Muir Woods National Monument Redwoods Park & Hiking Trails<< >>
John Muir Woods National Monument is just over the Golden Gate Bridge going north from San Francisco. The National Monument is twelve miles north of the city and is reached by U.S. 101 and California Highway 1. Located on the south side of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County there is no direct public transport to the park but many tours can be arranged from San Francisco. A popular tour is to visit the park and then get dropped off at Sausalito to catch a ferry back to the city.
The park is part of the National Parks system and normal opening times are from 8am till dusk. The park does not allow - Bicycles, Pets, Horses, Smoking, Picnicking, Camping, Portable Radios and rowdy behaviour. There is a visitor center, bookstore, gift shop, and snack bar. A trail guide, available at the center sets out a self-guided nature trail with walking map and hiking information. For children there are Discovery Packs that can turn their visit into an enjoyable learning experience. The five hundred and sixty acre park has six miles of level trails that are boardwalks or paved and wheelchairs can be loaned from the visitor center. If you want to take a leisurely stroll in an ancient forest then the wood is a great choice. There are three main discovery walks that range from one-half hour to one and a half hours.
For a less taxing hike and views of Mount Tamalpais, follow the Dipsea trail to the Ben Johnson cut-off, and then follow the Dipsea path to Stinson Beach.
At one time the valleys along this northern California coast were covered with soaring redwoods just like the ones, in the park. The area that is now the Redwoods Park was saved because in the nineteenth century it was just too difficult for loggers to get there. In nineteen hundred and five a Congressman called William Kent bought 295 acres here for $45,000, because he wanted to protect the redwoods. He donated the woods to the USA Federal Government and, in 1908; President Theodore Roosevelt declared them a national monument. Roosevelt suggested naming them after Kent, but Kent wanted the woods named after the conservationist John Muir.
In California, there are two different types of redwood, the coastal redwood, which is what you find on the Muir Woods trails and the giant sequoia. The giant sequoia grows larger in bulk but is less tall than the coastal redwood. Giant sequoias can be seen in Yosemite and in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. The coastal redwoods are the tallest living things on the planet and if you visit the Bohemian and Cathedral groves in the Woods you will see trees that are over two hundred and fifty feet tall and over fourteen feet wide. Most of the trees are between eight hundred and a thousand years old! In the cool damp conditions of the forest floor many ferns thrive here and the most common are the sword fern, lady fern, California polypody, and bracken fern. You will also find moss and lichen growing on rocks and trees. Redwood sorrel carpets a lot of the canyon floor together with mushrooms and fungi. Most people visit Muir Woods Park for only a short time to stroll amongst the trees and meander the well-kept loop trails. << >> |
