Muir Woods is about 12 miles north of San Francisco, in a canyon on the western slope of Mount Tamalpais, and is one of the few old-growth coast redwood stands left in the Bay Area. The park says it has been federally protected as a national monument since 1908.
The forest
The NPS describes the park as 550 acres of old-growth coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), the tallest type of tree in the world, along Redwood Creek. Wikipedia gives the total as 554 acres, about 240 of them old-growth redwood. The monument is named for naturalist John Muir and sits on the homelands of the Coast Miwok people.
The canyon stays cool and damp all year, with average daytime temperatures between about 40 and 70 degrees, according to Wikipedia. Summer fog drips through the trees in the dry months, and winter rain soaks the ground. Rangers note that redwood forests are livelier than they look, with banana slugs among the regulars.
Before you go
- Parking reservations are required if you're driving. You buy them at GoMuirWoods.com, which also sells shuttle reservations when the shuttle is running.
- Hours: the park is open every day of the year from 8 a.m. until about sunset, except during emergency closures. The NPS warns that closing times change through the year and third-party map apps often get them wrong.
- Visitor center: open from 8 a.m. until 30 minutes before the park closes. The Muir Woods Trading Company and Cafe open at 9 a.m. and close about an hour before the park.
- Trails: boardwalks and benches make the main trails accessible to visitors with a range of mobility needs, and rangers lead daily programs, from 15-minute welcome talks to longer tours.
Nearby Muir Beach, the Muir Beach Overlook and Stinson Beach close one hour after sunset. For this season's shuttle schedule, see our Muir Woods shuttle story. To see where Muir lived, read our John Muir National Historic Site guide.