VERDICT: WE GAVE 3 OUT OF 5 TICKETS AND HERE’S WHY!
This guide forms part of our complete USA Travel Guide, featuring scenic road trips, iconic destinations, practical travel advice and honest first-hand travel experiences from across the United States.
Welcome to MUIR WOODS
The Facts: The parking situation is not great so there were constant backups but there was a park ranger out front directing traffic the best he could. This made us happy we had taken the shuttle bus. It’s $5 per person to take the shuttle.
PLEASE REMEMBER THIS: you pay once you get to the park & if you do not get your shuttle ticket you will NOT be allowed back on the bus.
It was $10 per person to go in to the park… we didn’t have a problem with that as the money goes to help preserve the park – what we did have a problem with was that tons of people were walking in right past the ticket window without paying since there is no gate. We also discovered that it took nearly two hours of waiting before we could get the bus back down to our car because there were so many people.
I’m not saying don’t go to Muir Woods – I’m just saying to expect your excursion there to take a lot longer than you might think. Despite waiting for the shuttle for so long, I would still suggest doing it that way because if there are even close to as many people as when we went… you’ll be walking miles from where you’ve parked your vehicle to get in to the park. MILES.
The history of Muir Woods is really fascinating!
Muir Woods is one of the last stands of old-growth Redwood forests on Earth. If you’ve read my other posts about our trip to San Francisco you’ve seen me mention @KarlTheFog, he is, well, the fog in San Francisco. Not only is he super helpful for growing some wicked, awesome grapes for Sonoma & Napa Valley wines but he is also partly responsible for such lush & green forests such as Muir Woods. These trees thrive because of Karl the Fog, as do the ferns & other ground cover that helps protect the Redwoods roots.
William & Elizabeth Kent purchased this forest in 1908 & then donated it to the nation, requesting President Theodore Roosevelt name it in honour of John Muir, an intrepid explorer, naturalist & environmental activist. There is a gift shop & a nice cafe with a lot of choices for food & drinks, but you can only take water on the actual hikes with you as there are wild animals, of course & National Parks does not want any form of litter to be left around or any feeding of the animals.
Here are the hiking routes in & around Muir Woods:
Main Trail Loop – takes about 30 mins to an hour, it’s about a 2 mile round trip & is classified as easy to hike. The path is wide, paved & wheelchair/stroller accessible.
Bootjack Trail to Ben Johnson Trail Loop – takes about 4 hours, it’s about a 6 mile round trip & is classified as moderate to hike.
Canopy View Trail to Lost Trail to Fern Creek – takes about 2 hours, it’s about a 3 mile round trip & is classified as moderate, and is steep in sections.
Canopy View Trail to Redwood Trail to Sun Trail to Dipsea Trail – takes about 3 hours, it’s about a 5 mile round trip & is classified as moderate to hike.
Ben Johnson Trail, Return via Dipsea Trail – takes about 3 hours, it’s about a 4 mile round trip & is classified as a moderate/strenuous hike.
Fern Creek Trail to Camp Eastwood – takes about 2 hours, it’s about a 3 mile round trip & is classified as moderate to hike.
Redwood Creek Trail to Muir Beach – takes about 2 hours one way, it’s about 3 miles (one way) & is classified as an easy hike. PS there are poison oak & ticks along this trail.
More helpful information including key facts:
Muir Woods National Monument sits just north of San Francisco and protects one of the finest remaining stands of old-growth coast redwoods in California. Established in 1908, the 559-acre monument is famous for trees soaring up to 258 feet tall, some more than 1,200 years old. Around 6 miles of well-maintained trails wind alongside Redwood Creek, an important habitat for Coho salmon and several endangered species.
Location: Marin County, just north of San Francisco
Distance from San Francisco: ~16 miles (30–45 minutes without traffic)
Typical visit: 1.5–2 hours inside the monument
Reservations: Required in advance for parking or shuttle access
Best time to visit: Early morning or late afternoon for fewer crowds
Weather: Cool year-round and often foggy—layers are essential
Long before it became a protected monument, the area, then known as Redwood Canyon, was home to the Coast Miwok. They used controlled burns to manage the forest, encouraging new growth that attracted deer and supported sustainable hunting practices.
Good to know: Cell service inside the forest is extremely limited. Cathedral Grove is the first permanent quiet zone in the U.S. national park system, and rangers strongly encourage visitors to silence phones and move through the forest quietly. The effect is powerful and intentional.
The truth behind the name: Although President Theodore Roosevelt initially planned to name the monument after Congressman William Kent, who donated and protected the land, Kent urged him to honor John Muir instead. Muir’s advocacy for wilderness preservation helped inspire congressional protection of the area, making his name the natural choice.
One last myth to clear up: while films like Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Outbreak, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes were shot in redwood forests, they were not filmed in Muir Woods itself. The monument remains protected from commercial filming; quiet, timeless, and refreshingly untouched.
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