Rock Springs Trailhead — Attraction in Mill Valley

The drive to this trailhead is stunning. The road is narrow and lots of bikers, so you have to be careful.

We parked here, there is enough parking snd some bathrooms (with sanitizer and paper towel) which is nice.

Started the Cataract trail and walked towards Laurell Dell Pic nic zone. This segment of trail is pretty flat and easy. The second segment is continuing on catarct trail going down the slope towards cataract falls (magnificent and beautiful) and finally to the alpine lake and towards cataract fall trailhead where one could have alternatively parked and started the journey. This segment of the trail is also not that hard as you are going "downwards". It is however not ideal for those with joint/knee pain or mobility issues. The biggest challenge is coming back up from alpine lake towards Laurell Dell Pic nice zone as the entire path is uphill and includes lots of stairs and rocks along the way.

Overall the out and back from Rock Spring Trailhead to Cataract falls trailhead took us under 3 hours and that includes stopping to take pictures and I would consider the trail of moderate difficulty for avid hikers.

Once you are at the Rock Spring Trailhead, there is also a viewpoint: Vista of San Francisco. Check it out, it give a nice pano view of SF.

I wish people with dogs were more respectful of rules and other hikers, and would keep their dogs on a lead (leash) as the trail is narrow and some folks are not comfortable with dogs coming so...

Absolutely gorgeous trails with a map at the trailhead letting you know the difficulty level of each. At the trailhead, there are portable restrooms. Dogs are welcome on the trails, but of course, make sure to pick up after them and bring food and water for them. There is a serene little picnic area about 1.4 miles from the trailhead. If you take the Cataract Trail, make sure to wear shoes with good grip since there are little streams running through the trail that make the walkway slippery. Hiking back to the trailhead requires going up a lot of stairs (my fitness tracker counted about 125...

My favorite place so far to start a hike/run as you can go in any direction from here, and those paths branch off further. Lots of possible hiking experiences available with rocky paths, waterfalls, forest glades, streams, abandoned military areas, etc.

There are a couple porta-potties at this parking lot which are never pleasant but better than nothing when you’re halfway up a mountain!

A fun activity I did from this lot once was an REI compass navigation class. Would recommend that as a gift for anyone you know who loves the outdoors if it is...