Redwoods, waterfalls, easy for the kids, good for biking, this hike has it all. So why is it almost empty? I hiked on this trail last weekend when the waterfall was just pouring down Alpine Dam. The parking spots on the side of the road were mostly full and I bet Cataract trail was stuck in a traffic jam. Once we walked onto Kent Pump FR, we saw only a few people on our 4 mile hike...and this day the trail was supposed to be packed. So what is keeping people from hiking Kent Pump FR? Do not say it is the drive, Cataract trail is a minute away and that trail is not empty during waterfall season. My guess is that this trail is undiscovered. Here are the directions along with the details of the hike:
Difficulty: Easy
Terrain: Mix of Douglas Fir and Redwood. Almost flat except for short downhill in the begining.
Crowds: Small
Best times: Good year round but best in the spring or after a heavy rain.
Length: 4.2 miles round trip.
Directions: Drive up Sir Francis Drake Blvd. until you hit downtown Fairfax. Turn onto Center Ave and to your left, you will see Fairfax Bolinas Rd. Go on the road until you reach Alpine Dam which is about 20-30 minutes from downtown Fairfax. At Alpine Dam, there are some parking spots and a fire road going into the canyon. Park in the parking spots there and the fire road will be your hike.
The hike: A gate blocks the fire road but it is perfectly fine to access it. Climb over the gate and you will begin the downhill. This is the only downhill of the entire hike, the rest of it will be almost level. Immediately, the scenery turns into a mixed forest with some redwoods. The downhill is not too steep because rangers sometimes drive down here to go to Kent Lake which this fire road will lead to eventually. The downhill levels out once the fire road is close to Lagunitas creek. A shorter fire road goes to the left, heading towards the Dam. At first, this fire road appears to be an alternate route to the trail head. The short route is covered in redwoods and once it reaches a small building at the Dam, there is a keep out sign. Right next to the Dam, there is another sign saying "keep out, this means you." They have a good reason because the waterfall out of Alpine Dam makes the Dam need a big "caution wet floor sign."
Back to the main fire road: The fire road is about ten feet away from the creek for about 0.3 miles and the redwoods dominate on the left side while the right side is a mixed forest. Soon, the fire road turns to the right and the views start to open towards Bolinas Ridge. The spots between the trees showing views of Bolinas Ridge are good photo oppurtunities. The lovely redwood filled area between Bolinas Ridge trail and Lagunitas Creek is trailless. The terrain starts to change as the forest becomes more of a Douglas Fir/hardwood forest. At about this point, there is a partially dead tree that sticks up and is a a great photo oppurtunity. The fire road still does not leave the trees who accompany it for the rest of the hike. 2.1 miles in, the trail meets Old Vee FR and the hike ends.
Additional options: You can easily continue on Kent Pump FR which continues for another 2.4 miles through the same mixed forest, mostly level terrain. It ends at Kent Lake. You can also climb up Old Vee FR which rises steeply to Oat Hill FR 1.1 miles away. There is a loop option by continuing on Kent FR to Big Trees trail. This trail then rises slowly at first but then steeply toward Carson Falls (nice but overrated) and then goes to Oat Hill FR. The loop ends by continuing on Oat Hill FR to Old Vee FR and back to Kent Pump FR. I personally would not recommend the loop because it is steep and 8 miles long. But go ahead and make up your own mind.
I've hiked this several times, from beginning to end (the road disappears in Kent Lake). It is indeed lovely, and abandoned, as well. One could, presumably, do both falls in one day, as the hike up to Carson is steep, but of moderate distance, and then one could turn around and walk to Cataract.
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