Family walking a trail in Muir Woods National Monument in California

From Muir Woods to San Francisco Bay’s Edge

One of the reasons I wanted to go to the San Francisco area was to visit Muir Woods. Muir Woods is a US National Monument. I wrote about national monuments in a previous post. Muir Woods is one I had read about and wanted to explore.

It took us about two hours to drive north from where Andrea lives to reach Muir Woods. The drive took us over the Golden Gate Bridge, and shortly after crossing we turned west. We started climbing a hill, and the road turned quite twisty. When we reached the top, we had a view back towards San Francisco. However, we didn’t stop. We then headed down an even more narrow and twisty road to get to Muir Woods.

The first thing to know about visiting Muir Woods is that you need a reservation. Because of limited parking, they require guests to make a parking reservation. If visitors show up without a reservation, the staff will tun them away. A basic car is $9.50. There is also an additional fee to enter the park. However, with my senior America the Beautiful pass, Andrea and I didn’t need to pay that.

The main trail through Muir Woods is fairly level. It starts with a boardwalk which is nice and wide and easy to walk. The trail here mainly parallels Redwood Creek. The sound of running water provides a tranquil background as visitors walk through the park. After passing a large slice of an old redwood we encountered a ranger talk. However, she was almost done with her talk as we arrived.

  • Wood carving showing the wing span of birds at Muir Woods in California
  • People standing near the sign indicating the entrance to Muir Woods in California
  • Slice of an old redwood tree on display at Muir Woods in California
  • Woman walking down the boardwalk at Muir Woods in California
  • People sitting on a bench listening to a ranger talk at Muir Woods in California
  • Group of children and adults walking the boardwalk at Muir Woods in California
  • Small group of people walking among the redwoods at Muir Woods in California

Walking through the park, the redwood trees overshadow everything. They are quite tall as one would expect. They also cast a nice shadow so while the weather was sunny, it was not hot underneath the trees.

From time to time trails would go off from the main trail. One of them was fairly steep so that stairs were added to climb up. Visitors could also walk over one of the various bridges along the way that crosses Redwood Creek. They could then return back to the entrance on the other side of the creek. The nice thing is by making this loop visitors can walk however far they are comfortable walking.

The trails are wide and in generally good shape. We saw a few visitors using wheelchairs and parents pushing strollers as well. This makes Muir Woods accessible for a variety of people that might not be able to hike into the woods along steep and narrow trails such as in the redwood forests farther north.

  • Dirt trail going by a large redwood tree at Muir Woods in Californai
  • Creek running through the center of Muir Woods in California
  • Tree curving over a creek in Muir Woods in California
  • Wooden bridge crossing a stream in Muir Woods National Monument
  • People climbing up a trail using stairs placed in the path in Muir Woods in California
  • Wooden handrails guide guests along the trail between two redwood trees in Muir Woods in California

One of the interesting things about redwoods is their connections. The root systems go quite a distance, and new trees can come up if the original tree is stressed. As a result one sees redwood circles in which a number of the trees seem to cluster together. At times they literally connect to each other above ground as well.

  • Stand of redwood trees lined up in a row in Muir Woods in California
  • Redwood trees crowded together in Muir Woods in California
  • Large trunks of redwood trees nearly touching at Muir Woods in California
  • Rotting stump of a redwood next to two standing redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument
  • Row of redwood trees connected together at their bases in Muir Woods in California
  • A redwood tilting somewhat among other redwoods at Muir Woods National Monument

Besides the redwoods there are also California bay trees throughout the woods. As we were walking a ranger pointed out a yellow leaf to us and informed us it was a bay leaf. He encouraged us to break it and note its strong fragrance. In fact he said he collects leaves and then grinds them up and puts them in a bowl to add fragrance to his house. The fragrance was strong. However, the trees themselves were not particularly noticeable through the forest.

While there were not a lot of colorful flowers in the woods, we did see some. One has to keep an eye out for them or it would be easy to walk right past them. We felt many people were doing that. They were following the trail, chatting with their friends and seemed to be oblivious to the nature around them. That seemed rather unfortunate.

  • White colored trillium with its three leaves in Muir Woods National Monument
  • Small blue striped flower among green leaves at Muir Woods in California
  • Frilly red flower n a long stalk at Muir Woods in California
  • Flower with white fuzzy parts seen in Muir Woods in California
  • Pink trillium from the side at Muir Woods National Monument
  • Small white flowers on long stems at Muir Woods in California
  • Round flower head with pinkish buds at Muir Woods in California

Nature is also quite creative. Looking at moss covered areas as well as hillsides with exposed roots revealed some interesting patterns and colors that created some unique abstract art. The plants themselves also have artistic forms to them.

  • Rotten moss covered stump with some dried leaves on it at Muir Woods National Monument
  • Mew fern fronds poking up at Muir Woods in California
  • Roots of trees twist together in Muir Woods National Monument
  • Arched fern frond with a brown end in Muir Woods in California
  • Green pattern of moss seen on old bark in Muir Woods in California
  • Base of a redwood tree with various sections in Muir Woods National Monument
  • Curved branch of an evergreen tree with its needles in Muir Woods National Monument
  • Green plant tendrils twisting in the air at Muir Woods In California

We didn’t see a lot of wildlife here. Perhaps all the people kept them away. We did see some birds and slugs. The banana slugs here were pretty big, and we spotted a number of them throughout our hike.

When we got to the end of the main trail, we did climb up stairs to a trail on the other side of the creek that was higher up on the hillside. From there we could look down into the canyon below. We could still faintly hear the water flowing. However, we were still not above the redwoods. They continued to tower above us.

  • Sign next to a trail with stairs indicating the trails ahead at Muir Woods in California
  • WOman approaching a bridge over a ravine in Muir Woods National Monument.
  • WOman standing on a trail looking out over the redwood trees at Muir Woods in Californai
  • Looking down on a couple walking a lower trail at Muir Woods in Californai
  • Tall redwood tree in front of a trail at Muir Woods in California
  • Couple turning the corner of a trail in Muir Woods National Monument

This trail took us almost back to the first bridge crossing. Going down to the main trail level was a fairly steep incline, but no stairs were needed to get there. We then sat on a bench looking out over the creek and the trees beyond as we enjoyed our lunch. Before we left Muir Woods, we walked down the opposite side of Redwood Creek. We saw some narrow trail passages between trees.

  • The rails along a trail are barely seen among the redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument
  • Narrow trail between two large redwood trees in Muir Woods National Monument
  • Man walking on trail between two tall redwoods at Muir Woods in California
  • Dark part of the trail through the redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument
  • Redwoods beside the trail in Muir Woods National Monument
  • Couple walking the boardwalk our of Muir Woods in California

After finishing our hike we again had to take the winding road out of the canyon. We had decided to spend the night in the area as we had plans in San Francisco for the next day. It was more convenient to stay north.

Since this day was my birthday, I wanted to go out for a nice meal. However, that was easier said than done. As I looked over menus online from our hotel room, the ones I found were quite expensive. They didn’t fit my budget travel mindset even if it was my birthday.

Finally we settled on a Mexican place in Tiburon. A few years ago we took a boat out to Angel Island in San Francisco Bay and hiked around the island. One of the stops for the boat was Tiburon, and I thought it would be a fun place to explore. The town itself is pretty small, mostly lined with expensive restaurants. However there are some nice trails along the water.

After dinner we took the trail directly out of town going east along the shore line. It’s a short trail that climbs a little into the nearby hill lined with expensive homes. We were lucky enough to be there with the Pride of Madeira blooming. Those plants were huge with large stalks. The blues and purples were very nice. I initially thought they were lupine, but they are a much bigger plant.

  • Dock area at Tiburon, California for ferry passengers
  • White beds with red spikes on a tree seen in Tiburon, California
  • Trail along the water's edge in Tiburon, California
  • Close up of a Pride of Madeira plant in Tiburon, California
  • Hillside covered with the blue flowers of Pride of Madeira in Tiburon, California
  • House on the top of a hill in Tiburon, California with the trail down bordered by Pride of Madeira.

The views along the trail included San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Angel Island. We turned around by Lyford Tower. Dr. Benjamin Lyford had this tower built at the entrance to a planned community in the area. As we finished our walk we took time to check out the boats in the marina.

  • Ferry leaving Tiburon for San Francisco, California
  • The Gold Gate Bridge in San Francisco stands our above a stand of Pride of Madeira
  • Tiburon, California homes along the bay with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
  • Lyford tower in the blue light of evening in Tiburon, California
  • Boats in the marina of Tiburon, California

We finished our day with some gelato and then headed back to our hotel to get a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s activities. Read about that next week. A hint: we saw lots of cells. It was a great experience so I hope you will look for the post next week. Until then thanks for your likes and comments and keep traveling.

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