“This is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world,” declared conservationist John Muir when describing the majestic coast redwoods of Muir Woods.

Muir Woods is the only old-growth coastal redwood forest in the Bay Area and one of the last on the planet. It is estimated that nearly 2 million acres of forest just like Muir Woods once covered a narrow strip along the coasts of California and Oregon. Today, 97% of this has been impaired or altered and most coastal redwoods now grow on protected second and third growth forests or managed timber plantations. Thanks to William Kent's preservation efforts, Muir Woods was spared this fate and remains as a very accessible yet prime example of an old-growth forest.

Mount Tamalpais State Park, which surrounds Muir Woods, is a beautiful park with sweeping hillsides cloaked with chaparral covered ridges, grassland, and oak woodlands.  Deep canyons filled with solemn redwood groves intersect these ridges and slopes to create a diverse environment for a wide array of plant and animal species.  This area was inhabited by the Coast Miwok Indians prior to the arrival of the Europeans in the 1700's.

Related links:

Muir Woods National Monument  

Mount Tamalpais State Park