Visiting The Muir Woods
San Francisco is such a beautiful area, and if you drive north just a short ways, you are in the spectacular Muir Woods! Here is more about the park and my experience :)
Hi hi people! :) It is almost the long July 4 weekend here! Do you have any fun plans? Vince's parents are coming to visit for the next week and my parents are coming up here as well this weekend! So excited for them all to meet for the first time :D I have been thinking about San Francisco a lot lately and visiting the Muir Woods was such an amazing experience.
History
Muir Woods is a coastal redwood forest. The trees are absolutely enormous and a really incredible sight. The Muir Woods was named after John Muir for all of the work he has done for our national parks. He is known as "Father Of Our National Parks". The park began to be heavy populated after its spreading popularity in 1913 which caused great harm to the park and the soil. The park is still heavily visited due to its beautiful redwoods, but the the park service is trying to do restoration work on the soil in hopes of bring some of the ecosystem back to life.
Location
If you head across the Golden Gate Bridge, you will not have to drive too much further to get to the Muir Woods. It is located just 16 miles or 35 minutes from downtown San Francisco. I think it is a must see when you are visiting San Francisco and you have the means to get there. Even if you don't have a car, it looks like places offer shuttles that will take you from San Francisco to Muir Woods! One other thing, if you are planning on crossing the Golden Gate Bridge you have to pay for a toll one of the ways :)
My Experience
My experience in Muir Woods was really really great. I couldn't believe how HUGE the trees were and how many there were too. I also loved that so close to such a busy city, was this nature area that can be really calming! I felt so relaxed being surrounded completely by the trees and I definitely recommend this experience to anyone. Muir Woods isn't a super big park and is accessible for anyone. There is no hiking involved and you can just go right up to the park and be in it right away.
When reading online, Muir Woods now requires a pass to park nearby, or you need to take a shuttle. We didn't experience this because they implemented this after we went. You can find more information on the reservation process here. As I mentioned earlier, you can take a shuttle from downtown San Francisco and this may be a good option with this new reservation process.
The Muir Woods is a must see spot when you are visiting the San Francisco area. I love that is is doable for anyone and doesn't involve any hiking. You can see beautiful redwood trees and get away from the city life for awhile! :)