike. read more

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Dawn Falls hike is one of many trails in Marin County. The trail is not that long, nor hard in terms of actually doing hard core hiking, but it is absolutely beautiful in its own way. What really gets me about Dawn Falls is how simple it is, no hustle. The road varies in width, sometimes you have tons of space and other times you have to step aside and let someone pass. Dawn Falls is dog friendly, which is always a plus for me. I love seeing all types of puppies running around with their owners, literally a dog's playground. The SMELL. I love Dawn Falls smell of red wood tress. I have been there during hard core rain/hail and dry hot summer. Both times the trail is different. When its dry hot summer day, you don't see any water running through the trees down the trail and there is no waterfall of course. The waterfall is not large even during rain season, which is the time i would recommend coming here. Waterfall is pretty, small and has a lovely sound. During rain season, I would wear actual hiking shoes, that are not slippery and support your ankles well. The road can be slippery during fall and winter. Dawn Falls is a special place, because its located in the heart of Larkspur and its not "obvious beauty" in terms of scenery and views. The light source is limiting but its incredibly rich in smells, colors and nature. Its a local spot, so many locals roll out of bed and go on a walk there, and maybe with a cup of coffee! I have done it and its nothing to be embarrassed about. We live in a beautiful and rich County that has tons of different types of hikes offered to us, I take advantage of being so spoiled and use the opportunity during all types of days. read more

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Walking to the falls you feel as if you are in the Humboldt Redwood forest. This is more walk than hike and is perfect for a hot summer day where you worry you might get sunburnt. The falls are about 1 mile though you can walk a little farther up to the Southern Main Fire road and add on multiple trails or on the way back take the Lady Bug trail to add the Baltimore Canyon Loop if you want to make this walk more of a hike. The waterfall is present in the winter but dries out pretty quickly so if you want to see water head out here right after it rains. Parking is extremely limited so it's better to just park early on Madrone and walk farther, this is a nice walk as well because it's shaded by redwoods and you aren't causing gridlock at the end of the road. read more

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This Trail is one of the more Scenic trails in Marin County. The biggest problem is parking. On madrone road, there are only about 12 spots for cars near the trailhead. I got here about 7 and I got a spot no problem. But if you're much later than that good luck. In the fall, although it is still a beautiful hike, there is really no water in the Falls. From the parking area you go down a short Trail. If you go to the right you go to the dawn Falls Trail. If you go to the left you go to the shorter Piedmont Trail. They are both Scenic trails. read more

This was a nice hike hidden behind a cute little neighborhood. It was not too strenuous and offered many beautiful photo opportunities. The trails are well kept and there are beautiful tall redwood trees. It is dog friendly so make sure to take your fur babies as long as they are kept on a leash. There is also a great park where the kids can play and picnic tables to have a picnic. read more

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This is one of my favorite hikes in Marin County. The canopy of trees keeps this place cool. After the rain, you will hear the trickle of the creek and the roar of the waterfall. read more

A beautiful little hike hidden in the heart of Larkspur. Right across the street from Equator coffee and Perry's restaurant if you wanted a reward afterwards. Highly recommend seeing the beautiful Redwoods! read more

Dawn Falls - Hiking Near Me - Larkspur, California

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I had absolutely no expectations when I woke up one Saturday afternoon and wanted to get a quick, short hike in that morning. After some research, the shortest, closest trail with a waterfall was the one leading to Dawn Falls in Larkspur. From a waterfall perspective, this is one of the weakest ones in Marin - not sure why as it was raining just as hard here in this area as any others I visited within the same time frame, but for whatever reason, the water just does not flow as well as the other waterfalls in Marin. The only thing going for it is that it's about 10 minutes from the 101 (all other waterfalls are a good 20-45 minutes from the 101). From the trailhead, the waterfall is just over 1 mile to get to. As for the hike / scenery, well it's beautiful. It's a really simple trail to walk or even run; covered trail for about 90-95% of the time. It's a dog-friendly trail and it's pretty wide for the most part (narrows as you get closer to the waterfall at the end of the trail). In fact, this trail is so easy, I wouldn't be surprised to see Mill Valley soccer moms with their Starbucks in hand on a regular basis when on this trail chatting away on their cel phones. Parking is a pain (trail starts at the very end of Madrone Ave. which is a narrow residential street). There is limited parking in the area and it's clearly marked. Chances are some of the neighbors might flag this review as they dislike drawing any more traffic to their streets. =============== For more hiking recommendations: http://www.yelp.com/list_details?list_id=kc_cpimm3r3OA07lrBGKBA read more

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I found the following link to be helpful as far as finding the trail. However, the parking after Olive was very helpful. Be awake when driving over here. Trees are smack dab in the road My friends and I ventured out here before dawn to wake up with the woods. The most majestic part of the canyon is Dawn Falls, but I encourage you to keep wandering. I'd like to visit during a heavy downpour, but it rained earlier this week and that was enough to hear the stream as we approached the falls http://bahiker.com/northbayhikes/baltcanyon.html read more

Dawn Falls - Dawn Falls @Dawn with my shiba - Hiking Near Me - Larkspur, California

My first trek in California, US, and I couldn't have been more thrilled. Mind you, it was a rainy weekend in California. And Dawn Falls topped the charts for hike/trek. It was all green in the forest, and you can see the fall colors once you reach little bit top. I could see many people trekking, walking, playing. Its a good place for kids, pets. People are very friendly. Though it can be tricky to find parking but wherever you park, its gorgeous all the way upto the top of the park read more

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Such a peaceful place! Beautiful scenery, tons of trees, well-defined trails, and not much poison oak along the trails. Very limited parking-about 12 spaces. I got there around 11:30 AM on a Tuesday and there were 2 spots left. read more

Dawn Falls - One of my new favorite hiking spots in Marin! - Hiking Near Me - Larkspur, California

We accessed the Dawn Falls trail from Larkspur. The road and parking are a challenge, especially for folks with a fear of cliffs or tight spaces. The trail is steep in places but well marked. I was testing hiking poles and was grateful for them on the way downhill. My knees aren't what they once were and the steep parts with loose dirt could have done me in. There was water in the Falls, even with our near record-breaking dry winter. Watch for the signs when crossing Crown Ridge Fire Road. We missed it and, but for other hikers, might have added a several extra miles to our day. Take water, and as I mentioned hiking poles may come in handy! read more

Parking is horrid. This is a residential neighborhood. But the hike? Amazing. Dog friendly. We love forest bathing here. Feels like a different world. These residents are quite lucky! read more

Visited this place in dec. Hike difficulty level - easy Greenery- huge redwood trees. Visit this place for a nice nature hike. Falls visible only when it rains well. read more

Let's keep this simple... - Visit during the rainy season to see the falls, otherwise just expect lots of trees. - Park down the street before you get to Echo Pl. - Walk up the road to find the trail and continue heading uphill & upstream - The hike is kid friendly but becomes a little steep as you approach the falls and has a narrow trail with a drop off. You'll want to keep little ones at arms length. - Expect to get wet and muddy during spring/winter, it's part of the fun. - Round trip is about 3 miles, and it's well worth the visit if you're looking for something quick and easy to do. read more

Very easy hike that we could take the kids and dog on, waterfalls were very impressive. Kids enjoyed hiding along the creek in a moderate to easy terrain. We loved the wooden bridges for photos. read more

This is a great place to go hiking with your dog. On the fire roads the dogs are allowed off leash. They are also allowed on all the surrounding trails although they are supposed to be on leash. We only passed one fresh water source so be sure to bring water for your pooch. On our recent hike we experienced a nice mix of difficulty from easy fire roads to steep trails. The falls and views were a great bonus to a relaxing Sunday hike. read more

This hike was absolutely gorgeous!! I am giving it 5 stars because it made all three of us (myself and my two children) happy. My complainer (12 year old daughter) didn't whine the entire time! This is shocking. She usually is a pretty unhappy camper about a mile in but she did the whole trek with no whining! I was impressed. She had so much fun running in and out of all the trees and finding lizards. She was content to be outside for once and that is a huge plus in my book! My teenage son liked this hike the most out of all the ones we have done before. We packed a picnic lunch and made a day out of it. This is a relatively easy hike to do. We took it slow and took breaks and made into an all day adventure. I will for sure be back to visit. read more

Dawn Falls - Hiking Near Me - Larkspur, California

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The dawn falls trail of Baltimore canyon is a KEEPER! The trail head is in a residential neighborhood on a narrow street. We went late Sunday morning and found a parking spot easy (maybe we got lucky?) It's a short 2.6mi (round trip from the start to dawn falls and back). It's a very well maintained trail that follows along the creek which leads up to dawn falls (that is if you hike this in the winter, for if you go right now, it is BONE DRY). Initially you feel like you're hiking in someone's back yard, but it's nicely shaded with tons of vegetation to keep the eyes busy while hiking and supposedly there are berries along the way (I didn't spot them). There are a lot of locals on this trail that either go trail running and walking their dogs (there are doggie bags provided at the head of the trail to remind you to pick up after your pet). The locals you meet on the trail are friendly, pretty much everyone that we crossed paths with made eye contact, smiled, and said hi. The hike is pretty easy. Not much of an incline until the last very short part where there are switchbacks to get to the dawn falls area. The falls seem like it would be impressive to see if it actually had water. The terrain is nice and firm, not all rocky and loose. You can choose to keep continuing up towards the fire road to the ridge (these locals told us, but it is at a good incline but I heard was worth doing). i love this hike b/c its short, shaded, not strenuous, and you have great payoff with that awesome waterfall at the end (if and when its there). the trail head is easy to find too! Eat pizza at that place Picco nearby. Great thin crust pizza. read more

I have hiked this trail several times. I live in SF, so it is an easy commute to the Larkspur area. I love this trail because my dog really enjoys the hike & so do I. Great scenery and some beautiful trees along the way. It's nice hiking in the canyon area. It's pretty shaded all the way to Dawn Falls. To the waterfall, it is pretty straight. There are some elevation gains on some hills at the end of trail that is close to the falls. I just went in early April 08, and there was pretty much just a trickle of water. Be sure that you check yourself and your dog for ticks at the end of your hike. My dog has been bit by a number of ticks throughout the years. Parking can be difficult, but about a block or so away from the trail, there is a side street to park your vehicle. Just don't block anyones driveway. If you want to make this trail longer, I usually will hike up dawn falls, connect with the hoo-koo-e-koo trail to blithesdale ridge to southern marine line and either come back down dawn falls or meander my way thru barbara springs to get back to my vehicle. Also, I usually like to hit one of the malls on my way back to SF. It's nice to shop in Marin at the outdoor mall area. REI is on the way back, as well, near Corte Madera. read more

Relaxing and beautiful walk with my golden retriever. I have taken her there twice and she seems to love it! I would say the hike is moderate. read more

charming hike. it's a beautiful walk under a canopy of madrone trees. no major elevation and mostly quite leisurely. don't expect grand vistas or breathtaking views. the actual waterfall is pretty small too and somewhat disappointing if you're looking for a big reward for your hike. but you will have a really pretty stroll immersed in towering redwoods. if you go in the spring, you'll see a nice bubbling creek next to you for most of the trail. everyone is very respectful here. dogs are picked up after, and there's definitely no litter anywhere. read more

Absolutely gorgeous. You're hiking alongside a creek surrounded by giant redwoods and there are a lot of trails off the beaten path if you like a little adventure. Overall it was an easy and scenic hike up to the waterfall, but if you like a challenge, continue to follow the zig zag trail up to hookooekoo trail and it will take you up to East Peak. Highly recommended for all nature lovers! read more

Dawn Falls - Hiking Near Me - Larkspur, California

I love this hike. Its a short hike that i can bring my dog on. Its shaded for the most part and has beautiful tall trees, not strenuous at all. If you make your way past the falls it can get a little harder for some people since there are a lot of stairs. At the top you will find more trails and it becomes more flat and sunny Parking is limited as it is in a residential area. (Madrone Ave) The waterfall. What waterfall? Sometimes you can see a bit of water running through. If youre looking for a grand fall. This is not it. You will be disappointed. read more

We hiked 1.5 miles to get here and there were no falls because it hadn't rained enough. Just a tiny little stream that looked like a leaky faucet. Disappointing, but great fodder for hours of sarcastic commentary afterward. read more

Gem of an easy hike. Dogs on leashes allowed. Parking can be tricky so snag it if you see a space early.