A Majestic Must-See
Written: Aug 29 '05 (Updated Jan 26 '09)
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Pros: Very accessible, nice trails
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: Take your family here to see the wonderful Redwood trees and see Mother Nature outside of the bustling city.
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| louisebelle's Full Review: Muir Woods National Monument |
If you are traveling to Northern California, you must not miss the opportunity to visit this majestic place. My family and I visited San Francisco about two weeks ago (Aug. 21-24) from the scorching heat of Southern California. Firstly, this area is such a stark contrast to where we are from, in which the weather is much cooler (a definite plus) and the surroundings are one of a kind. Muir National park is also a very different place from the industrially swarmed downtown and cities. Having never seen a Redwood tree or any other of it's grandeur, we made it a priority to come to Muir. I was surprised at how accessible and convenient it is!
Location (within brochure as well)
Muir Woods National Monument is 12 miles north of the golden Gate Bridge. You can get there by using the U.S. 101 and Calif. 1. From experience, parking is rather limited. When we arrived, I noticed it was very small, but we were able to find several spaces. When going there from San Francisco City, you begin to notice the aura of a forest right away. You pass by the quaint fishing towns, and travel downwards to the base of the forest.
Trails
This is a 560-acre park which includes 6 miles of trails. Upon the entrance to the park, you head on the main trails that joins the other trails. This trail takes about an hour to walk and is a one mile loop walk. A shorter trail also starts from the entrance and rounds around two small bridges. Some of these bridges(four total)are located above small streams and are ideal for pictures!
Loop Walks Walk in Redwood Canyon to enjoy the forest. The main, canyon floor trails are paved and mostly level. Bridges 1-4 make short loop walks possible. Unpaved trails out of the canyon connect with trails in Mt. Tamplais State Park.
Trees
These, of course, are the main attraction. Right upon entering, you can gaze upon their monolithic size and see them thriving. Some of the trees in the park can range from 250-1000. There is a slice of a tree on display with the rings exposed, indicating that it was more than 1,200 years old. In the summer is the fog season, and since we went during this time, the area was quite foggy. Although, it did create a nice mist, which the trees thrive on.
Redwoods Redwood-like trees covered much of the Northern Hemisphere 140 million years ago. As the climate changed, the range of redwood retreated. Now there are two species of redwood in California. The coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) grows on a thin and discontinuous 500-mile strip of Pacific coast from southern Oregon to Monterey. Most ancient coast redwoods have been cut, but some are protected in Redwood National and State parks, such as Muir Woods.
Closely related, the giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) grows larger in bulk but is less tall than coast redwood. Giant Sequoias can be seen in Yosemite.
Weather
You should always have a light jacket on hand. In the summer, it can get quite cold due to the fog layer. Daytime temperatures average 40 degrees to 70 degrees F.
Park Hours
The park is open 8 A.M. to sunset all year round.
Admission
Ages 17 and up pay entrance fees of 3 dollars.
An Ecological Treasure
Muir Woods National Monument is a part of Golden Gate International Biosphere Reserve- one of the planet's most rich and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life. Being near San Francisco, Muir Woods each year plays host to nearly 1 million visitors from all around the world, providing a window into the complex world of wilderness and conservation.
Favorites
There is an photo attraction in the park where you can stand in the base of a tree that has formed an arch. There is also a tree with an interesting story behind it. About last year, this tree had begun to lean over the main trail causing some concerns. Finally it gave way and fell, but as it fell, it split a tree directly in half as well!
What I love about this place is that it is so much different from what I am accustomed. It is amazingly green, and the people there are keen to protect this sanctuary. Upon entering the park, we waited for a sort of guided tour by a park ranger. This was nice because he was open for any questions and was informative.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: March-May
Recommended for: Familes
Review Topic: Overview
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Epinions.com ID:
louisebelle
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Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Lived in Philippines, Hawaii, and California... Just can't get enough coastline!
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