As an avid hiker in the Bay Area, I hear about lots of parks and preserves that are life changing!  Incredible!  Amazing!  Now, sometimes they live up to the hype, and sometimes they don’t, but I like finding awesome new outdoor spots, so I try to check out these incredible destinations.  One place that I’d been hearing about for years, but had never visited, was Muir Woods National Monument.

Muir Woods is a national monument just north of San Francisco that protects a swath of old growth Redwood forest.  First protected in 1908, and named after the acclaimed naturalist John Muir, Muir Woods has had a lot of time to become one of the most famous Redwood groves in the country.

So when I finally decided to make the drive up to Muir Woods from San Jose, I was expecting some next level stuff.  Maybe not the biggest trees I’ve ever seen, but at least the biggest in the Bay Area.  Maybe not the most pristine forest in the world, but definitely top tier for the Bay Area.

To be honest, I was pretty disappointed.

Maybe my expectations were too high, but man, Muir Woods really didn’t live up to the hype for me.  Was it bad, not by a long shot.  But was it better than any of the other old growth Redwood forests in the Bay Area?  Definitely not.  Hell, the trees are like 100 feet shorter than the ones in Big Basin!

Now I love the Redwoods, and I would never want someone to go to Muir Woods and be underwhelmed, and then think to themselves that Redwoods aren’t incredible.  To that point, I decided to write this article.

My goal isn’t just to bash on Muir Woods, though I will.  My goal is to point out the weak points of Muir Woods, and give you some alternatives that I think give a better experience.

And am I saying you should never visit Muir Woods?  Definitely not!  My favorite Bay Area hike actually starts in Muir Woods!  But is this the best place to see Redwoods?  No it isn’t, and I want to point out why, and where you should go instead. 

Why Muir Woods Gets So Much Attention:

Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!

You may be wondering why Muir Woods is so popular if it isn’t actually that great, or you might be thinking I’m an idiot, which, fair enough, just give a minute.  

Let’s just start with this: Muir Woods is popular.  As of 2017, Muir Woods was drawing around 1 million visitors per year.  And as of 2020, the neighboring Golden Gate National Recreation Area saw over 12 million visitors.  Safe to say this area gets plenty of visitation.

Maybe Muir Woods is so popular simply because people go there, and then they tell people about it and more people go there.  I definitely think that overall usage and the easy accessibility from San Francisco play a large role in it’s popularity, but I think it also goes beyond that.

I would also argue that Muir Woods benefits from a higher profile due to its inclusion in the National Park System, and it’s being named after John Muir.  People hear national park and automatically think it’s better than a state park, and John Muir is probably the single most recognizable name in environmentalism.  All that combined with easy accessibility yields lots of people, and lots of talk. 

However, does simply being a part of the National Park Service mean a place is better than somewhere else, say a state park?  I don’t think so.  Does being named after John Muir mean it’s a great place to visit?  Nope.  And does being easily accessible and popular make a destination more scenic or more enjoyable?  Again I doubt it.

I’ve been slamming Muir Woods pretty hard, so let me actually give you my complaints!

Why Muir Woods Is Overrated:

It’s Busy

Muir Woods was so busy and so crowded that they now require parking reservations to even visit.  Not only is that an indication of how busy this place is, but it also is annoying!  I don’t want to have to hope I can get a reservation, and pay for it too!

Maybe you’re thinking that the reservations will keep the crowds away.  To some degree, you would be right.  By 2017, Muir Woods was seeing about 1 million visitors per year.  As of 2020, that number is down to about 300,000.

I will admit a 70% decrease in visitation is impressive, if a bit sad too, but those 300,000 plus people are all still visiting the same place, and considering there’s only 6 miles of trails here, that’s still 9,000 people or more each day using the same 6 miles of trail.

You will not find solitude in the forest here. 

It’s Over Priced:

I hate complaining about having to pay to use a park because generally paying to support parks is one thing I’m totally willing to do, but I think Muir Woods goes too far.

There are two different fees you have to pay to enjoy Muir Woods.

The first is to park.  I’m never a fan of having to pay to park, but I get it.  It’s crowded, there’s not a lot of parking, there’s a high demand, whatever.  The parking fee is only about $8 per car, so it’s not too bad.

My bigger complaint is the entrance fee.  This is a division of the National Park System, so I can’t be too surprised that you have to pay an entrance fee, but at most national parks, there’s one fee per group, or one fee per car.  

Here, the fee is per person, and it’s $15 per person!

Fine, charge $15 per car, still way cheaper than Yosemite, but at Yosemite, at least your whole family or friend group gets in for $35.  Here, a family of five is looking at a $90 fee just to walk past the visitor center, and there’s only 6 miles of trails!  That is ridiculous.

The good news is that kids under 16 get in for free, but seriously, $15 per person is absurd.

The America The Beautiful Pass will come in handy at Muir Woods!

The Trees Aren’t Actually That Big:

Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!

You would think that Muir Woods, being the most highly regarded Redwood forest in the Bay Area, would have some of the biggest trees in the Bay Area.  In fact, the tallest tree in Muir Woods is about 258 feet high!  Pretty cool!

However, that’s not close to the biggest in the Bay Area, and almost every park with old growth Redwoods in the Bay Area, especially in the Santa Cruz Mountains, has bigger ones!  Here’s a list.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park: 329 feet

Portola Redwoods State Park: 305 feet

Pescadero Creek/Sam McDonald County Park: 291 feet

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park: 285 feet

Butano State Park: ~250 feet 

There’s 4 places with bigger trees than Muir Woods with Butano being close, and only Big Basin is close to as popular, and I’d guess that’s only among locals. 

There Are Very Few Trails To Hike:

Muir Woods literally has 6 miles of trails.  6!!

Now can you hike from Muir Woods and connect to trails in other parks?  Definitely!  But should we really give credit to Muir Woods for some great hiking you can do in Mt Tamalpais State Park?  I don’t think so.

You might argue that even though there aren’t a lot of trails here, the trails here are all awesome!  I’m not going to say the trails aren’t very nice, because they are, but if you expect me to be impressed or satisfied with 6 miles of trails, they better be amazing.  But considering the trees here are relatively small, I wasn’t even that impressed with those 6 miles of trails.  Very good, but not world class.

It’s Small:

I probably don’t have to spell it out, but a park with only 6 miles of trails probably isn’t massive.  In fact, Muir Woods is only 554 acres in total!

This may be a nitpicky thing, but I think it builds on the fact that there just isn’t that much here, which again I can forgive if the limited amount of stuff you have is incredible, but it’s just not.  A small park with pretty good scenery just isn’t world class.

There Is No Sense Of Wilderness Or Quiet:

Many people enjoy hiking because it gives them a sense of solitude and allows them to get away from people and the hustle and bustle of city life.  Redwood forests are great for this because they’re calm, and peaceful, and meditative.

Not here.

It’s busy, and everyone is packed into the same short sections of trails.  If you want solitude, Muir Woods is not the place for you.  And if you’re saying “well Redwoods are so cool that huge groves are always busy,” I can promise you that isn’t true.  Get off the beaten path and go somewhere else; you can find peace and quiet among the giants.

Where You Should Go Instead:

Alright time for some productivity rather than just complaining!  I’m done bashing on Muir Woods.  Believe it or not, I don’t enjoy bashing hikes or parks because it can be enjoyable, and I did enjoy my visit!  But, when you take a step back and compare different parks and different trails, you can’t help but notice the shortcomings or strengths of the various places.

Anyway, here’s where you should go instead of Muir Woods!

If You Want An Easy Walk Under Huge Trees: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

Before August 2020, I would have put Big Basin here, but since the CZU Fire burned almost the entire park, Big Basin is closed until further notice.  Thankfully, Henry Cowell has some pretty big trees too!

Topping out at about 285 feet, the trees here are not quite as big as the ones in Big Basin, or even Portola, but they are very easily accessible.  The short Redwood Grove Loop is less than a mile long, but takes you through a grove of massive old growth trees, bigger than what you’ll find in Muir Woods!

If you want a longer hike, Henry Cowell also has tons of other trails to combine with the short Redwood Grove Loop. I actually got lost here and ended up doing an unplanned 10ish mile loop!   

If You’re Going In A Few Years: Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Let’s put this out there: the best Redwoods in the Bay Area are at Big Basin.

Now that we’re on the same page, if you could go anywhere to hike in the Redwoods in the Bay, you should come here.  The trees are the biggest, there’s a huge amount of trails, and it’s stunningly beautiful.

The only problem at the moment with Big Basin is it’s currently closed.

In 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire burned 97% of the park, destroying essentially all park infrastructure and burning the park’s iconic forests.  Big Basin remains largely closed, although a small portion near the coast has partially reopened.  There has not been any announced reopening date for the park as the park service rebuilds, restores, and “reimagines” Big Basin.

Word is that most of the giants of the forest survived the fire, so once the gates are opened again, make it a point to visit!

If You Want A Hidden Gem: Portola Redwoods State Park

The best single Redwood hike I’ve done in the Bay Area was the hike to the Peters Creek Grove in Portola Redwoods State Park.  And the great thing is, this is one of the least known state parks in the Bay!

Compared to Big Basin or Henry Cowell and certainly Muir Woods, Portola might as well be somewhere in rural Alaska.  Hardly anyone knows about it, and very few people visit!

Maybe one reason for that is the fact that the highlight of the park, the Peters Creek Grove, lies at the end of a strenuous 11 mile hike.  Reaching this magical and remote grove of old growth trees isn’t as simple as getting out of your car.  11 miles of hiking with an accompanying 2,300 feet of climbing make you really earn it!

If you are able, hiking to the Peters Creek Grove is totally worth it.  This might sound weird, but it’s the nicest sounding place I’ve ever been!  If you want the quiet, peaceful, Redwood experience, this is the place to go!

If you’re not up for the 11 mile hike, there are other shorter hikes you can do that all take you through the park’s Redwood forests.  The easiest is the short walk to the Old Tree.  This is the park’s tallest Redwood at 305 feet, and is significantly larger than anything in Muir Woods!

If You Want To Avoid Crowds: Sam McDonald County Park

If you’re really people averse, The Heritage Grove Loop is the Redwood hike for you.  Located in a county park(!) this place gets even less attention than Portola!  Fortunately, that doesn’t mean the trees aren’t big and the views aren’t good!

The tallest trees in the Heritage Grove are 291 feet tall.  Not as large as the monsters in Big Basin or the Old Tree in Portola, but the trees here would fit in in any Redwood grove!

There aren’t as many big trees here from what I could tell.  The grove itself just didn’t seem as big as some of the other old growth groves I’ve been too, but if you want a Redwood hike almost totally devoid of people, this is the one for you.  When I did this hike, I believe I saw 2 other groups on the entire loop.

If You Have A Long Weekend: Humboldt Redwoods State Park

So far, I’ve only talked about places within the Bay Area, but if you really want to see the best Redwoods in the world, you need to drive north about 5 hours.  If you have a long weekend, Humboldt Redwoods State Park is in my opinion the single best place to see Redwoods anywhere in California.

You might be thinking “what about Redwoods National Park?”  Fair question, but from my experience, Humboldt has just as many big trees, and just as beautiful landscapes, but with far fewer visitors.  The only thing the national park really has over it is it’s right on the ocean, so you can get awesome ocean views too.  But again, purely for Redwoods, I’m going to Humboldt.

Let’s talk about Humboldt for a second.  The entire park is 53,000 acres, that’s a lot, and of those 53,000 acres, about 17,000 acres are old growth Redwood forest.  If you can’t quite picture what 17,000 acres looks like, it’s a lot.  That’s a lot of really big trees.  Also I just used the term “a lot” a lot.

And the trees here are legit really big too.  100 of the 137 trees discovered over 350 feet tall can be found in Humboldt.  The tallest known tree in the world, the Stratosphere Giant, was in Humboldt until 3 taller trees were discovered in 2006.  The tallest Redwood ever measured can also be found in Humboldt.  Unfortunately, this monster, the Dyerville Giant, fell in 1991.

If you’re going to make the drive, I would highly recommend the Bull Creek Flats Trail. In my opinion, this is the single best Redwood hike in the world.

At a bit over 7 miles, this loop takes you along Bull Creek as it passes through some of the most incredible Redwood groves in the world.  Many of the tallest trees in the entire world can be seen from this trail, including the Stratosphere Giant (which is not marked) and the aptly named Giant Tree!

If you can, Humboldt should definitely be on your bucket list.  The Bull Creek Flats Trail is the best Redwood hike anywhere that I’ve come across.  The Avenue of the Giants is one of the best scenic driving routes in California.  And if you want, there are other tougher hikes in the park too!

Takeaways: 

My goal in writing this article was not just to bash on Muir Woods.  It is beautiful, and it is an awesome place to visit.  But when I visited, I had heard so much about it proclaiming Muir Woods to be the best place ever (maybe an exaggeration) that I was pretty disappointed when I actually got there.

Now was I disappointed because it wasn’t pretty, or it wasn’t cool, or the hiking wasn’t good?  No.  I was disappointed because I know there are other, better, places to enjoy the Redwoods, and more impressive old growth Redwood groves.  

I hope you don’t view this article as a condemnation of Muir Woods and a reason to never go.  I hope you do visit Muir Woods.  But, if you find yourself wanting more, or if you find yourself wanting bigger trees or just more places to take in the beauty of the Redwoods, I hope this article gives you some inspiration, and gives you a place to start!