Stopping by the Woods – Muir Woods, California
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep” – Robert Frost
Muir Woods epitomizes this quote. I visited this U.S National Park in 2019 when I had taken a side trip to San Francisco after my work trip to Houston. From SF, the Muir Woods tour was arranged as a half day trip. When I had planned the trip I had no idea how fulfilling this experience would be, how enriching a sojourn. This is a must do trip from San Francisco – everyone out there and not just nature lovers.
Reaching the Woods
I booked the Muir Woods Tour via Tower Tours which included a shuttle bus ride to the woods and back to SF plus the entry ticket to the Muir Woods itself. It also included a tour guide for the shuttle ride part. I compared this with the Big Bus tours – this was cheaper, and the pickup point was much more convenient.
Tip: You can also drive or bike there but parking there is limited and from what I gleaned on the internet, its better to take this shuttle. Know more here.
- Cost for the tour was $69 at that time (all inclusive) but do check the latest prices here.
- Starting point of the shuttle bus is the Tower Tours office near Fisherman’s Wharf.
- Tour guide gives commentary as we drive through the city and to the woods.
The 30-minute drive to the woods is over the Golden Gate Bridge and through the lovely town of Sausalito – my trip to which I have previously shared. I was treated once again to the wonderful views of the Pacific Bay and the iconic Golden Gate. It was a typical San Francisco foggy morning and the drive was an enervating one.
Once there, I was free to enter and wander as I wished but had to return within 2.5 hours for return trip.
Muir Woods National Monument
The woods are officially called the Muir Woods National Monument. It is an isolated canyon filled with ancient coastal redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens) which are native to the Pacific Coast. It is a United States National Monument and is under the National Park Services. Congressman William Kent donated the land to protect the redwoods from the logging industry boom and insisted it be named after naturalist John Muir.
The redwoods are over 1000 years old and tower to heights of 260ft!! These are some of the oldest sequoias of California which are sustained by the region’s famous temperate marine fog.
“This is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world” – John Muir
Hiking Trails
The entire forest is laid out in numerous hiking trails of various levels of difficulty but with different views and experiences. There is a map at the entrance to indicate all the trails and their routes. At various points where there are branch offs for a new trail, there are markings and a map indicating the trail start. The map also includes information on the estimated time required to complete that particular trail and the difficulty level of the same.
The main trail is the Redwood Creek trail which covers the main area of redwood alleyways interspersed by creeks at ground level. One can cut off at various bridges – Bridge 1/2/3/4 – and loop back to the start.
Some of the other notable trails:
- Bohemian Grove Trail
- Hillside Trail
- Ben Johnston Trail
- Dipsea Trail
- Bootjack Trail
- Canopy View Trail
I took the main Redwood Creek trail right upto the Bridge 4 which took about 45 minutes. From there I returned to the main trail via the Hillside Trail which is where I climbed above the main ground level of the forest and hiked along the lower edges of the mountains. This took about an hour.
The hikes provided good exercise and I could feel my adrenaline pumping as I explored the trails and went up and down the hilly paths. The weather is cool and pleasant and is very embalming and invigorating.
Tip: Do carry a jacket with you at all times of the year since it gets chilly inside due to all the tree cover.
Towering Beauty of the Redwoods
The hike through the woods was an amazing experience. The lofty trees soaring into sky was a stunning sight to behold. Here and there were some small streams intersecting the dense forest and adding to the beauty of the scenery. The dense redwoods were sometimes grouped into groves, sometimes they stood like sentinels guarding the inner secrets of the forest. Along the base of the trees were shrubberies crowded with such pretty flowers!
Even though most of the trees are redwoods, the view never got boring or repetitive. Each tree seemed unique in its own right and had its own personal charm – some were knotted, some bent double, some with double trunks, some with mini caves at their base; the diversity was unbelievable.
Be One with Nature
The woods are so calm and serene that it pervades your soul and brings that sense of peace in you. The tinkling sound of flowing water along with the occasional chirping of birds were the only sounds and it was such melodious music to the ears.
The strength of the trees provided proof of the longevity of nature and inspires one to help preserve the redwoods as they are. There were few trees which had been struck by lightning and literally burnt to the ground some time back. From those scorched remains, the trees grew back and ascended to their true glory. Nature is resilient but we should never take that for granted. Care and love are much needed by them.
Due to dense population of the trees, there is not much wildlife in the forest – but that’s how nature works and its a wonderful ecosystem.
Café and Shop
Near the entrance gate are the woods’ café and shop. The café boasted of delicious cookies and other food which I unfortunately had no time to taste. The shop sells pretty curios and mementos – magnets, Tshirts, keychains etc. Do check them out and buy one memento of this beautiful monument. I got a cute magnet.
This post was written as part of Blogchatter Half Marathon and Blogchatter’s Cause A Chatter campaign.
