Muir Woods

We'd really wanted to see the Californian Redwoods, but we just couldn't face the long drive to the giant Sequoias, so we'd instead planned a trip to the much closer Muir Woods with its coastal Redwoods. These are not trees you can drive your car through (there are a number of these in California), but they are extremely tall and impressive.

On the way we'd planned to stop for lunch at Sausalito, which is a pretty town on the bay, with plenty of cafes, a ferry into the city, and shops. Its worth a stop and a wander down the Bridgeway Promenade.

Getting There

The drive from Sausalito to Muir Woods is about a 20-25 minutes (map). Its worth noting that the car parks at Muir woods can fill up, especially on weekends, so either go in the morning or on week days, or you can take a shuttle bus. If you drive like we did, when you get to the corner of Shoreline Hwy and Panaromic Hwy (see the marker on the map), the sign to Muir Woods will point you down the right fork. This is an extremely windy road, and you have to be very careful around the many blind corners. When we got to the car park Muir Woods, we were surprised to see quite a number of full size coaches. There was no way they navigated the tight corners we passed....

On the return journey, we decided we'd figure out how the coaches got in, so we headed west towards the coast on Muir Woods Rd. When we got back to Shoreline Hwy, we continued straight ahead, and we eventually got back to the above mentioned marker. This is at least three times further in distance, but it only takes an extra 5 minutes. If you suffer from motion sickness, or you have a large vehicle, you should take this route in both directions.

The Woods

Entry is $7 for adults, and children under 15 free. If you have four or more adults, you should consider the annual pass which will permit entry for your car.

When you arrive in the woods, you will feel the cooler air and smell the rotting undergrowth. You could easily spend days walking the many trails, but like most tourists we had come just to experience the majestic redwoods. The walk around the short hillside loop is only about 3 km (2 miles), and even on a busy day you can find some solitude.

Its certainly a beautiful area, and its fantastic that its been preserved so close to a large city like San Francisco. If you are in San Francisco, its definitely worth a visit.