Marin waterfalls draw tourists following historic rains

Connor Castro of Novato said the last time he was at Buck Gulch falls it was “dry and yellow.”

But when he returned this month with friend Gabriela Baptista, who was visiting from New Jersey, he said he found it “lush with life.”

“It was awe inspiring. I haven’t seen it like that since I was little,” said Castro, who grew up in Novato and attends Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

A historic bout of storms has challenged recent water records, leaving Marin’s most scenic waterfalls a gushing, scenic paradise for locals and visitors alike.

Marin reservoirs at Alpine, Bon Tempe, Kent, Lagunitas, Nicasio, Phoenix and Soulajule are completely full, the entire 79,566 acre-feet. It is 109.34% of the average storage of 72,771 acre feet for this date.

Rainfall is beating records too. Current rainfall totals of 72.45 inches are 157.26% of the average rainfall of 46.07 inches for this date. And there’s still six months in the water year to go.

According to Marin Municipal Water District’s rainfall history, last year was just under the average rainfall total of 53 inches with 45.09 inches of rainfall. The total now is just shy of the 2017-18 year, which was about 74 inches. The banner year in recent history, 2015-16, was 96 inches of rain in a year.

Over the 48 hours period ending at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, San Rafael received 1.4 inches, Mount Tamalpais received 2.49 inches, Novato received 1.18 inches, Mill Valley received 1.5 inches and Point Reyes Station received 2.13 inches of rain, said Brooke Bingaman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

At Lake Lagunitas, there was 2.44 inches in the last 24 hours, according to MMWD.

“Generally when we do have a huge amount of rain that comes forth, those falls are highly sought out by hikers to see the beautiful waterfalls,” said Erica Frazier, an open space ranger with Marin County Parks.

Buck Gulch falls is at the end of Fairway Drive in Novato. A trail leads to the falls.

Also on county parks land is Cascade Canyon falls in the Cascade Canyon Preserve in Fairfax and Dawn falls in the Baltimore Canyon Preserve in Larkspur, which has an access point at Crown Road in Kentfield to the Southern Marin Line Fire Road.

For much of this wet winter season, parks employees have been busy with downed trees, Frazier said. She said visitors who bring dogs should keep them on leashes and out of the falls to protect the California newt and the yellow legged frogs that are native to the area.

Another area that has captured attention this season is Cascade falls in Mill Valley’s Cascade Park.

Kim Bellisimo, a wellness coach and resident of Mill Valley, said she meets her clients “from all over the world” there weekly.

“There’s so much energy at the waterfall,” she said. “It’s a sacred space where you can collect up that energy and really use it to create with and be filled with.”

Bellisimo said the waterfall allows people to reconnect with nature and reflect. It often pulls them out of their daily concerns and stresses, she said.

“We are out there rain or shine,” she said, referring to her dog Dexter.

Mark Neumann, operations superintendent for the city, said now is the prime opportunity to view the waterfalls, just after another significant influx of rain.

“The falls get really full with immediate rainfall,” he said. “I expect we will have water cascading over the falls at a higher level and later in the year. But the really remarkable scenes are really short after ready rainfall.”

Fallen trees in the area may have been a disincentive to some, despite the “tremendous natural beauty,” he said.

“They’re beautiful, but it can be kind of treacherous to get out there,” he said. “It’s remarkable how much water is going down.”

On MMWD’s lands, Cataract and Carson falls are popular spots.

In Fairfax, a 25-foot cascade called Fairfax falls is located in the Loma Alta Open Space Preserve. The fire road is reachable from the Glen Drive trailhead or the trailhead at the summit of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.

Another accessible waterfall in Novato is Waterfall Trail in the Indian Valley Open Space Preserve. Visitors can walk the loop around the ballfields, go through the open space gate, take the fire road and find a sign to the trail.

In West Marin, the Point Reyes National Seashore boasts Alamere falls, which involves a 12- to 13-mile hike along steep cliffs and through Wildcat Canyon.