As I have said before, the list of things to see/places to go from this very central point of California….is long.
On this day the pick was the Muir Woods National Monument. ,one of the last remaining Pacific Coast ancient redwood forests sitting just across the bay from the big city of San Francisco….and a step across the threshold into wilderness. Named for John Muir, an interesting Scottish fellow who along with Roosevelt was instrumental in the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.
Muir Woods is the setting for the new habitat for the Apes in the Planet of the Apes reboot……but the movies were actually filmed in the Redwoods outside Vancouver …and not here.
The proximity to the city makes it a popular spot…so the mechanism used to control the flow of people….is that you have to book your parking spot in the park online in advance, not many spots hence not many people. Pretty clever really.
We had picked a very early slot to try and beat the commuter traffic headed to the city. This tactic scored us a plum parking spot mere yards from the visitor centre.
The road up to the park gate is not for the feint of heart…..certainly not with any kind of trailer…..the truck barely made it round some of those corners. It’s a residential zone with driveways I can only describe as terrifying. (Steep and barely off the very narrow twisty road)
From the access road back down into the valley where the parking area and visitor centre is located….is just as terrifying. Sharp switchbacks down a sheer drop. Once you reach the gate multiple cars were being turned around as they had not secured their advance parking pass. Strict enforcement protects the forest from overuse.
As you step out of the vehicle the size of the trees and the height of the canopy makes you feel like you have been miniaturised somewhere along the road.
…and that wonderful slightly dampish, cedar-y forest floor aroma belies how close you are to vast residential developments.
As always…I have to hit the visitor centre to add another National Park/monument/forest pin to my ever growing collection.
At the beginning of the trail there is a network of boardwalks making this immediate area very accessible.
The scale of these ancient trees is beyond my ability for meaningful description. It would not be a surprise to here that Jurassic Park thud thud of the brontosaurus strolling by.
The Canopy trail and up through Tamalpais peak was the trail pick today….
..following switchbacks up to the edge of the park for the canopy view.
My trusty blogtographer never misses an opportunity to catch me falling in water…or mud…..
At the top of the trail, the last switchbacks take you right to the edge of the park.
The view is atmospheric rather than spectacular as the sea fog sits on the trees.
We have done forest hikes before….but the Muir Woods have a different feel of ancientness.
There are many moments where you just have to stop …gaze upward at the trees and just breathe.
Its the same kind of feeling as standing by the ocean just breathing the air……
Extra Pix
OsteoPraxis on the road 