Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → San Francisco Bay Area → Muir Woods

Location: ~1 hour North of San Francisco

Distance: depending on the trail, 0.5 miles – 10 miles

Elevation Gain/Loss: depending on the trail, no significant gain/loss – to 1240 feet/1240 feet

Red Tape & Notes: no pets allowed, limited parking

What’s Nearby?: Marin Headlands, Golden Gate Bridge

Strap on your hiking boots (or any comfortable shoe if you’re just planning on doing one of the loop hikes) and go for a wander around the redwoods. Our suggestion is to head here first thing in the morning, as soon as the park is open, to avoid the crowds. If you can get in ahead of the crowds, you’ll stay ahead of them (because chances are, you won’t be on this website unless you’re a relatively fast hiker or want to go on the longer/harder trails that fewer people take). There are several trails and you can select one based on the time you have available.

Muir Woods proper only has about 6 miles of trails, and the recommended loop trails are all short (taking 30 minutes to 1.5 hours); however, many of the Muir Woods trails connect with Mt. Tamalpais State Park trails. For example, Stinson Beach via Dipsea Trail is a 10 mile return hike offering beautiful coastal views (obviously, because the destination is a beach) after you descend out of the redwoods. So if you’re interested in a longer hike than the park itself provides, don’t despair. You can find more information on the NPS website to help you plan your trip: nps.gov/muwo/index.htm

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → San Francisco Bay Area → Muir Woods