Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Cascade along Cataract Falls

Small cascade, Cataract Falls (1of2)

This weekend I really wanted to find some waterfalls since we've had so much rain in the Bay Area lately, and Cataract Falls on the western slopes of Mount Tamalpais has been on my list for quite some time. We picked an awesome day to see it for the first time, as the water was really flowing, and the overcast skies helped to bring out the awesome green colors of moss and ferns found all over the wet rocks. It almost had a feeling of walking through a tropical rain forest, although with the occasional redwood tree sprinkled in.

Here's a vertical take on the same scene that I liked as well, with the lifting fog in the background.
Small cascade, Cataract Falls (2of2)

This was a relatively easy hike, although it is fairly steep as you follow the creek vertically past a number of large waterfalls. It's a hike well worth taking with all of the wet weather we've had, although I suggest getting there early, since there is only limited parking along the roadside, and it fills up quick. This seems to be the place to be though -- as I've seen this set of falls featured on SFGate.com and on one of the local news channels here.

This last shot is of a tiny creek that was flowing into Alpine Lake Reservoir, before we even made it to the real falls.
Redwoods and Waterfalls

8 comments:

  1. Nice shots there, Pat. Reminds me of MY neck of the woods! Look forward to more shots.

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  2. Wow! Though I do have to say, the pictures almost look as if they were painted...

    Lovely composition :)

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  3. Hi Pat. I like that you came away with shots of the less-photographed waterfalls.

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  4. Thanks, John. I found myself pulled more towards the smaller cascades and their awesome green colors than I did to the larger falls.

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  5. I love these shots, Pat. Cataract Falls is my favorite place in the Bay Area. I've wanted to return in winter for several years now.

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  6. Thanks, Richard. It really was a beautiful hike, especially with the high flows right after the week of storms.

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  7. I love your waterfall pictures, specially the last for the composition and the subjects.

    Jean-Michel
    http://leblogdugeai.canalblog.com

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