Alamere Falls via Palomarin and Wildcat Beach

Alamere Falls via Palomarin is a roughly 13.2-mile round-trip hike. From Palomarin Trailhead, the Coast Trail rolls north to Wildcat Camp, then a beach access path leads to about 1.1 miles south along Wildcat Beach. At the end, water drops about 40 feet from coastal bluffs onto the sand. Allow six to eight hours. This suits hikers who want a full day of changing coast and forest and can line up the beach section with a safe tide and surf window. The repeated climbs make the return feel longer than the map suggests, and the sand adds a different kind of work.

Bass Lake is 2.8 miles from the start, making a useful 5.6-mile round-trip alternative if you want the coastal approach without committing to the beach and falls. Keep to the recommended Wildcat Camp route for the falls. The eroded old bluff route is unmaintained; loose ground and cliff exposure there have led to rescues.

The first mile follows ocean bluff tops, then the path turns inland, drops into a small valley, and climbs switchbacks over a pass. Small ponds, Bass Lake at 2.8 miles, and a view of Pelican Lake at about 3.4 miles break up the hike. After another 0.8 miles, the trail reaches the Ocean Lake Loop junction. Stay on Coast Trail for the direct route through coastal scrub and forest, then descend the final 0.2 miles to Wildcat Campground. The alternate Ocean Lake Loop drops by Ocean Lake before climbing steeply to bluffs with views along the shore; its two branches rejoin after 1.1 miles, so treat it as an optional variation, not part of this trail's distance.

The terrain is a repeated mix of climbing and descending, not one long climb. You will earn your miles before the beach, and you retrace those hills on the way back.

From the south side of camp, use the well-worn access to Wildcat Beach and continue south only when the water leaves a safe passage. High tide can cover the beach; even at low tide, surf can push waves to the bluff base. There is no tide height that guarantees a safe crossing. The beach usually has more exposed sand in summer and fall than in winter and spring, but check both tide and surf conditions before you go. If waves reach the bluffs, turn around rather than squeezing through.

The waterfall drops about 40 feet straight onto the beach, an unusual coastal finish after miles of bluff, lakes, and woods. A photo that keeps some of Wildcat Beach and coastline around the falling water shows where the stream lands. Take it from open sand, well back from eroding cliff edges, and never climb down from above.

Palomarin Trailhead is at the northwest end of Mesa Road. Its gravel and dirt lot holds about 75 vehicles and fills very early on weekends year-round and many summer weekdays. The last 1.2 miles of Mesa Road is unpaved and often potholed and washboarded. Late arrivals may be turned away when the lot fills, so do not count on roadside parking.

There are four vault toilets at the trailhead, but no potable water there and no food services at or beyond the trailheads. Wildcat Campground has a water faucet roughly one mile north of the falls; fill before setting out and bring food for the long hike. Pets are prohibited on the route. Service dogs are allowed.