A Walk Through Muir Woods National Monument

Michael Dixon
Feb 23, 2019
6 min read

Updated: Feb 24, 2019

I took a road trip from San Diego to Northern California last September.

I had a few National Parks in mind that I wanted to visit, but after recently becoming interested in the author, naturalist, and "Father of the National Parks", John Muir, I made it a priority to stop at Muir Woods National Monument.

As an avid hiking enthusiast, I loved the way Muir described his exploration of the Sierra Nevadas in the late-1800s, and I was excited about the opportunity to visit the park that bared his name.

When the park was named in his honor in 1908, John Muir said, "This is the best tree-lover's monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world."

After spending about two hours in the park, I emphatically agreed with Muir's endorsement.

This post is purely about my experience at Muir Woods National Monument and possibly to inspire others to visit. If you're planning a visit, check out my 10 Things to Know Before Visiting Muir Woods National Monument.

Getting There

After arriving in the San Francisco Bay Area by car, I made a brief, unexpected stop at John Muir National Historic Site, because I searched "John Muir" in Google Maps and selected the first result. I quickly realized I was at the wrong place by the serious lack of woods near Muir's original home in Martinez, CA.

If I had more time, I would've liked seeing the trails that Muir walked behind his home with his two daughters, but I pressed on as it was already past noon.

An hour later, I arrived in Mill Valley, the town where Muir Woods National Monument is actually located. I drove up the hillside roads and arrived at the driveway for the park.

I learned the hard way that you can't park inside the lot without a reservation and had to double back to the top of the hill, due to the complete lack of cell phone service in the park.

This was a bit frustrating initially, but part of the magic of Muir Woods is eliminating the possibility for visitors to get wrapped up in their phones.

Entering the Park

Stepping out of my car, there was a noticeable chill in the air.

Coming from the warm weather of Southern California, I was still acclimating to the cool NorCal temperatures during the tail end of September.

I changed into some warmer clothes in the backseat of my car, grabbed my Zulu 40 daypack, and filled my 3 Liter Camebak.

Minutes later, as I was leaving the parking lot, I noticed families with children and seniors, walking towards the entrance carrying nothing more than 16 oz water bottles with them.

I realized I was clearly overpacked and returned to my car to lighten my bag.

When I finally arrived at the visitor center, I paid the $10 entrance fee and was given a map of the park. I walked through the main gate, staring at my map and looking over the various trail options the park had to offer.

A few seconds later, I looked up from my map and was immediately awestruck by the beauty of the woods around me.

There is something to be said about having a genuinely novel experience. That's exactly what I felt when I was surrounded by tall old-growth redwood trees, seemingly reaching out through their branches and welcoming me into their embrace.

I've seen so much natural beauty in my travels thus far -- the Inca trail leading up to Machu Picchu, the red rock formations in Sedona, the high snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains, and the beautiful shorelines of Costa Rica -- but the redwood trees in Muir Woods will always hold a special place in my heart.

The trees were taller than any I'd ever seen. The sun would shine upon one side of their deep reddish-brown colors and create a collective landscape that took my breath away, and gave it back to me, the way that trees do.

Walking the Trails

I walked along the first bridge, passing over a quietly trickling stream. The bubbling of the water was barely audible, but lended its subtle magic to the trail.

The shade from the towering redwood trees shrouded the park in an element of secrecy that hid the park from the outside world. And without cell phone service or outside distractions, it was easy to become comfortably at peace within the woods.

Along the trails, there were small displays that described different aspects of the park's rich history, culture, and the wildlife. I stopped at each sign and learned something new and interesting.

Additionally, the park posted maps along the main trail anytime the trail diverged in different directions.

Each map showed where you were in the park and was accompanied by a “featured trail" section, which provided the trail length, difficulty, and a preview photo of what you could expect. Essentially, each sign was a Choose Your Own Adventure start point.

A Not So Quiet Cathedral

I traveled along "Creek Trail" and into "Cathedral Grove", the park's quiet sanctuary. As you enter the santuary, a sign reads “enter quietly”.

As I was by myself, this did not change my plans much.

I entered the "cathedral" with a great amount of respect. I even stopped taking pictures on my Nikkon, because the shutter gave off a sound that was unnatural to the ecosystem that the park service was helping cultivate.

I walked along the path and gazed in quiet amazement at some of the larger redwood trees and lush green landscape.

A family with a young boy and girl were following shortly behind me. The boy, of about twelve years old, was unimpressed with the park and complaining loudly about something. His parents tried rationalizing with him, but this only fueled a string of rebuttals from the boy, and added to the clamoring parade that followed me through the woods.

I increased my pace and walked ahead a short distance, but came to a stop when I saw a tree that I found particularly captivating.

I stopped and gazed at it for a 10 or 15 minutes and took several photos.

It had bright green foliage and a fascinating pattern of branches. I don't think anyone else in the park stopped to enjoy it quite like I did.

A bird flew along and landed on one of the tree's branches.

The bird had a shiny black and dark blue coat of feathers. It began to let out a strange caw and I tried to finding meaning the bird's presence and craggy song.

The bird only let out a few caws before I decided to continued on the trail.

I soon found myself at the farthest point of the park and desperately needed to use a restroom. Looking at one of the posted trail maps I located one at a neighboring campground outside of the official park.

Typically, I'd find the nearest tree or bush to pee on, but this place felt sacred to me, so I walked an additional 15-20 minutes off of the main trail to use the campground restroom.

Leaving the Park

After returning to the main trail, relieved, I noticed it was getting darker within the valley of Muir Woods and under the redwood trees' canopy.

I walked briskly towards the visitor center on the trail leading out, but not without stopping to take a few more photos of the woods.

The deep reds and browns of the trees during the day, now appeared grey in the lower light and resembled the hide of an elephant or rhinoceros.

As I neared the visitor center, I made a stop at the gift shop and purchased a few items to remember my day in the park. I bought a Muir Woods sticker, an art print, a metal pin for my backpack, and a bracelet made of local redwood.

I made it back to my car and drove out of Muir Woods feeling fulfilled. Having visited so many beautiful parks before, I was a surprised to have a new one scale my list of favorites so easily.

I hope to return to Muir Woods to enjoy the trails and walk beneath the shade of the old-growth redwoods once again. I'm truly grateful for awe-inspiring places like this and the people who help make them possible.

John Muir once wrote: