When Paul and I were first in San Francisco years ago we made the trek across the Bay to hike in Muir woods. We have wonderfully happy memories of that. A few years ago when I was hear with a colleague we attempted a similar visit but were thwarted by a land slide. On this trip we were determined to make it happen.
The park website warned that parking was a nightmare and people were known to take to parking on the side of the road next to the creek only to experience the horror of their car tumbling into the creek and harming the natural ecosystem (although to be honest the ecosystem would be way down on my list of concerns if my rental were to tumble into a gorge). In order to deal with the onslaught of visitors a shuttle bus has been put in place.
TAKE THE SHUTTLE!!!
We decided to drive and hoped we might find a spot on a Monday morning. HA HA HA HA
I dropped the gang off and ended up parked about two miles away on the side of the road (happily in an area with a huge, wide shoulder).
After I hiked all the way to the park entrance we paid our admission fee and set about exploring.
Walking through Muir Woods, you are beneath a thick canopy of trees, so many trees and leaves in fact that only small rays of sun shine through, giving a mystical feel to this ancient forest.
This is one of the oldest stands of trees in the Bay area (hence the hoards of visitors). The trees' ages range from 400 to 800 years, their height up to 250 feet. It was also one of the first protected parks in the US. Muir Woods National Monument was established on January 9, 1908 when President Roosevelt signed legislation to protect an old-growth coast redwood forest from destruction.
In the light gaps beneath the redwood trees are red alders, California big leaf maples, tanoaks, and Douglas fir. The forest floor is covered in redwood sorrel, ferns, fungi, duff, and debris. Several bridges cross Redwood Creek, which flows through the park year-round. Wildlife residents include the endangered coho salmon fingerlings, Pacific wren, woodpeckers, owls, deer, chipmunks, skunks, river otters, and squirrels to name a few.
Due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the forest is regularly shrouded in a coastal marine layer fog, contributing to a wet environment that encourages vigorous plant growth. The fog is also vital for the growth of the redwoods as they use moisture from the fog during droughty seasons, in particular the dry summer.
In the spring of 1945, delegates from 50 countries met in San Francisco to draft and sign the United Nations Charter. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, shortly before he was to have opened the United Nations Conference. On May 19, the delegates held a commemorative ceremony in tribute to his memory in Muir Woods' Cathedral Grove, where a dedication plaque was placed in his honor.
Love going here, it is so peaceful and quiet and amazingly beautiful. That road down into it is something else. lol So happy it is a preserved area, where else can one experience such as this? Fun to think of you there roaming about!
Posted by: Kayte | July 02, 2015 at 05:07 PM
Been there. A month ago I saw a red wood in Southern Oregon were my son lives.
Coffee is on
Posted by: peppylady (Dora) | July 02, 2015 at 10:07 PM
It sure wasn't peaceful when we were there. What a crowd. It was far more relaxing when we went in March years ago. I read recently that people will need a ticket in the future to access the park to try and control the crowds.
Posted by: JDeQ | July 20, 2015 at 05:10 PM