During our recent trip to San Francisco we knew we wanted to take a day and escape the city. Muir Woods National Monument came very highly recommended from some friends so we decided to take a short drive out of town and check it out.
Destination: Muir Woods National Monument
Date of Visit: Thanksgiving Day 2018
Kids: Cole (age 11) & Kiley (age 9)
Length of Stay: 1/2 Day
The first thing you need to know about Muir Woods is that you absolutely must reserve a parking pass or shuttle online before you get up there. They sell out quickly, so you need to plan ahead. This is a very popular park and there is very limited parking. We reserved the 8-8:30am slot (the first one available) and I’m glad we did. When we arrived we had the whole place to ourselves and by the time we left it was very crowded.
We immediately picked up our Junior Ranger books at the visitor center and started down the path. The nice thing about Muir Woods is that there is a well paved path throughout much of the park. This makes it easy to navigate a stroller or wheelchair. It’s by far one of the most accessible parks we’ve visited.
Being from Florida, our kids had never seen a California Redwood before. They were immediately impressed by the size of these giant trees. The main trail through the park has lots of spots for photo ops, bridges to cross and areas to explore.
We wandered along the path and were surprised to find a little store, bathrooms and restaurant along the way. This was a great spot to pick up a snack and souvenir before we headed back up to the visitor center. The kids turned in their Junior Ranger books and we headed up the road to Muir Beach for a picnic lunch. If you’re in the area, we highly recommend visiting Muir Woods National Monument.
