Always looking for great new hikes, I kept coming upon two names that I had never actually visited: Muir Woods and Mt Tamalpais. Knowing that Muir Woods is a renowned Redwood forest and Mt Tamalpais is the highest peak directly north of San Francisco, I was set on finding a hike that would combine the two!
The hike I found is in my opinion the best way to see both! Starting in the depths of Muir Woods and climbing all the way to the summit of Mt Tam, this hike offers it all: Redwood forests, huge views, and a summit at the top!
If you live in the Bay Area, you should consider this a bucket list hike, and even if you don’t live in the Bay Area, I would legitimately recommend going out of your way and doing this hike on a visit to the Bay!
Miles/Elevation:
11.9 miles
2,621 feet vertical gain
About Muir Woods National Monument:
Protected as a national monument since 1908, Muir Wood protects an old growth Redwood forest just north of San Francisco. Beloved by locals and distant travellers alike, Muir Woods holds a special status among many because of its proximity to San Francisco, and it’s namesake, the famed naturalist John Muir.
Muir Woods is a very small national monument, coming in at only 554 acres, 240 of which are old growth Redwoods. With only 6 miles of trail, Muir Woods again is small in stature, but in those 6 miles you can discover incredible views, forests, streams, and wildlife!
Parking reservations are required when visiting Muir Woods, so be sure to plan ahead if you want to park directly at Muir Woods rather than hiking in. The link to the reservation website can be found at the bottom of this page.
The America The Beautiful Pass will come in handy at Muir Woods!
About Mt Tamalpais State Park:
Adjacent to Muir Woods, Mt Tamalpais State Park is much larger, but far less known outside the immediate community. Located similarly north of San Francisco, Mt Tamalpais State Park is named for the prominent Mt Tamalpais. Rising 2,579 feet, Mt Tam as it is often known is the most prominent peak of the North Bay Area.
Mt Tam is much larger than Muir Woods, the mountain itself is about 25,000 acres, and has far more trails as well (about 60 miles). Muir Woods may have the more famous Redwoods, but Mt Tamalpais has its own Redwood forests in addition to woodlands, grasslands, chaparral, and wide open ridgelines.
Mt Tamalpais State Park has a number of different campgrounds, including some which are first come first serve, and lots of different access points. Hike into the park from Muir Woods or Stinson Beach, drive to the summit, or park at one of the many trailheads around the park!
Getting To The Trailhead:
So the simplest way to find the trailhead is to just put Muir Woods into Google Maps and follow the directions, it’s pretty obvious! But, I suppose I should add a little bit of detail!
From San Francisco, take highway 101 north across the Golden Gate Bridge. Take the exit towards highway 1, and follow highway 1 north as it climbs into the hills. Eventually, you’ll come to an intersection with the Panoramic Highway, turn right onto Panoramic Highway. A few hundred feet later, turn left onto Muir Woods Road, and at the bottom of the hill you’ll be at the parking lot!
Again, be aware that Muir Woods requires parking reservations that need to be made ahead of time. The link to the reservation website is at the bottom of this page.
Muir Woods to Mt Tamalpais:
Fern Creek Trail:
This hike starts at the main Muir Woods parking lot and visitor center. After I got my parking spot, which I paid for, I checked in at the visitor center. I have a national parks pass (the America The Beautiful Pass), so I didn’t have to pay again, but be aware there is a $15 per person fee, not a per car fee. That means everyone 16 or older must pay $15 to enter Muir Woods (not gonna lie seems ridiculous to me).
Anyway, once I was past the visitor center, I hopped onto the Fern Creek Trail and got started. The Fern Creek Trail is the main trail through Muir Woods, and follows Fern Creek as it winds under the towering trees.
Much of this trail is actually a wooden boardwalk, so it very much has a busy national park type feel. Adding to that busy national park feel is the busyness of the trail. Definitely don’t expect to have the forest to yourself, as you’ll almost certainly be sharing it with plenty of friends!
The forest here is definitely beautiful, and there are many massive, centuries old, giant Redwoods to admire. While the forest is beautiful, I was actually a little surprised that the trees here weren’t even bigger. I’ve certainly seen larger trees north in Humboldt Redwoods State Park and Redwoods National Park, but even parks in the Bay Area have bigger trees than here (Big Basin and Henry Cowell for example).
When I was here, a large part of the Fern Creek Trail was closed, so I had to take a detour. Normally, one could continue on the Fern Creek Trail for a while, but I ended up turning onto the Hillside Trail, and taking an unexpected, but pretty great, detour!
Hillside Trail:
The Hillside Trail is pretty much perfectly named because it’s literally on the side of the hill. From Fern Creek, you quickly climb up the side of the ravine, and then hike on a single track trail on the side of the hill looking down on the bottom of the forest.
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
I actually really liked this part of the hike because it gave a unique perspective on the forest. Most Redwood hikes take you through the bottom of the forest, but it’s much more rare that you get this elevated profile! Also, I love when there’s a bit of a dropoff, and the Hillside Trail has lots of nice drop offs!
Continue on the Hillside Trail until you reach a fork with the Bootjack Trail. Once you reach that intersection, descend back down towards the stream and continue on the Bootjack Trail.
Huge banana slug on what might be black bear scat? Not sure though!
Bootjack Trail:
Once on the Bootjack Trail, head deeper into the forest away from Muir Woods. This trail will actually quickly take you out of the national monument and into Mt Tamalpais State Park.
The Bootjack Trail is pretty awesome for a number of reasons, but I think my favorite aspect was the constantly changing environments it takes you through. When you start on it, you are in dense and dark Redwood forests. Then you climb into really cool woodlands, then you climb into thinner woods and meadows, then you eventually emerge onto the slopes of Mt Tam itself!
Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
In addition to the ever changing scenery on the Bootjack Trail, the trail itself is really cool. You follow Redwood Creek as it tumbles past you as you instead fight gravity upwards. Sometimes you’re almost on top of the creek. Occasionally the trail is far above the creek looking down at it. And every once in a while, you’ll cross an old wooden bridge or clamber up a set of ancient looking stone stairs.
I honestly get bored hiking through forest a lot of the time, but I can legitimately say this was one of the most enjoyable heavily forested trails I’ve come across!
Portola Redwoods State Park is an unknown gem south of San Francisco!
Eventually, you’ll reach the Panoramic Highway and the Bootjack Campground. Cross the highway, and then actually head into the campground. The trail kind of disappears in the campground, but literally keep hiking straight uphill. When you seemingly reach the top of the campground, look right for a faint use trail into the woods. This is the Bootjack Trail believe it or not, and you need to take it.
I have no idea why the trail is so poorly marked around the campground, but anyway keep going up. Once you’re out of the campground, stay to the left of a few buildings until you reach a gravel road. This is the Stagecoach Fire Road, and you’ll be turning right onto it to continue the climb!
Stagecoach Fire Road:
Turning onto the Stagecoach Fire Road marks a major change in the trail. The single track is over. From this point to within a quarter mile of the summit you will be on roads.
Now, I normally despise hiking on roads. Gravel roads, dirt roads, fire roads, normal roads, whatever, I don’t want to hike on a road. I want to hike on a trail. All of that being said, this was by far the best road hiking I’ve done.
The biggest reason for my enjoyment was the constant incredible views. The fire road that you are on at this point has near constant wide open vistas looking over the Bay Area, Muir Woods, ocean, and inland. Honestly, it’s awesome.
The other great thing about this road is it’s not super steep. Too often fire roads just blast their way straight up seemingly vertical faces! I want some finesse in my hiking trails, a sense of style in how they climb. Fire roads just bulldoze through everything and go straight, no matter if it makes for good hiking or not.
This road does not do that. It’s a nice and gentle slope, and with the views, it was pretty awesome hiking!
Eventually, you’ll come across the West Point Inn. I did not know this place existed, so when I got there I was quite surprised! The West Point Inn is a still operating hotel that dates back to the early 1900’s. Here’s their website to check out or make reservations!
After the inn, the next road you’ll be on is the Railroad Grade Fire Road, which is so named because it used to be a railroad that travelled all the way to the summit. The Inn was a stop on the railroad, and a meeting point with stagecoaches coming from Stinson Beach. I didn’t know about it before, but I would definitely like to stay there now!
Railroad Grade Fire Road:
Leaving the Inn, make sure you actually head to the back as the road across the front heads downhill. At this point, you are now on the Railroad Grade Fire Road, named for the railroad that used to run on this route.
This fire road is basically the same as the previous fire road, except that you’re a little bit higher and the views are a little bit better. The slope is gentle, the views are great, and it was really nice hiking.
Also, I saw a pair of coyotes here which was pretty cool.
Final Summit Push:
Jumping ahead, the fire road eventually meets an actual paved road which gets you to the final summit push. There is a parking lot about 200 vertical feet below the summit, and the final summit trail is a steep and rocky single track path up.
It’s actually pretty steep, and considering the fact that you’ll have climbed over 2,000 feet already just to get here, you might feel it in your legs!
Push through the pain, and in a few minutes you’ll be standing on the summit at the old fire lookout with 360 degree views! The views really are fantastic from here. On a clear day, you’ll have views of San Francisco, the Pacific, San Francisco Bay, north towards the hills and forests of far northern California, and inland towards the striking Mt Diablo.
When I was up there, I had crystal clear skies and perfectly comfortable temperatures, although there was fog covering the ocean and obscuring San Francisco. Enjoy it, take it all in, and when you’re ready start heading down!
The Other Fern Creek Trail:
From the summit, head down to the parking lot and back a ways on the road you came up on. You may have noticed it, but there is a kind of hard to see single track trail that drops straight down off the road. This Fern Creek Trail is not the same Fern Creek Trail you started on, but it will help you back to the trailhead.
This was definitely my least favorite part of the day. The descent is steep, loose, and rocky. There’s lots of stuff to trip on, and lots of loose crap to slip on. Oh, and it’s totally exposed so you’ll be in direct sun the entire time.
Rant over. It’s a pretty rough trail for the first chunk of the descent, but take it slow, be careful, and you’ll definitely make good progress descending. The environment definitely changes as you descend as well. You start in a scrubby, chaparral environment, but by the end of this Fern Creek Trail, you’ll be firmly back into the forest. After about ¾’s of a mile, you’ll come to an intersection with a fire road. Turn left here to continue the descent.
Railroad Grade Fire Road:
This fire road you’re now on is the same Railroad Grade that you hiked up earlier. Had you taken it downhill rather than up, you’d have ended up down here.
It’s a quick jaunt down the Railroad Grade Fire Road because you’ll soon be turning onto another fire road. After a bit under half a mile, you’ll come to an intersection where the Railroad Grade Fire Road continues straight, and another road heads to your right. Turn right onto Hogback Road.
Hogback Road:
This new road is called Hogback Road, but it’s not really any different than any of the other fire roads on this hike. This one might be a bit steeper than the others, but it’s not bad.
I actually got my first clear view of San Francisco of the hike while on Hogback Road. I started pretty early and was off the summit before noon, so the fog still hadn’t broken in the city at that point. I could tell the fog was burning off the rest of the Bay throughout the morning, but it took until now for the city to be mostly fogless.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park has some massive old growth Redwoods!
Continue downhill on Hogback Road. You’ll have one or two trails branch off to the sides, but continue straight, heading downhill. You’ll eventually come to a fire station and an intersection with an actual paved road and traffic.
Here, you have to continue straight towards Mountain Home Inn, on your side of the road, and then cross the street to the parking lot on the other side. You should see a trail dropping down to below the parking lot, and that’s where you need to go!
Ocean View Trail:
Once you are below the parking lot, depending on where you come out, you’ll either be on a small paved road or a trail. If you’re unsure, keep heading in the direction towards San Francisco, keeping the road on your left.
This can be a confusing change between trails, but whenever you do find the trail, you’ll be on the Ocean View Trail. You’d never guess based on the name, but you get views of the ocean on this trail!
This was one of my favorite views on the hike, including the summit views. You’re basically on top of the valley rim that drops down to the Muir Woods, so beneath you are incredible Redwood filled valleys, and far off in the distance is the Pacific. The ocean itself was still shrouded in fog, but the view was still awesome!
The Ocean View Trail follows the road for a bit under half a mile until you hit another intersection. At the intersection, turn right to drop down into the valley and back to Muir Woods!
Canopy Trail:
The trail that takes you back down into Muir Woods is called the Canopy Trail. Probably because you drop down through the canopy of the trees, just a wild guess on my part though!
Anyway, this is the trail that you really start getting back into the Redwoods on, and it doesn’t take long to be back among the giants. That isn’t to say you haven’t seen any Redwoods on the descent so far, but they definitely become the dominant species during this section of the hike!
The best Redwood hike in California is way up north in Humboldt Redwoods State Park!
The Redwoods near the top of the valley aren’t as large as the monsters in the depths of Muir Woods, but they’re definitely not small! Even though they aren’t behemoths, I still really enjoyed hiking through this forest, and it’s definitely a pretty place to hike!
There is another intersection to deal with on the Canopy Trail. It’s not very well marked, but the Lost Trail branches off to the right while the Canopy Trail continues straight down the hill. There really isn’t any signage here, and I was confused for a minute, but just don’t turn right. You’ll still end up down in Muir Woods, but it’ll add over half a mile to your descent.
Once you’re down, you will pop back onto the Fern Creek Trail just a few hundred feet from the visitor center. You’ll get to walk past a few of the absolute biggest trees of Muir Woods on your short return down the Fern Creek Trail, but your Muir Woods and Mt Tam adventure is over!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 9/10
This is probably my favorite hike I have done in the Bay Area, and one of my favorites I’ve done period. This views are incredible, and you get an incredible diversity of views and environments on one hike. I was very tempted to give this hike a 10/10, but there’s a couple little nitpicky things that prevent me from doing that.
For one, there’s a fair amount of fire road hiking. I will admit this was by far the most enjoyable fire road hiking I’ve done, but it’s still fire road hiking. Similarly, heading up to the summit, you have to walk on an actual paved road which is annoying. Not a dealbreaker, but it keeps me at a 9.
Pros:
- Redwoods
- Diverse environment
- Excellent views
- Summiting a renowned peak
Cons:
- Some fire road hiking
- Parking fees and reservations required at Muir Woods
- Lots of navigating to do
- Crossing and walking on trafficked roads
Alternative Hikes:
Dipsea Trail, Steep Ravine Trail, and Matt Davis Loop
Stinson Beach and Muir Woods Loop
When To Visit Muir Woods and Mt Tamalpais:
Both Muir Woods and Mt Tamalpais can be visited 12 months a year with a reasonable expectation of at least ok weather. Muir Woods has a cool, coastal climate that will not change much throughout the year with high temperatures mostly in the 50’s and 60’s, and fog being highly likely. Mt Tamalpais however has much greater variation in temperatures, which creates a challenge because you’ll be hiking through multiple different microclimates!
During summer, you might start in Muir Woods in fog and 50 degrees, but once you are on the summit of Mt Tam it could be 90 degrees and sunny. Similarly, in winter it could be 50 degrees and sunny in Muir Woods and 30 degrees with snow on the ground on the summit!
Taking into consideration the multiple climates you have to deal with, I would focus on finding moderate weather on Mt Tam. Muir Woods is going to be cool all year, so try to go in spring or fall when temperatures aren’t crazy hot, and not super cold. Fog may be slightly less likely in the fall, but it’s possible any day of the year!
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