Pretty hike to a seasonal waterfall and a serene lake in Marin County. Best visited after recent rains.

Location: Mount Tamalpais Watershed

» Official Trail Map: Good color map showing various trails.

» Official Trail Map: Good B&W map showing various trails.

» Tom Harrison Map: Great map showing not only Mount Tamalpais Watershed but many other parks in its vicinity. One may form long loops by combining trails from multiple parks.

To Carson Falls: Follow Pine Mountain Road (1.0 miles) → left on Oat Hill Road (0.2 miles) → right on Little Carson Trail (0.6 miles) to reach a fork in the trail. Carson Falls is a series of smaller cascades / waterfalls. The left branch of the fork leads you to the upper section of Carson Falls. The right branch of the fork goes over a bridge and provides access to the lower sections of Carson Falls.

To Kent Lake: From Carson Falls, continue down Little Carson Trail (shaded, 0.6 miles) to reach a T-junction with Kent Pump Road. Turn right and continue for 0.9 miles until the trail ends at Kent Lake. This is a serene spot where you can absorb the lake.

To Azalea Hill Traihead: From Kent Lake, retrace your steps by following Kent Pump Road (0.9 miles) → left on Little Carson Trail (steep climb, 0.6 miles) to Carson Falls. Continue along Little Carson Trail (0.2 + 0.3 miles) → left on Oat Hill Road (0.3 miles) → right on Pine Mountain Road (1.0 miles) to Azalea Hill Trailhead on Bolinas Fairfax Road.

Notes: Yelp reviews for Carson Falls.

Location: (Azalea Hill Parking Lot) along Bolinas Fairfax Road, Fairfax, CA 94930 . No street address. Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: In Fairfax, go along Bolinas Road going west and drive 2.5 miles. Continue along Bolinas Fairfax Road and drive 1.3 miles to reach a parking lot for Azalea Hill on the left.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: April 2012)

Capacity: About 10 to 15 cars may be parked here.

Latitude: 37.963486     Longitude: -122.624888