Know Before You Go

Anticipating a visit to Muir Woods National Monument? Thanks for planning ahead! From parking reservations to what to bring or leave at home, here's what you need to know before you get here.

 

Driving a car? Parking reservations are required!

To park at Muir Woods, reservations must be made at GoMuirWoods.com ahead of your visit. Download your parking reservation before arriving, because you cannot count on cell service during your visit. Reservations frequently sell out - especially on weekends & holidays - so please plan ahead to guarantee your preferred arrival time.

About the parking timing system:

Your reservation comes with a 30-minute arrrival window. If you are in a standard sized vehicle, you may stay as long as you would like. Large vehicles have time-limited reservations.

If you are running early or late, parking attendents may try to accomodate you. You can always call ACE parking at 800-410-2419 with updates on your arrival, especially if it is more than 20/30 minutes earlier or later than your time slot. Anything less than 20 minutes outside of your arrival window will very likely be accomodated.

Not in a car or unable to make a parking reservation?

Consider the following alternatives to driving a personal vehicle to Muir Woods. For more information about how to get to our park, check out our Directions page by clicking here.

Muir Woods Shuttle

Ride the Muir Woods shuttle! The shuttle provides seasonal service from local ferry terminals to the main park entrance. It is a good option for those looking to take public transportation or unable to park at Muir Woods. There is no shuttle that runs through the forest.

The shuttle generally runs over the summer on holidays and weekends. Reservations are required. Please visit GoMuirWoods.com for up-to-date schedules or to book your arrival and departure times.

Ride-shares and Taxis

You may take a ride-share or taxi to Muir Woods without a parking reservation. However, there is no cell-service at Muir Woods to hail a return ride. The Visitor Center at the park entrance has limited WiFi and a pay-phone to communicate with rideshares or taxis.

Public Transit

Public transit directly to the Muir Woods main entrance is limited to the seasonal Muir Woods shuttle (see information above).

Marin Transit Route 61 and 61F stops at Panoramic Hwy & Edgewood Av, right next to the Mountain Home Inn. This is about 800' above Muir Woods and 1.5 miles away. If you plan to take public transit, factor in a round-trip hike of 3 miles with 800' of elevation loss and gain.

Hiking or Biking

While strenuous, it is possible to hike or bike here. The park is a few miles from Mill Valley, which can be reached on foot via the Dipsea Trail. Bikers typically take either Muir Woods Road down from Panoramic Highway or Frank Valley Road via Highway 1. As a hiker or biker, you will not need to make a reservation for parking.

Anticipate steep terrain and sharp turns. No bikes are permitted on Muir Woods trails. The only biker-friendly trail in the immediate area is Deer Park Fire Road. This runs parallel to the Dipsea Trail toward Pantoll Ranger Station in Mount Tamalpais State Park.

 

Hours of Operation

Muir Woods is open every day of the year and our hours change seasonally. For a breakdown on our hours of operation in a given season, visit our Basic Information page. The Muir Woods Visitor Center is open 8:00 am to 30 minutes before the park closes.

Pets

Pets are not permitted in Muir Woods. The park is very small and can get very crowded. To protect the wildlife, other visitors, and your pet, we suggest that you visit nearby areas such as the Coastal Trail at Muir Beach, and some trails in the Marin Headlands where they are permitted. For more information please click here.

Only service animals trained to do a specific task are allowed in the park.

Maps and Hikes

Upon arriving to the woods, all visitors receive a free brochure with a basic trail map as well as information about redwoods and the forest they inhabit. For the brochure in English, click here; for other languages, click here. However, this brochure does not have extensive information about the hikes and trail network. Rangers on site are available to make hike recommendations and here are some additional resources for your reference:

• A list of popular hiking trails and suggestions.

• Topographical map of Muir Woods and the surrounding area.
• Downloadable trail map of Muir Woods and connected routes. (PDF)
• Detailed information about the Redwood Creek trail, our main trail.
• A trail map of the surrounding area, courtesy of Mount Tamalpais State Park (PDF)

 

Gift Stores and Cafe

The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy bookstore is located at the Visitor Center. You can view their online offerings at https://store.parksconservancy.org/.

Inside the park, the Muir Woods Trading Company retail space is open 9 a.m. to approximately an hour before closing time and cafe is open 9 a.m. to approximately an hour before closing time. Service of hot food begins at 11 a.m. The menu can be found here. Eating is only permitted in the Muir Woods plaza (before entering the forest) or on the cafe's patio. cms.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/directions.htm