John Muir Woods // Cali Trip

On our last full day in California, we decided to take a hike (or two!)

John Muir Woods is a nearby, lush escape from San Francisco, conveniently on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Soaring redwoods with sunlight piercing through the evergreen needles, wooden bridges crossing over gentle streams, and the fresh air entering our lungs as we walked amongst the beauty made this day a true delight.

Declared a national park by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, it was named after nature conservationist John Muir (who advocated for the National Park system), who was a big fan of the Pacific coastal ecosystem. Though the coast redwoods are the highlight of the national park, other trees include the California bay laurel, big leaf maple, and tan oak.

The redwood is the glory of the Coast Range. It extends along the western slope, in a nearly continuous belt about ten miles wide, from beyond the Oregon boundary to the south of Santa Cruz, a distance of nearly four hundred miles, and in massive, sustained grandeur and closeness of growth surpasses all the other timber woods in the world. 

(John Muir)

We started with the Main Trail, which is a two-mile paved loop. It was a pleasant, easy walk and since we weren't huffing and puffing, we enjoyed talking and laughing about random stuff. It was fun to be goofy with him while enjoying the enormous trees and calm atmosphere. 

Afterwards, we ventured off the paved Main trail for  the slightly uphill, more rugged three-mile Canopy View Trail to Lost Creek to Fern Creek Loop. It wasn't too rough even for only the occasional hikers like ourselves. 

"Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt."

(John Muir)

We finished off by driving the short distance to John Muir Beach to relax with the sand between our toes. The nearby high green hills were glorious. 

// See the previous California posts including our trips to Napa Valley and Alcatraz tour  //

Have you ever gone to the John Muir Woods? What did you think?