Muir Woods National Monument
add photosMuir Woods National Monument is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and protects one of the last old growth Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) groves in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as one of the most easily accessed. Junior ranger program available.
21 Reviews for Muir Woods National Monument
26
70 families found this helpful
"Wonderful place for all ages"
We have been here many many times and none of us ever get tired of going. The trees are always incredible. Take all the walks they are all worth it. All ages love this place and the walks are short enough and you stop often enough that even little children can do it all. Go early or late and you may see deer.
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0 families found this helpful
"Muir Woods"
Muir Woods is absolutely beautiful! Our family loved walking through the woods and posing at various redwoods. Definitely bring your walking shoes and sweatshirts - it can get pretty chilly! If you get hungry or too cold you can always step into the gift shop for some hot soup, coffee or hot chocolate. We spent a half day and enjoyed every minute of it.
0 families found this helpful
"Great getaway"
This is a wonderful break from the city. An easy walking path circles this serene redwood grove near San Francisco. The majestic trees and a small stream make this forest really magical. Make this a little excursion after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and visiting Sausalito. You could spend an afternoon here hiking if your kids are up to a longer distance. There is a nice visitor center and cafe.
0 families found this helpful
"an escape from the crowded San Francisco."
Well, we love to go there to enjoy the nature with redwood trees and the beautiful creek. It's a bit cold there, so please make sure that you and your kids wear warm enough. Also it's better to go on week day to avoid the crowds. Last time, my kids really enjoyed to find the lucky leaf over there and yeappp, they found one eventually. So nice!
0 families found this helpful
"Scenic strollers"
I heart this little path in the woods. It is a perfect escape from the city lights. A little stream meanders by and I think my hippy brother convinced our family to do it barefoot last time we went. Quite nice! I havent brought my daughter there yet though. Hikes are pretty one way for her.
2 families found this helpful
"Beautiful place!"
I was fascinated by the enormous redwood trees and the tranquility of the place. As other users have suggested, it's better to visit Muir woods during the week in order to avoid the crowds. We also downloaded the quest from the the Muir Woods official website and looked for the "treasure".
The only thing that really bothered me is the road on the way to the woods. I get nauseous in the car and could barely make it to the destination without asking my husband to pull over (well, there is also no good place to pull over because the road is literally the cliff). Anyways, if you have the same problems, make sure to take some pills with you.
0 families found this helpful
"Muir Woods National Monument"
I've always heard good thing about Muir Woods National Monument. I had never been there until I went there with a tour that included Sausalito. This place is very nice and clean. I never seen such a place with tall trees before. I do mean really tall trees. They have the tallest redwood trees I have ever seen. They have a small hiking trail for those of you that like hiking. I only did the walking trail. This place is very peaceful. You have to be there to experience it. You can bring the kids and your stroller. Walk around the woods and enjoy the fresh air.
'11, '12
0 families found this helpful
"Enjoy a quiet midweek stroll "
Muir Woods is best enjoyed mid-week to avoid the crowds. The paved walk is perfect for strollers and the quiet Cathedral Grove just might put your little one to sleep as you amble among the giant trees.
Picnic areas are in short supply, unfortunately. However there are a few spots at the end of the trail where you can park your stroller next to the woodland creek and enjoy a little break.
1 family found this helpful
"Outdoor splendor"
We love being in the outdoors and this is the perfect place to take young ones out to explore it and get them excited about it. The1/2 hour loop is easy, even for toddlers. The grand trees provide lots of shade so you may want to bring a light jacket. Parking can be a pain, but we don't mind walking if we have to park far.
2 families found this helpful
"Meet the Giants"
This is the best redwood grove near San Francisco, making it very popular. We went on a cold Sunday morning in November, and still had to drive around a bit to find parking. The walk around the main loop is easy, well-marked, and beautiful. We did the quest, which you can download from their website, and went around looking for the clues. At the end you find the "secret box" and a little sticker prize inside. Pretty cool.
We also enjoyed the visitor center and cafe.
0 families found this helpful
"Fairy forest"
We went to the Muir Woods National Monument a while ago but I remember that visit as a wonderful family moment. Walking through these woods was peaceful and invigorating. I remember one bad thing: parking was not easy. Avoid going on Holiday Week-ends.
1 family found this helpful
"Nature at its best"
I remember as a kid being fascinated by the wonder of nature and the beauty of the tall trees at Muir Woods. My father used to take us there quite often. Today, I take my own kids there.
The thing about Muir Woods is that its never the same place twice. You always see something different. Its a great place to observe nature in action, and to be surrounded by majestic beauty. The fresh air does the kids good.
Wear good shoes and bring a jacket or sweater, even in the summer. Its quite shady in the woods, so it can be much cooler than the rest of the world. Also, try to go sometime other than the summer when the park usually closes fairly early in the day due to overcrowding.
1 family found this helpful
"A superb outing in all seasons!"
Our family loves Muir Woods! We had a family pass this year and have used it well. A short drive from downtown San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, this forest of amazing redwoods is a sight in any season or weather. Each time we visit, the space is different and the experience is more meaningful. The kids especially loved splashing around in the rain during the early spring, while on sunny days their usual antics involve hiding in the hollowed out tree trunks and overgrown roots along the path.
We have often had to resort to curbside parking, which adds a bit of a hike to your excursion, but it's never been a problem. We usually spend about 2 hours walking around the well-marked paths which is enough to tire out my 2 yr old and 5 yr old, who also love getting stamps from the gift shop and checking out the dioramas on the way out. The path is even enough that you can bring strollers as required.
Overall, this is a super place to get to as a tourist or as a local - a must-see if you come to the SF Bay area and need a place to let your kids run free for a bit :)
0 families found this helpful
"beautiful"
A beautiful place to go with your family -- to save your kids from "nature-deficit disorder!!" Even the kids will be awed by these trees and there are plenty of walking trails to choose from for hikes and family walks. Usually a snack bar, but I'd bring your own water!
0 families found this helpful
"take a walk!"
Very easy access, close to San francisco and Napa vally, then you could feel a old time forest through just 30minuts walk. Of corse you could walk more to enjoy.
it is hard to go red ceder park but you could easy to access tall and wide trees in here!
1 family found this helpful
"The woods in the rain"
We wanted to show our Dutch family a redwood forest and decided to go to Muir Woods. We'd seen it many times and always loved it. The day we wanted to go turned out to be rainy. We almost decided not to go because of this, but went anyway, on the off-chance the weather would clear up by the time we got there. No cigar...it actually intensified! Instead of turning around, we got out, bought some of the $2 poncho's that were offered on site and started hiking. I have to tell you, of all the times I've hiked in Muir Woods, this would have to be my favorite! The smells, fog, and brighter colors really enhanced the atmosphere of the forest. We got a little wet, sure, but that was part of the fun. Added bonus was that it was pretty deserted...
My advice: don't let a little rain stop you from going out!
2 families found this helpful
"get here early!"
If you get here at nine a.m. the park is yours. I wouldn't recommend getting here after ten or the park is jam packed with tour buses. There is no parking and the cement pathways fill up. The weather is pretty much the same year round. Cool! bring sweaters. Don't forget your camera. There are great trees to get inside of an take pictures of your little ones standing inside of majestic old growth redwoods. My son is a big fan on banana slugs and there are tons of them here. Our favorite time of year to go is actually in the winter when the lady bugs pile up on the fence posts (the wood gets completely covered) and when we can see salmon (coho but there are trout too) spawning up the creek! Go when it's the rainiest to get to see the fish. The trees protect you and seeing fish spawn last winter was very memorable.
3 families found this helpful
"Nowhere else in the world"
This is pretty much the only untouched stand of old-growth redwoods in the Bay Area, and you can see why they call a stand of redwoods a "cathedral grove." It's absolutely amazing. The main trail is short and level and even very little kids will have no problem with it (although for those who want more challenging hikes, there are a number of them that start here--I highly recommend the Dipsea Trail down to Stinson Beach but not with kids!)
As long as you've crossed the Golden Gate Bridge to get here, if you have smaller kids they'll go nuts for the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito on your way back.
Warning: parking lots fill up very early in the morning on weekends, and if you don't get there before 10, you'll probably be parking waaaaay down the road, which your kids won't like, or in a satellite lot where you'll have to wait for a shuttle.
However, in 2009, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, you will be able to get to Muir Woods from San Francisco by taking the ferry to Sausalito and transferring to the Golden Gate Transit #66 bus. See here:
See here: http://goldengate.org/news/transit/muirwoods.php
It's likely they will repeat this service in future summers, but it's important to check.
1 family found this helpful
"Majestic Redwoods"
Gosh I have loved coming here since I was a little girl, I remember being small and walking through a big redwood thinking how amazing it was. I love to come here and take the hike to enjoy all the different things California has to offer and it's just a short drive over the Golden Gate Bridge to get there! It is such a beautiful place to visit and my daughter enjoyed it very much. Make sure to wear tennis shoes or hiking boots, no flip flops, and wear layers, or at least bring a sweater because the trees are so large, not much sun gets through and it gets a bit chilly in the canopy of the trees.
2 families found this helpful
"You've Gotta Love the Redwoods!"
Not a far drive from San Francisco, across the Golden gate Bridge, up winding roads and through breezes scented with eucalyptus, you can enjoy a beautiful walk through an old-growth redwood forest of towering trees. Even the kids will think this place is cool. They have maps for you to plot your walk (with suggested 30 minute, one-hour, or longer routes highlighted), and a nice little stream winding through. The kids even spotted a couple of deer. Plus, what's not to like about getting a picture of the whole family inside a tree trunk?! To top it all off, there's also a nice little cafe/gift store for refreshment afterwards (or before, or both). You can either circle around to catch one of the limited parking spaces at the site or watch for signs just over the bridge for a remote parking lot and shuttle up.
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