When we left San Francisco, as I mentioned, we were ready to get out of the urban and experience some nature. We were ready for the wild and untamed part of California (although, admittedly, Haight-Ashbury was fairly wild and untamed). Our first stop driving up Route 1 was Muir Woods. And we were not disappointed by this experience.
New to our Trip? Be sure to check out our kick-off article and FAQs on our trip up California’s Route 1 with the family. The full itinerary, including stops and lodging, can be found here.
The Muir Woods National Monument is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (which I delve into in this post). Given its close proximity to San Francisco at only 16 miles away, it is incredibly popular.
In fact, Muir Woods has gone to a reservation system. As you may imagine given my Smoky Mountains article, we actually appreciated this fact. It controls the amount of crowding inside the park, not only making it a more enjoyable experience for those who do go but the limitation also protects the forest.
If you plan to go to Muir Woods, get your reservation in advance!
You may end up having to take a shuttle from an off-site parking lot, even with reservations, simply due to the crowds. We got one of the first timed-entry tickets allowed on the day of our visit and were able to park very close to the Visitors Center.
Muir Woods is actually not that large, considering its fame, at just over 554 acres. Inside the National Monument section of the park, there are only 6 miles of hiking trails.
There are a lot of trails that connect with trails and routes in Mt. Tamalpais State Park – also known as Mt. Tam and a pilgrimage of sorts for Mr. Family Trip as Mt. Tam is said to be the birthplace of mountain biking.
It helps to pick out your route ahead of time, especially if you are going to be crossing parks. We stayed inside Muir Woods and found the hiking very easy and quick. It was very family-friendly and some of the main trail is actually a boardwalk.
Walking around, we had plenty of time to take in our surroundings. We enjoyed our first experience with these amazing trees.
Muir Woods is ultimately a tale of the sadness of unchecked human harvesting alongside the difference a few people can make.
Surprisingly, famed naturalist and environmental advocate John Muir is NOT the premiere individual who worked tirelessly and had the forethought to save this last piece of untouched redwoods land near San Francisco from logging. The person ultimately responsible for that was William Kent, a California politician who eventually made his way to Congress.Â
When it was suggested that the new National Monument be named after him (Kent Monument) he demurred and suggested, instead, John Muir. The famous naturalist and Kent had bonded over their work through the years to save natural places in California from destruction. Even after that namesake and hard work together, though, Kent and Muir severed their relationship over the flooding of Hetch Hetchy valley (which is an interesting story, if you care to read).
There was a monument to Kent at Fern Canyon, placed near his favorite tree in the park – which was a Douglas fir, not even a redwood (like, really Kent?!). But it eventually fell down and was removed. Telling you all this kind of makes me feel bad for Kent. Being a politician is hard, y’all.
Muir Woods was, and is, ultimately worth saving. Without a doubt.
The oldest tree in Muir Woods is 1,200 years old, and the trees can get up to 300 feet. It’s hard to conceive of this in the mind’s eye. It really does require a visit.
The ecosystem created by these large trees is unlike any we’ve seen, and stunning. We loved our quick hike through the National Monument, with the light streaming in and the ferns growing under foot.
It is hard not to longingly wonder what the world would be like now, what California would be like now, if more acres of this virgin forest hadn’t been harvested.
I am not naïve: I know humans need to use what is provided by nature to survive and to progress. But I also believe that taming our wildest trends towards excess and greed is important. How prescient that Kent stepped in and saved what he did. Could you even imagine San Francisco Bay area without these towering redwoods defining a piece of it?
Now think back to how majestic and rugged the entire area must have been before businesses ransacked these never-before-touched forests … I get chills thinking of what it must have looked like.
Roughly 1.2 million people visit Muir Woods every year. So at this point, it isn’t going to be a quiet or solitary experience with these big trees. And while there are groves, accurately called “cathedrals,” where you will want to sit and relish all of this great creation, the fact is that you will be sharing the space with a lot of other tourists.
Given their entrance control, though, it didn’t feel overwhelming or like too much. But this is an easy place to see large redwoods – it is not a place to go to get lost in them and disappear into a landscape created before humans. Between the small amount of trails and the large amount of visitors, it’s a shared experience at Muir Woods.
I know it’s not available to every family, but the awe these trees inspire is why you need to move on and keep going – to where you can really get lost in this unearthly ecosystem – to the Redwoods National Park.
Having been to both, I can unequivocally say that while Muir Woods is easy to get to and a great experience, especially having never seen redwoods before, the sheer monstrosity of this environment is more keenly felt at some redwoods forests up the coast, especially nearing the National Park.
While it is true that walking into Muir Woods feels like a religious experience – we noticed that people quiet themselves and for the most part begin speaking in hushed voices, it can’t be helped – it’s nothing like the emotions and the feelings when you get lost in even BIGGER redwoods.Â
So sure, see Muir Woods, but then move on and see the bigger version. Keep going.
And speaking of humans and preservation and the way we steward natural resources, I will ring a familiar bell here …
Stay on the trail! And don’t touch the trees! Don’t walk all over their root systems. Redwoods are known for having fragile root systems due to how close they are to the surface.
You can get your perfect social media photo inside a gigantic tree at designated areas within Muir Woods. Hold out for those. Otherwise, you are destroying what will be for future generations for the sake of a photo opp.
Keep the trees and the redwoods safe so that my kids’ kids have the opportunity to experience this epic natural wonder.
If Kent can save 550 acres from corporate profit, we can certainly stay on the trail to help.Â
These trees are worth it.
For more on Muir Woods National Monument, and to get reservations, visit www.nps.gov/muwo.
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