Muir Woods: "Rate This An I "Wood" Do
Written: Sep 26 '00 (Updated Jan 19 '03)
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Pros: The beautiful Redwoods; I learned so much
Cons: I understand the reason, but it would be a wonderful place to picnic!
The Bottom Line: This park is not only a quiet, peaceful place but also a real learning experience.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Muir Woods National Monument |
This review is #6 in a series of reviews I am writing about my trip to San Francisco* this summer.
Muir Woods is a must see. It is a national recreation area I had never heard of until I read epinions and the guidebooks before going to San Francisco recently.
There are some things to note as you make your way there:
The road to Muir Woods is very steep and curves quite a bit. In fact vehicles over 35 feet in length are not allowed, so if you are in a recreational vehicle, you are out of luck. One of my relatives who lives in the area won’t go to Muir Woods because of the roads!
Muir Woods is a beautiful park filled with Redwood trees. That is what you are primarily going to see and if you can appreciate the size and age of these trees you will enjoy it here.
The park opens at 8 A.M. until sunset year round. Muir Woods is free and there is plenty of parking and that is free also.
Some interesting facts:
Very few animals live here because it is so shady that food is scarce. You will see birds, perhaps a salamander but don’t expect to see deer. The most exotic animal we saw was a chipmunk!
You’ll find 6 miles of trail. We walked on the main ones that are mostly level and some areas have pavement or wood on the ground. This park is, little by little, being changed by taking away the pavement and replacing it with the wood on the ground. I learned that this is environmentally better for the trees.
If you have time and are adventurous, take a 1½-hour loop walk or go on an extended trail deep into the 560 miles of forest. We walked the 1-hour walk due to time constraints and sat on one of the benches and just enjoyed the scenery and people.
One word of caution: I would only recommend the non-paved loop walks if you hold onto your children. Even my husband, who doesn’t know children like I do, commented when he saw 2 little ones running by us on the narrow path. He said “Shouldn’t someone be holding their hands.” Yes, someone should be. Even this path which is just the mile loop is steep and windy with no guards or rails. You will be walking uphill a bit and a fall down is very dangerous.
There are also areas of streams and brooks and if left unattended a little one can easily fall into the water. You may also find poison oak and stinging nettle so be careful. I am sorry if I am making this sound scary rather than wonderful. It is wonderful. I am just urging caution especially if you bring along children.
Muir Woods is attempting to be kept natural; thus it isn’t catering to visitors once you are enter into the park. Muir Woods is catering to the Redwoods and does everything possible to protect them.
At the entrance you’ll find a restroom and snackbar. You can bring food to a picnic table but not in the park itself.
•I found the Redwoods themselves fascinating. One, for example, is 252 feet tall and one is 14 feet wide! Some are at least 1,000 years old.
•Another amazing thing I learned is the role fire plays with these amazing trees. Fire actually benefits the Redwoods.
•The trees are basically fireproof and the only thing that will burn is the outside. There are reasons for this:
a. Fire clears the forest floor so Redwood seeds can reach the mineral soil.
b. Fire destroys bacteria and fungi which can kill the seeds before they germinate.
c. Fire recycles nutrients turning debris into ash.
You can read all this and much, much more on the many signs along the trails in Muir Woods.
I was amazed that they have a planned fire program where they burn the trees on purpose! Where else would you find this sort of thing?
The other fact I learned is about burls. In forests like this, the trees reproduce with burls which are masses or buds that grow all over the tree (some are very small, some huge). These burls stay dormant until a tree is injured or tissue near the burl is affected. I just find all this to be so interesting. It goes against how I thought nature worked.
This park is not only a quiet, peaceful place but also a real learning experience. You won’t need sunscreen because it is shady. Bring bug repellent although we didn’t have any and were fine, but it’s always good to take along. Bring a jacket also since it can get cool since there is no sunlight. If you are in the area, make sure you put Muir Woods on your to do list.
Links to my series are below:
Haight Ashbury
National Car Rental, Do The Driving Yourself
I Am A Rock, I Am An Island: Alcatraz Island
Muir Woods, An I Wood Do
From Chinatown To North Beach
The Stinking Rose Restaurant
American Airlines
Santa Cruz Boulevard
Neptune's Palace Restaurant
Recommended:
Yes
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