Muir Woods

If visiting independently, follow the raised boardwalk from the park entrance and you'll find yourself at the crossroads of the park's easy and popular hiking trails. Alternatively, visit Muir Woods on an organized tour departing from San Francisco. Both half- and full-day options are available and often include stops at the nearby Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, coastal Sausalito, or even Napa & Sonoma wine country. Combined San Francisco city tours, bay cruises, and Muir Woods visits are also popular.

• The park has a gift shop, café, and visitor center at the park entrance.

• Purchase Muir Woods tickets in advance with your parking/shuttle reservation or on arrival to the park.

• Youth 15 and under don’t pay entrance fees.

• Skip the hassle of reserving a shuttle or parking spot in advance (availability is extremely limited) and book a tour with round-trip transportation instead.

• Walking tours and bike tours are among the most popular ways to see the area.

• The park has many accessible features, with boardwalk platforms throughout.

• Even the easiest hikes can stir up an appetite—stave off the hunger by booking a tour that offers a gourmet lunch in Sonoma County.

Muir Woods is located just 12 miles (19 kilometers) north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, making it an easy day trip from the city. It's possible to arrive by public transit, but the easiest way is by organized tour. If coming by car, drive north on Highway 101, continue north along Highway 1 (Shoreline Highway), then take the Panoramic Highway to Four Corners, where you'll turn left onto Muir Woods Road.

Muir Woods is open from 8am to sunset during summer and closes at 5pm in winter. The site can become quite crowded, especially on weekends, so try to come midweek, early in the morning, or late in the afternoon to beat the crowds. Even at busy times, a short hike will get you out of the densest crowds and onto trails with giant redwoods and stunning vistas though.

Hiking and biking along the well-marked trails are the most popular things to do in Muir Woods, but visitors can also look out for several critters such as chipmunks, squirrels, owls, and—near the Redwood Creek—sea otters. Kids can also enjoy their visit to Muir Woods with a free-to-download, activity-packed Junior Ranger booklet which includes animal-spotting activities.

Yes. Muir Woods National Monument is a natural wonder that preserves one of the Bay Area’s last remaining ancient redwood forests. A walk through these soaring trees, which are many hundreds of years old, inspires reverence and is well worth making the short journey from San Francisco.

Guided tours of Muir Woods National Monument typically take 1-2 hours to walk among the mighty redwood trees. If you book a tour that departs from San Francisco, you can expect the entire experience to take around 3.5 hours, including round-trip travel time.

Visiting Muir Woods with a guided tour has several advantages over driving there yourself. Primarily, you will enjoy a richer experience in the company of a guide who can offer expert insight into the forest, and you won’t have to worry about parking (reservations for which must be made in advance).

The best time to visit Muir Woods is from May to October, when the weather is mild and warm. To avoid summer crowds, visit in the early mornings or late afternoons. Early morning, when the trees are shrouded in thick fog, is a particularly magical time to visit.

One to two hours is enough to visit the main areas of Muir Woods. However, if you plan to hike one of the longer trails that lead around the national monument, you should give yourself between three and five hours.

No. You cannot drive through Muir Woods since no road leads through the national monument. The old-growth redwoods are not visible from any road. Moreover, all drivers (and shuttle riders) must book entry tickets in advance. Book a guided tour to avoid the reservation system; if you feel adventurous, hike in.