View source for Muir Woods National Monument

{{Short description|United States National Monument in California}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Muir Woods National Monument
| photo = Muir Woods Path Through Trees June 2022.jpg
| photo_caption = [[Redwood]] trees at the Muir Woods National Monument
| iucn_category = III
| image_map = {{maplink-road|from=Muir_Woods_National_Monument.map}}
| relief = 1
| map_caption = 
| location = [[Marin County, California]], U.S.
| nearest_city = [[Mill Valley, California|Mill Valley, CA]]
| coordinates = {{coord|37|53|31|N|122|34|15|W|region:US|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref = 
| area_acre = 554
| area_ref = <ref name="area">{{NPS area |year = 2011 |access-date = March 23, 2012 }}</ref>
| created = {{start date|1908|01|9}}
| visitation_num = 798,625
| visitation_year = 2022
| visitation_ref = <ref name="visits">{{NPS visitation |access-date = August 2, 2023 }}</ref>
| governing_body = [[National Park Service]]
| website = [https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm Muir Woods National Monument]
| embedded1 = {{designation list | embed = yes
  | designation1 = NRHP
  | designation1_date = January 9, 2008
  | designation1_number = 07001396<ref name="nris">{{NRISref |version = 2010a }}</ref>
  }}
}}

'''Muir Woods National Monument''' ({{IPAc-en|m|jʊər}} {{respell|MURE}}) is a [[National monument (United States)|United States national monument]] managed by the [[National Park Service]] and named after naturalist [[John Muir]]. It is located on [[Mount Tamalpais]] near the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] coast in southwestern [[Marin County, California]]. The Monument is part of the [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]], and is {{convert|12|mi}} north of [[San Francisco]]. It protects {{convert|554|acre}},<ref name = "npsTourManual">{{cite web |url = http://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/upload/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Tour%20Manual%202008%20Final.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090806062556/http://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/upload/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Tour%20Manual%202008%20Final.pdf |url-status = dead |archive-date = August 6, 2009 |title = Muir Woods Tour Manual – 2008 |access-date = January 19, 2009 |publisher = [[National Park Service]] }}</ref> of which {{convert|240|acre}} are [[old growth|old-growth]] [[coast redwood]] (''Sequoia sempervirens'') forests,<ref name = "1993OldGrowthEstimates">{{Cite web |last1 = Bolsinger |first1 = Charles L. |last2 = Waddell |first2 = Karen L. |year = 1993 |title = Area of old-growth forests in California, Oregon, and Washington |url = http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_rb197.pdf |publisher = [[United States Forest Service]], Pacific Northwest Research Station |id = Resource Bulletin PNW-RB-197 }}</ref> one of the few such stands remaining in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]].

==Geography==

===Ecosystem===

The Muir Woods National Monument is an [[Old growth forest|old-growth coastal redwood forest]]<ref name="NPS_20200322">{{cite web | title=Fog, Redwoods and a Changing Climate | work=[[National Park Service]] | date=March 22, 2020 | url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/fog-redwoods-and-a-changing-climate.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723030950/https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/fog-redwoods-and-a-changing-climate.htm | archive-date=July 23, 2025 | url-status=live | access-date=July 23, 2025}}</ref> in a canyon situated on the western slope of [[Mount Tamalpais]], which rises to 2,571 feet.<ref name="Manley_NYT_19991010">{{cite web |first=Harriot |last=Manley| title=The Other Side of Muir Woods | website=The New York Times | date=October 10, 1999 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/10/travel/the-other-side-of-muir-woods.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723024139/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/10/travel/the-other-side-of-muir-woods.html | archive-date=July 23, 2025 | url-status=live | access-date=July 23, 2025}}</ref> Because it faces and is in close proximity to the [[Pacific Ocean]], the forest is regularly shrouded in a thick, coastal [[marine layer]] fog in the summer, contributing to a wet environment that encourages vigorous plant growth. The fog is also vital for the growth of the redwoods as they use moisture from the fog during drought seasons, particularly during dry summers.<ref name="NPS_20200322"/><ref name="Manley_NYT_19991010"/> During the winter, substantial rainfall soaks the ground, creating the damp environment these trees prefer, as they naturally flourish near rivers and streams.<ref name="Manley_NYT_19991010"/>

{{climate chart
|  Muir Woods National Monument
| 7| 12| 64
| 10| 16| 74
| 9| 20| 86
| 9| 20| 45
| 10| 17| 1
| 12| 20| 4
| 14| 23| 1
| 14| 22| 2
| 13| 27| 10
| 12| 23| 25
| 8| 14| 111
| 6| 9| 177
|float=right
|clear=right
|source = <ref name = "nasa">{{Cite web |url = http://neo.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/dataset_index.php |title = NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index |access-date = January 30, 2016 |publisher = NASA }}</ref>
}}

===Climate===
The monument remains cool and moist year-round with daytime temperatures averaging between 40 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit ({{nowrap|4 to 21 °C}}). Rainfall is heavy during the winter, and summers are almost completely dry, with the exception of [[fog drip]] caused by the fog passing through the trees. Annual precipitation in the park ranges from 39.4&nbsp;inches (1,000&nbsp;mm) in the lower valley to 47.2&nbsp;inches ({{nowrap|1,200 mm}}) higher up in the mountain slopes.

===Soils and bedrock===
The redwoods grow on brown humus-rich [[loam]], which may be gravelly, stony or, somewhat sandy. This soil has been assigned to the Centissima [[soil classification|series]], which is always found on sloping ground. It is well-drained, moderately deep, and slightly to moderately acidic.<ref>[https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/C/CENTISSIMA.html Official Series Description - CENTISSIMA Series]. Soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov. Retrieved on July 21, 2013.</ref>
It has developed from a [[mélange]] in the [[Franciscan Formation]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/ngm-bin/pdp/zui_viewer.pl?id=10424 |title = Geologic map and map database of parts of Marin, San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Sonoma Counties, California |website = ngmdb.usgs.gov |access-date = March 15, 2018 }}</ref> More open areas of the park have shallow gravelly loam of the Barnabe series, or deep hard loam of the Cronkhite series.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/gmap/ |title = SoilWeb: An Online Soil Survey Browser - California Soil Resource Lab |website = casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu |access-date = March 15, 2018 }}</ref>

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2015}}

===Background===
[[File:John Muir Teaching GOGA 32470-0347.jpg|thumb|right|[[John Muir]], lower left foreground, explaining the site to Mildred Lewis and friends<!-- 14f 8m --> at Muir Woods, before 1914<ref name="npgallery/Album/MuWo">{{cite web |title=Historic images of Muir Woods |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/SearchResults/AlbumID/579542CE-A4C1-D5CF-1582D4A81772EFAB |website=NPGallery |publisher=[[nps.gov]] |access-date=25 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref>]]
The first fossils of ''[[Sequoia sempervirens]]'', also known as Coast Redwood, can be traced back to the [[Jurassic period]], more than 200 million years ago.<ref name="savetheredwoods_20230831">{{cite web | title=Coast Redwoods | website=Save the Redwoods League | date=August 31, 2023 | url=https://www.savetheredwoods.org/redwoods/coast-redwoods/ | access-date=July 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250722225907/https://www.savetheredwoods.org/redwoods/coast-redwoods/ |archive-date=July 22, 2025}}</ref> Redwood forests grew throughout the Northern Hemisphere.<ref name="savetheredwoods_20230831"/> Before commercial logging began in the mid-nineteenth century as a result of the [[Gold Rush]], redwood forests occurred [[Native species|naturally]], covering an estimated {{convert|2000000|acre|ha|order=flip|abbr=on}} extending from [[Oregon]] in the north to south of [[Big Sur]] in [[Monterey County, California]].<ref name="savetheredwoods_20230831"/><ref name="NPS_20140414">{{cite web |title=Redwood National & State Parks Redwood burl poaching background and update |url=https://www.nps.gov/redw/learn/news/upload/RNSP-Burl-Background-and-Update-14April2014.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215093004/https://www.nps.gov/redw/learn/news/upload/RNSP-Burl-Background-and-Update-14April2014.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 15, 2017 |website=www.nps.gov |access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref> By 2023, only 5% of the historic range of old-growth along the coast remains, shrunk to a strip of 450 miles along the coast. Trees in the coast redwood forests are young.<ref name="savetheredwoods_20230831"/>

===Redwood Canyon===
Because of its proximity to [[San Francisco]], in the mid-1880s, redwoods on Mount Tamalpais were heavily logged to build the city and later, in 1906, to rebuild it. The redwood in Muir's woods, in what was then called Redwood Canyon, on Mount Tamalpais' steep slope, were spared because they were too difficult to reach for logging.<ref name="Manley_NYT_19991010"/>

<blockquote>In 1903, [[William Kent (U.S. Congressman)|William Kent]] chaired a meeting attended by the chiefs of the [[U.S. Forest Service]] and the [[U.S. Biological Survey]]. The group discussed a proposal for a 12,000-acre park from [[Mount Tamalpais|the mountain]] to the sea, on land owned by ranchers and the Tamalpais Land and Water Company. In 1905, using money borrowed from a banker friend, the Kents bought 611 acres of Redwood Canyon within this area on the southwestern side of Mount Tamalpais to thwart logging, protect the redwood forests, and provide visitors’ accommodations. Two years later, their plan to save the primeval redwood groves of Redwood Creek was threatened when the ''[[North Coast Water Company]]''<ref name="nps/muwo/history"/> (successor to the ''Tamalpais Land and Water Company''<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.nps.gov/muwo/getinvolved/upload/Muir-Woods-Tour-Guide-Manual-2016.doc | format=DOC | title=Muir Woods - Tour Guide and Commercial Driver's Manual | website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>) began condemnation proceedings on 47 acres of the Kents' private acreage in order to dam the creek and create a reservoir to provide a water supply for Sausalito. But William Kent learned about America’s first preservation law, the Antiquities Act of 1906: it allowed the government to accept gifts from private citizens and gave the president the ability to create national monuments by proclamation. Kent wrote to President Theodore Roosevelt and offered to donate 298 acres to the nation. Roosevelt accepted, and in 1908 Muir Woods became a national monument. Kent insisted that the park be named for John Muir, whose western explorations, political efforts, and writing had so increased our country’s awareness of its natural treasures. With later land acquisi- tions, nearly all of them Kent family gifts, the monument grew and now protects 560 acres, most of it virgin redwood forest. William Kent was elected to Congress in 1910 and served for three terms. During his time in Washington, he helped create the National Park Service.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Space available | url=https://content.ucpress.edu/chapters/9884.ch01.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240720130647/https://content.ucpress.edu/chapters/9884.ch01.pdf | archive-date=2024-07-20}}</ref></blockquote>

Concerns about protecting Redwood Canyon had already been raised in the early 20th century with conservationists such as U.S. Congressman, [[William Kent (U.S. Congressman)|William Kent]], his wife, [[Elizabeth Thacher Kent]]; a banker at [[Bank of California]], Lovell White and his wife, [[Laura Lyon White]]; and Canadian-American botanist and conservationist, [[Alice Eastwood]], procurator and Head of the Department of Botany, at the [[California Academy of Sciences]] in [[San Francisco]].

<blockquote>"By 1904, influential women from the San Francisco Bay Area had organized to purchase more forest, this time owned by the North Coast Water Company, which was under pressure from its shareholders to sell the land to another private entity. A key organizer and advocate was Alice Eastwood, who worked as a curator at the California Academy of Sciences. She and others spearheaded a drive to raise $80,000 to buy the land...<ref name="eastwing/Taylor/Redwoods">{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Jennifer |title=Essay: Walking Among the Redwoods |url=https://www.eastwingmagazine.com/p/essay-walking-among-the-redwoods |website=East Wing Magazine .com |access-date=25 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006130351/https://www.eastwingmagazine.com/p/essay-walking-among-the-redwoods |archive-date=2024-10-06 |language=en}}</ref>"</blockquote>

The Kents purchased {{convert|611|acre}} of land from the [[Tamalpais Land and Water Company]]<ref name="mvhistory/T-L+W-co">{{cite web |title=Tamalpais Land & Water Co. |url=https://www.mvhistory.org/vignette-tamalpais-land-water-co-2/ |website=Mill Valley Historical Society |access-date=24 July 2025 |date=8 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="nps/muwo/history">{{cite web |title=Timeline of Muir Woods |url=https://www.nps.gov/muwo/learn/historyculture/historyofmuirwoods.htm |website=Muir Woods National Monument |publisher=[[nps.gov]] (U.S. National Park Service) |location=<!-- 1 Muir Woods Rd, --> Mill Valley |language=en}}</ref> for $45,000 in 1905 with the goal of protecting the redwoods and the mountain above them.  The deal was facilitated by White and his activist wife.<ref name=binkley>{{cite journal |last1 = Binkley |first1 = Cameron |title = A Cult of Beauty: The Public Life and Civic Work of Laura Lyon White |journal = California History |volume = 82 |number = 2 |date = 2005 |jstor = 25161804 |pages = 56–57 |doi = 10.2307/25161804 }}</ref><ref name="Runner_2009"/>

[[File:Spider webs in Muir Woods.jpg|thumb|right|Sunlight on leaves and spider webs in Muir Woods]]
According to the U.S. National Park Service, the Canadian-American botanist and conservationist, [[Alice Eastwood]] (1859-1953), worked to protect and maintain numerous redwood forests in California, including in Muir Woods National Monument, [[Mount Tamalpais State Park]],<ref name="NPS_Obit_Eastwood_1953">{{cite web | title=Alice Eastwood | work=U.S. National Park Service | date=October 30, 1953 | url=https://www.nps.gov/people/alice-eastwood.htm | access-date=July 22, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250722202429/https://www.nps.gov/people/alice-eastwood.htm |archive-date=July 22, 2025}}</ref> and the Alice Eastwood Memorial Grove, a redwood grove in [[Humboldt County, California|Humboldt County]].<ref name="California Academy of Sciences">{{cite web|title=Eastwood, Alice, 1859-1953, Biographical History|url=http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/library/special/findaids/eastwood.html#ref24|access-date=July 22, 2025|publisher=California Academy of Sciences|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250722205053/https://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/library/special/findaids/eastwood.html |archive-date=July 22, 2025}}</ref> Eastwood came to San Francisco in 1893 to work at the California Academy of Sciences as a curator and worked there for over 50 years.<ref name="NPS_Obit_Eastwood_1953"/>

In 1907, a water company in nearby [[Sausalito]] planned to dam [[Redwood Creek (Marin County)|Redwood Creek]], thereby flooding the valley. When Kent objected to the plan, the water company threatened to use [[eminent domain]] and took him to court to attempt to force the project to move ahead. Kent sidestepped the water company's plot by donating {{convert|295|acre}} of the redwood forest to the federal government, thus bypassing the local courts.

[[File:Sound Level Monitor.jpg|thumb|A Sound Level Monitor at Muir Woods National Monument<ref name="nytimes/earth/22sound">{{cite news |last1=Barringer |first1=Felicity |title=Shhh, and Not Because the Fauna Are Sleeping |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/science/earth/22sound.html |access-date=24 July 2025 |work=[[nytimes.com]] |date=22 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250724212900/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/science/earth/22sound.html |archive-date=24 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref>]]

The [[Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway]] began to carry passengers to the redwood grove in 1907, with trains turning off the mainline track onto a spur at Mesa Junction. This brought the first sightseeing groups to the grove.<ref name="NPS_2022">{{cite web | title=The Crookedest Railroad: Early Travel to Muir Woods | work=National Park Service | date=2022 | url=https://www.nps.gov/muwo/learn/historyculture/upload/-Mount-Tamalpais-Mill-Valley-Scenic-Railway.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723013956/https://www.nps.gov/muwo/learn/historyculture/upload/-Mount-Tamalpais-Mill-Valley-Scenic-Railway.pdf | archive-date=July 23, 2025 | access-date=July 23, 2025}}</ref><ref name="Runner_2009">{{Cite book |last=Runner |first=Fred |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/298843659 |title=Mount Tamalpais scenic railway |date=2009 |publisher=Arcadia Pub |isbn=978-0-7385-5942-1 |series=Images of rail |location=Charleston, SC |pages=107 |oclc=298843659}}</ref>

===Muir Woods===
Muir Woods became a national monument on January 9, 1908, before the National Park Service existed, when it was signed into law under the [[Antiquities Act]] by President [[Theodore Roosevelt]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-35/pdf/STATUTE-35-Pg2174.pdf | title=Proclamations | year=1908 | website=www.govinfo.gov}}</ref> The Kents bought Redwood Canyon to protect and preserve it and worked to get Roosevelt to declare it a monument. In legislation written to protect Muir Woods, it was described as, "of extraordinary scientific interest and importance because of the primeval character of the forest in which it is located, and of the character, age, and size of the trees".<ref>[[:File:Letter from Roosevelt to Kent, 1908 (407b7ebe-90f0-4b9c-96a8-8dfbd7036462).jpg]]</ref> Once declared a national monument, Muir Woods was immediately protected and placed under the care of the United States Government. The Antiquities Act was the first of its kind to provide protection for natural resources.

The original suggested name of the monument was the Kent Monument, but Kent insisted the monument be named after naturalist [[John Muir]], whose environmental campaigns helped to establish the [[List of National Parks of the United States|National Park system]], and President Roosevelt agreed with this proposition.

Kent and Muir had become friends over shared views of wilderness preservation, but Kent's later support for the flooding of [[Hetch Hetchy Valley|Hetch Hetchy]] caused Muir to end their friendship.<ref>[http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/people/kent.aspx William Kent - People - John Muir Exhibit]. Sierraclub.org (April 5, 1976). Retrieved on 2013-07-21.</ref>

In December 1928, the Kent Memorial was erected at the ''Kent Tree'' in ''Fern Canyon''. This tree, a Douglas fir, not a redwood, was said to be Kent's favorite. Due to its height of {{convert|280|ft}} and location on a slope, the tree leaned towards the valley for more than 100 years. Storms in the [[El Niño]] years of 1981 and 1982 caused the tree to tilt even more and took out the top {{convert|40|ft}} of the tree.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title = Kent Tree Falls |url = http://www.nps.gov/archive/muwo/nature/kent.htm |date = 2003 |access-date = July 11, 2015 |website = Natural Resources at Muir Woods NM |archive-date = December 23, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061223012626/http://www.nps.gov/archive/muwo/nature/kent.htm }}</ref> During the winter of 2002–03, many storms brought high winds to Muir Woods, causing the tree to lean so much that a fissure developed in January 2003. This fissure grew larger as the tree slowly leaned more and more, forcing the closure of some trails. On March 18, 2003, at around 8:28 pm, the tree fell, damaging several other trees nearby.<ref name=":0" /> The closed trails have since been reconfigured and reopened.

In 1937, the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] was completed, and park attendance tripled, reaching over 180,000.

President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] died on April 12, 1945, shortly before he was to have opened the [[United Nations Conference on International Organization]], for which delegates from 50 countries met in [[San Francisco]] to draft and sign the [[United Nations Charter]]. On May 19, the delegates held a commemorative ceremony in tribute to his memory in Muir Woods' Cathedral Grove, where a dedication plaque was placed in his honor.<ref>[[:File:Muir Woods United Nations plaque 01.jpg]]</ref>

By 1962, more than one billion visitors had visited the park.<ref name="npgallery/MuWo/1962-billionth">{{cite web |title=Picture of ranger greeting the one billionth visitor to the park, 1962 |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/90b9a17e-f6b1-622e-6e50-7bd3f84a1642 |website=NPGallery |publisher=U.S. National Park Service |date=1962}}</ref> Muir Woods is one of the major tourist attractions of the [[San Francisco Bay Area]], with 776,000 visitors in 2005.

On January 9, 2008, the monument was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris2">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref><ref name="npgallery/muwo/NRHP-07001396">{{cite web |title=Muir Woods National Monument |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/adbe6ed4-bf7e-496c-8b87-5097866b402b |website=npgallery |publisher=nps.gov |access-date=25 July 2025 |date=2008-01-09 |quote=National Register of Historic Places Information System ID: 07001396}}</ref>

[[File:DSC06134 Original.jpg|thumb|Muir Woods history sign, 24 June 2023, removed by the Trump administration, in July 2025.]]
In 2023, the [[National Park Service|U.S. National Park Service]] undertook a "History Under Construction" initiative, which included re-visiting the history of Muir Woods National Monument's founders and supporters to include the contributions of indigenous peoples and women. This resulted in new signage, for example, that acknowledged that the first movement to save the [[Sequoia Canyon]] was the Forestry chapter of the California Club, a women's club in the first decade of the twentieth century.<ref name="NPS_20201128">{{cite web | title=How Women Saved Muir Woods | work=U.S. National Park Service | date=November 28, 2020| url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/how-women-saved-muir-woods.htm | access-date=July 22, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203014944/https://www.nps.gov/articles/how-women-saved-muir-woods.htm |archive-date=December 3, 2020}}</ref><ref name="nps.gov/laura-lyon-white">{{cite web |title=Laura Lyon White |url=https://www.nps.gov/people/laura-lyon-white.htm |website=www.nps.gov  (U.S. National Park Service) |access-date=24 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203121528/https://www.nps.gov/people/laura-lyon-white.htm |archive-date=2020-12-03 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="NPS_20231105">{{cite web | title=History Under Construction| work=[[National Park Service|U.S. National Park Service]]| date=November 5, 2023 | url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/history-under-construction.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250704042219/https://www.nps.gov/articles/history-under-construction.htm |archive-date=July 4, 2025| access-date=July 22, 2025}}</ref>  Elizabeth Villano, now a former park ranger, helped create the new version of the sign.<ref name="latimes/muir-exhibit-removed-trump">{{cite news |last1=Fry |first1=Hannah |title=Trump ordered purge of 'unpatriotic' signage from national parks. How one California spot complied |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-23/muir-woods-exhibit-removed-following-trump-order-on-unpatriotic-signs |access-date=24 July 2025 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=23 July 2025}}</ref>

In July 2025, the [[National Park Service]] removed this revised history on all Muir Woods National Monument signage that aimed to tell a more complete history of the site, that the [[Second presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] has referred to as “[[Executive Order 14253|improper ideology]]” under a directive targeting [[diversity, equity, and inclusion]] (DEI)-related initiatives that allegedly undermined national unity,<ref name="jdsupra_20250130">{{cite web | title=Trump Administration Executive Orders Take Aim at DEI in Government and Private Sector | work=JD Supra | date=January 30, 2025 | url=https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/trump-administration-executive-orders-1240259/ | access-date=July 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250131003607/https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/trump-administration-executive-orders-1240259/ |archive-date=January 31, 2025}}</ref> from Interior Secretary [[Doug Burgum]] issued earlier that year.<ref name="sfgate/20781301">{{cite news |last1=Hebert |first1=Olivia |title=Muir Woods exhibit becomes first casualty of White House directive to erase history |url=https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/muir-woods-national-monument-history-erased-20781301.php |access-date=24 July 2025 |work=[[sfgate.com]] |date=July 22, 2025}}</ref>

=== Ben Johnson's cabin===
In the 1890s, Ben Johnson worked as a gamekeeper for the Sportsman's Club in Redwood Canyon, before it became Muir Woods National Monument, living in his own cabin near the confluence of the Redwood and Fern Creeks.<ref name="npgallery/1910-Muir-Johnson-cabin">{{cite web |title=John Muir in Muir Woods, near Ben Johnson cabin, 1910 |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/90cd0bdc-cd6b-93cd-e637-f725e16e5d31 |website=NPGallery |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=25 July 2025}}</ref><ref name="calisphere/kt6d5nd3j7">{{cite web |author1=Putnum & Valentine, Photo |title=Ben Johnson's cabin in Muir Woods, circa 1910 (photograph) |url=https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/kt6d5nd3j7/ |website=[[calisphere]] |access-date=25 July 2025 |location=Los Angeles |language=English |date=1910}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Ben Johnson cabin in Muir Woods | website=Calisphere |  url=https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/kt9g5028p0/ | access-date=2025-08-22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Ben Johnson cabin in Muir Woods, 1938 [postcard negative] — Calisphere | url=https://calisphere.org/item/96ef0fca09355ddd1220a7566f301e87/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518233534/https://calisphere.org/item/96ef0fca09355ddd1220a7566f301e87/ | access-date=2025-07-29 | archive-date=2024-05-18}}</ref> Later, Ben Johnson was a caretaker of William Kent's land.<ref name="marinij/trails-in-muir">{{cite news |last1=Dunham |first1=Tacy |title=Traverse historic trails in Muir Woods |url=https://www.marinij.com/2007/01/18/traverse-historic-trails-in-muir-woods/ |access-date=25 July 2025 |work=[[Marin Independent Journal]] |date=18 January 2007}}</ref> Ben Johnson's cabin was demolished in 1928.<ref name="calisphere/kt6d5nd3j7"/>

===Muir Woods Inn ===
The first Muir Woods Inn, built not after 1900, was located at what is now called ''Camp [[Alice Eastwood]]'', and burned down circa 1907.<ref name="npgallery/muwo/inn-1900">{{cite web |title=View of the original Muir Woods Inn, c1900 |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/f84b168e-155d-4519-3e2e-36d00e815f1c |website=NPGallery |publisher=nps.gov |access-date=25 July 2025 |quote=View of the original Muir Woods Inn. The open space is where Camp Alice Eastwood parking is now. After the original Inn burned c1907, the track was extended approximately ½ mile downgrade to the new Inn.}}</ref>

The second Muir Woods Inn was built in 1913, approximately ½ mile downhill, from the first,<ref name="npgallery/muwo/inn-1900"/> hosting John Muir, William Kent, and John H. Cutter, the first president of the Tamalpais Conservation Club and a president of the [[Sierra Club]].<ref name="calisphere/kt687025vw">{{cite web |title=John Muir, William Kent, and J.H. Cutter in front of the Muir Woods Inn |url=https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/kt687025vw/ |website=[[calisphere]] |access-date=25 July 2025 |language=English |date=1912}}</ref><ref name="distiller/j-h-cutter-whisky">{{cite web |title=J.H. Cutter Whisky |url=https://distiller.com/spirits/j-h-cutter-whisky |website=Distiller |access-date=25 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="fohbcvM/j-h-cutter">{{cite web |title=J.H. Cutter Old Bourbon |url=https://fohbcvirtualmuseum.org/galleries/spirits/j-h-cutter-old-bourbon/ |website=fohbcvirtualmuseum.org - FOHBC Virtual Museum of Historical Bottles and Glass |access-date=25 July 2025 |date=21 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="marinij/cleaning-mTam">{{cite news |title=Marin History Watch: Cleaning up Mount Tamalpais |url=https://www.marinij.com/2013/02/19/marin-history-watch-cleaning-up-mount-tamalpais/ |access-date=25 July 2025 |work=[[Marin Independent Journal]] |agency=Marin History Museum |date=19 February 2013}}</ref><ref name="ebT/orchids-mTam">{{cite news |last1=Dreskin |first1=Wendy |title=Orchids, a spring treat on Mount Tamalpais hike |url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/03/21/orchids-a-spring-treat-on-mount-tamalpais-hike/ |access-date=25 July 2025 |work=[[East Bay Times]] |agency=[[Marin Independent Journal]] |date=21 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="npgallery/Muir-Kent-Cutter-master">{{cite web |title=John Muir, William Kent, and J.H. Cutter posing outside Muir Woods Inn, c1913. |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/f83efce0-155d-4519-3e2b-adbe7f259a4c |website=NPGallery |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=25 July 2025}}</ref><ref name="npgallery/Muir-Kent-Cutter-closeup">{{cite web |title=(closeup) John Muir, William Kent, and J.H. Cutter posing outside Muir Woods Inn, c1913. |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/90cf5850-a6be-03aa-2b26-9309ca775276 |website=NPGallery |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=25 July 2025}}</ref><ref name="npgallery/Muir-Inn-1925">{{cite web |title=Second Muir Woods Inn, c. 1925- 1930. |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/f820fce3-155d-4519-3ea4-afc7f289d2f9 |website=NPGallery |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=25 July 2025}}</ref>

==Biology==

===Flora===
[[File:MUWO4193.JPG|right|250px|thumb|Undergrowth of a redwood canopy demonstrates the deep shadow under the trees. Note the clearing in the background showing other trees growing in the light.]]
The main attraction of Muir Woods is the [[Sequoia sempervirens|coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'')]] trees. They are known for their height and are related to the [[giant sequoia]] of the Sierra Nevada. While redwoods can grow to nearly [[Hyperion (tree)|{{nowrap|380 feet}} ({{nowrap|115 m}})]], the tallest tree in the Muir Woods is {{convert|258|ft}}. The trees come from a seed no bigger than a tomato seed.<ref>[https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm Muir Woods National Monument - Muir Woods National Monument]. Nps.gov (June 23, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-07-21.</ref>  Most of the redwoods in the monument are between 500 and 800 years old. The oldest is at least 1,200 years old.

Other tree species grow in the [[understory]] of the redwood groves. Three of the most common are the [[California bay laurel]], the [[bigleaf maple]] and the [[tanoak]]. Each of these species has developed a unique adaptation to the low level of dappled sunlight that reaches them through the redwoods overhead. The California bay laurel has a strong root system that allows the tree to lean towards openings in the canopy. The bigleaf maple, true to its name, has developed the largest leaf of any maple species. These large leaves allow it to capture more of the forest's dim light. The tanoak has a unique internal leaf structure that enables it to make effective use of the light that filters through the canopy.

===Fish===
[[File:RedWoodCreek.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Redwood Creek]]

Redwood Creek provides a critical spawning and rearing habitat for [[coho salmon|coho]] or silver salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch'') and [[Rainbow trout|steelhead]] (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'').  Steelhead  are listed as [[threatened species]] (2011) in the Central California Coast [[distinct population segment]].  Coho salmon are listed as endangered in their [[evolutionary significant unit]] (2011). The creek is near the southernmost limit of coho habitat and the fish have never been stocked, so they have a distinctive DNA. The Redwood Creek salmon are Central Coast coho salmon which have been listed as federally threatened species since October 2006 and as federally [[endangered species]] in June 2005. Coho migrate from the ocean back to freshwater for a single chance at reproduction, generally after two years in the ocean. The spawning migrations begin after heavy late fall or winter rains breach the sandbar at [[Muir Beach]] allowing the fish to move upstream (usually in December and January).<ref>{{cite report |title = Long-term coho salmon and steelhead trout monitoring in coastal Marin County 2007: annual monitoring progress report. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SFAN/NRTR—2009/269 |author=Carlisle, S. |author2=M. Reichmuth |author3=E. Brown |author4=S. C. Del Real |url = https://science1.nature.nps.gov/naturebib/biodiversity/2009-12-2.2/StreamfishAnnual07NRTRFinal.pdf |year = 2008 |publisher = National Park Service |location = Fort Collins, Colorado |access-date = January 5, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100527172643/https://science1.nature.nps.gov/naturebib/biodiversity/2009-12-2.2/StreamfishAnnual07NRTRFinal.pdf |archive-date = May 27, 2010 }}</ref> No salmon were seen in the 2007–2008 winter run, nor the 2008–2009 winter run. Evidence points to exhaustion of smolt oversummering in the creek due to a loss of large woody debris and deep pools where young salmon can rest. Starting in 2009, the [[National Park Service]] began restoring Muir Beach to create a functional, self-sustaining ecosystem and improve visitor access.<ref>{{cite web |title = Coho Salmon Monitoring in Redwood Creek, Inventory and Monitoring Program Research Project Summary |date = August 2009 |author = Michelle O'Herron |publisher = National Park Service |url = http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sfan/reports/Executive%20Briefings/Coho_ResourceBriefing.pdf |access-date = January 5, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100528172735/http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sfan/reports/Executive%20Briefings/Coho_ResourceBriefing.pdf |archive-date = May 28, 2010 }}</ref> The intervention was almost too late, since the coho only has a three-year life span. But, as of January 2010, and for the first time in three years, an estimated 45 coho swam up Redwood Creek to spawn, creating 23 redds or clusters of eggs.<ref  name=2010Coho>{{cite news |title = Marin creek being restored to bring back coho |author = Peter Fimrite |newspaper = San Francisco Chronicle |date = November 12, 2010 |url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/12/MN1O1GAMHQ.DTL |access-date = November 14, 2010 }}</ref> In 2011, 11 live adult coho and 1 coho carcass was observed, along with three redds, a modest increase over the 2007–2008 spawning season.<ref>{{cite report |title = 2010-2011 Coho and Steelhead Spawner Survey Summary |publisher = National Park Service |url = http://www.sfnps.org/download_product/2428/0 |access-date = May 15, 2011 }}</ref> Statewide the coho population is 1% of its levels in the 1940s and the fish have vanished from 90% of the streams they formerly visited.<ref>{{cite news |title = Marin's coho salmon on the brink of extinction |author = Mark Prado |newspaper = Marin Independent Journal |date = January 2, 2010 |url = http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_14113750 |access-date = January 12, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title = California Coho Salmon In Dire Straits, New Report Predicts Collapse |journal = Bay Nature |date = Jan 2010 |author = Donna Whitmarsh |url = http://baynature.org/articles/web-only-articles/california-coho-salmon-in-dire-straits |access-date = January 12, 2010 }}</ref>  The [[Watershed Alliance of Marin]] reported that no salmon returned to spawn in 2014, prompting concerns that the fish may now be [[Local extinction|extirpated]] from the creek.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Muir-Woods-coho-salmon-vanish-fanning-fears-of-5925337.php |title = Muir Woods coho salmon vanish, fanning fears of extinction |website = sfgate.com |date = November 30, 2014 |access-date = March 15, 2018 }}</ref>

===Birds===
Muir Woods is home to over 50 species of birds.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110613092619/http://www.nps.gov/muwo/naturescience/upload/The%20Birds%20of%20Muir%20Woods%20National%20Monument.doc The Birds of Muir Woods National Monument]. [https://www.nps.gov/muwo/naturescience/birds.htm Muir Woods National Monument – Birds], U.S. National Park Service. Last updated in September 2001. Accessed August 9, 2010.</ref> This relatively low number is due to the lack of insects. The [[tannin]] in the trees repels the insects and the volume of flowers and fruits produced by plants below the canopy is limited by the shade of the redwoods.

It is occasionally possible to see [[northern spotted owl]]s or [[pileated woodpecker]]s in the forest. While decreasing in numbers elsewhere, the spotted owls appear to be thriving in the monument and other evergreen forests in the area. A National Park Service monitoring project of the owls is ongoing within the monument. The project has found that adult owls are finding mates, raising young to adulthood and the young are having new broods of their own.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}
[[File:Muir Woods Banana Snail.jpg|thumb|[[Banana slug]]s are common in Muir Woods]]

===Mammals===
The monument is home to a variety of mammals ranging in size from the small, four-inch long [[American shrew mole]] to the much larger black-tailed subspecies of [[mule deer]], ''Odocoileus hemionus columbianus''.<ref name="wildlife-checklist">{{cite web |title=Wildlife Checklist: Muir Woods National Monument |url=https://www.nps.gov/muwo/learn/nature/upload/2010-Wildlife-Checklist.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507113416/https://www.nps.gov/muwo/learn/nature/upload/2010-Wildlife-Checklist.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 7, 2021 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=July 6, 2020}}</ref> The majority of the monument's mammals are either nocturnal or are burrowing animals that live underground or in the forest floor's dense [[plant litter]]. Most commonly seen are [[Sonoma chipmunk]]s and [[western gray squirrel]]s.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080216215602/http://www.nps.gov/muwo/upload/unigrid-muwo.pdf Muir Woods National Monument (Official Map & Guide)].  National Park Service.  Retrieved June 29, 2010.</ref>

Bears historically roamed the area but were largely exterminated by habitat destruction.  In 2003 a male [[American black bear|black bear]] was spotted wandering in various areas of [[Marin County, California|Marin County]], including Muir Woods.

There are 11 species of [[bat]]s that call the monument home, often using hollows burned into the redwoods by past fires as a maternity colony.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

In November 2010 [[sea otter]]s (''Enhydra lutris'') have been spotted swimming in the new stream channel constructed in the lagoon area of Redwood Creek.<ref name=2010Coho/>

==Recreation==
[[File:Muir Woods Entry Sign (18216748945).jpg|thumb|left|Vehicle entrance sign to Muir Woods main parking area, 2015]]
Muir Woods, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is a park which caters to pedestrians, as parking of vehicles is only allowed at the very entrance. Hiking trails vary in the level of difficulty and distance. Picnicking, camping and pets are not permitted.

As of 2015, the park sees up to 6000 visitors per day during peak times (April to October, Thanksgiving weekend, and Christmas through New Years), more than 80% of which arrive by car, and most of the rest with a tour bus or shuttle bus.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title = Wildly popular Muir Woods to start requiring reservations |url = http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Wildly-popular-Muir-Woods-to-start-requiring-6376513.php |access-date = July 11, 2015 |website = San Francisco Chronicle |first = Carl |last = Nolte |date = July 10, 2015 }}</ref> Currently, parking is extremely limited and lots often fill early in the day.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.nps.gov/muwo/7-ranger-s-tips-on-how-to-experience-muir-woods-safely-this-summer-or-how-to-find-parking.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140710142516/http://www.nps.gov/muwo/7-ranger-s-tips-on-how-to-experience-muir-woods-safely-this-summer-or-how-to-find-parking.htm |url-status = dead |archive-date = July 10, 2014 |title = Muir Woods National Monument |publisher = National Park Service |access-date = January 1, 2016 }}</ref> The county and the National Park Service introduced a reservation system in early 2018 which restricts the number of vehicles allowed to enter and park in Muir Woods every day.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |url = https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/reservations.htm |title = Reservations - Muir Woods National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) |website = www.nps.gov |language = en |access-date = November 12, 2017 }}</ref> Residents of neighboring Mill Valley had protested against earlier plans to set up an additional parking lot, and together with a group named "Mount Tam Task Force" sued to prevent the building of a shuttle bus station.<ref name=":1" />

===Facilities===
[[File:Muir_Woods_National_Monument,_Marin_County,_California.jpg |right|thumb|upright=1.0|Entrance To Muir Woods National Monument]]

==== Parking and shuttle ====
Reservations are required for all vehicles and shuttle riders since 2018. [[Marin Transit]] operates a shuttle on all weekends and holidays and during select peak weekdays, providing service to Muir Woods from Sausalito, Marin City, or Mill Valley (Route 66); the National Park Service recommends that visitors use the shuttle when it is operating to avoid difficulties in finding parking.

The NPS requires reservations made in advance for all vehicles and shuttle riders; a parking reservation is $8.50 per vehicle while a spot on the shuttle is $3.25 per person. Furthermore, an entrance fee of $15.00 per person is charged in order to gain entry to Muir Woods. The shuttle service and park are open every day of the year including holidays. The park is open from 8:00 am and closes at sunset.

====Lodging and camping====
There are no camping or lodging facilities in Muir Woods.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Eating & Sleeping - Muir Woods National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) |url = https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/eatingsleeping.htm |website = www.nps.gov |language = en |access-date = May 13, 2020 }}</ref> The monument is a day-use area only. There are camping facilities in the adjacent [[Mount Tamalpais State Park]].

====Comfort facilities====
* Restrooms located in entrance plaza and cafe
* Muir Woods Trading Company cafe and gift shop – offers deli food items and souvenirs. The cafe also has a permanent display of historic photographs.
* The main trail (paved and boardwalk) through Muir Woods is a {{convert|2|mi}} loop. A {{convert|.5|mi}} loop from the Visitor Center, through Founders Grove, to Bridge 2 and back is ADA accessible.

====Interpretive facilities and services====

* The Visitor Center, located in the entrance plaza, features permanent and changing exhibits on redwood ecology and conservation, as well as a store selling books and gift items.

===Activities===
[[File:Muir Woods First Amendment Area sign.jpg|thumb|right|[[First Amendment]] Area sign, Muir Woods]]

====Hiking and biking====
[[File:Muir woods trail.jpg|right|thumb|A paved trail in Muir Woods]] 
The paved/boardwalk main trail<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070212114421/http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/map-muwo-2.pdf Muir Woods Trail Map]</ref> begins at the entrance plaza and travels into the old-growth redwood forest alongside Redwood Creek. Other unpaved walking trails extend from the main trail to connect with Mt. Tamalpais State Park trails outside of the monument boundaries.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/hiking-trails.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160111204003/http://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/hiking-trails.htm |url-status = dead |archive-date = January 11, 2016 |title = Hiking Trails - Muir Woods National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) |website = www.nps.gov |access-date = March 15, 2018 }}</ref>

Bicycles are only allowed on designated fire roads.

====Athletic events====
The annual [[Dipsea Race]], a footrace which goes between [[Mill Valley, California|Mill Valley]] and [[Stinson Beach, California|Stinson Beach]], passes through Muir Woods on the second Sunday in June. The [[Double Dipsea]], later in June and the [[Quad Dipsea]], in November, follow the same course.

====Ranger-led activities====
[[File:Reserved.ReportViewerWebControl.png|thumb|right|Annual Recreational Visitors]]
Rangers and volunteers present 15-minute interpretive talks and guided one-hour tours when staffing permits. Program topics include redwood ecology and conservation, the [[effects of climate change|impact of climate change]], and the history of Muir Woods. Longer hikes or other special programs are offered several times per month, and require a reservation.<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/things2do.htm |title = Things To Do - Muir Woods National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) |website = www.nps.gov |access-date = November 11, 2016 }}</ref>

====Weddings and Special Events ====
Weddings, commercial filming, and special events are allowed in the monument only with a proper permit.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/specialparkuses.htm |title = Special Park Use Permits - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service) |website = www.nps.gov |access-date = March 15, 2018 }}</ref>

== Impact of tourism ==

=== Positive ===
In 2018, more than 17.5 million visitors visited [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]], Muir Woods National Monument, and [[Fort Point, San Francisco|Fort Point National Historic Site]], and spent $1.2 billion in communities near the parks. The protections given to these areas by the federal government helped to  establish them as natural tourist destinations creating an attraction that brought positive externalities in the form of increased business to the surrounding communities.  According to the National Park Service, the spending and cash flow brought to the area through these visitors created 12,658 new local jobs and had a net benefit of $1.6 billion in additional revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/news/2018-economic-benefits-report.htm |title = Tourism to Golden Gate National Park Units Contributes $1.6 billion in Economic Benefits - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service) |last1 = Building 201 |first1 = Mailing Address: Golden Gate National Recreation Area |last2 = Francisco |first2 = Fort Mason San |website = www.nps.gov |language = en |access-date = March 12, 2020 |last3 = Us |first3 = CA 94123-0022 Phone:561-4700 Contact }}</ref>

A peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Thomas and Egan Cornachione of the [[United States Geological Survey|U.S. Geological Survey]] and Lynne Koontz of the [[National Park Service]]. The report shows $20.2 billion of direct spending by more than 318 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 329,000 jobs nationally; 268,000 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $40.1 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Catherine Cullinane Thomas |author2=Lynne Koontz |author3=Egan Cornachione |date = May 2019 |title = 2018 National Park Visitor Spending Effects |website=National Park Service |url=https://www.nps.gov/nature/customcf/NPS_Data_Visualization/docs/NPS_2018_Visitor_Spending_Effects.pdf}}</ref>

=== Negative ===
The popularity of Muir Woods as a tourist destination has created a great deal of congestion and delay on the two lane [[California State Route 1|California State Highway 1]]. As a result, many civilians and residents living near Muir Woods and affected by the increased traffic on the pathway to the national monument have voiced concern with the [[National Park Service]]. In response, policy was designed that would create a parking reservation system, detailed road shoulder parking limits and enhanced parking enforcement in order to combat the negative [[Externality|externalities]] caused by Muir Woods.

However, according to the Mount Tam Task Force, created to address the traffic concerns created by Muir Woods, the policy aimed towards fixing the issue has proved ineffective. The introduction of a website where all parking and shuttle reservations can be made, has helped to decongest the traffic to an extent. Despite the number of attending visitors  trending downward at Muir Woods, parking and congestion remain{{When|date=May 2020}} a problem for tourists and locals alike.<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.marinij.com/2019/12/13/muir-woods-neighbors-rangers-clash-over-parking/ |title = Muir Woods neighbors, rangers clash over parking |date = December 14, 2019 |website = Marin Independent Journal |language = en-US |access-date = March 21, 2020 }}</ref>

== Surrounding ecosystems ==
According to the National Parks Conservation Association, in an attempt to protect the wildlife and environment of Muir Woods, which is given certain protections due to the [[Antiquities Act]], it is necessary to take care of the ecosystems of surrounding areas outside of park boundaries that have impacts on the wildlife and ecosystems within the park. As a result, the park is involved in restoration and conservation efforts in [[Redwood Creek (Marin County)|Redwood Creek]] at the Banducci Flower Farm site, which is managed by the [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]], and at Big Lagoon, which is outside the monument at Muir Beach, to improve ecosystem health and [[Salmonidae|salmonid]] habitat. These efforts typically require a mixture of effort from the National Park Service, federal, state, and local governments; and even private landowners. The restoration efforts in surrounding areas outside of Muir Woods have helped to protect and restore the habitats of wildlife and fish such as [[coho salmon]] and the [[northern spotted owl]].<ref>{{Cite journal |title = State of the Park - Muir Woods National Monument |journal = National Parks Conservation Association }}</ref>

The [[National Park Service]] and the [[Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy]] have worked together to restore the last 1/2 mile of the [[Redwood Creek (Marin County)|Redwood Creek]] before it enters the Pacific Ocean. Before restoration efforts, the Redwood Creek mouth functioned poorly in conveying water and sediment from a nine square mile watershed to the ocean. The National Park Service claims that for over 100 years agriculture, logging, and road-building increased the erosion and degradation of the creek.<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.nps.gov/muwo/learn/nature/restoration-mb.htm |title = Redwood Creek Restoration at Muir Beach - Muir Woods National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) |last1 = Valley |first1 = Mailing Address: Muir Woods National Monument 1 Muir Woods Rd Mill |last2 = Us |first2 = CA 94941 Phone:561-2850 Contact |website = www.nps.gov |language = en |access-date = March 21, 2020 }}</ref> As a result, local species of coho salmon and steelhead trout were threatened. Moreover, due to the poor state of Redwood Creek, even moderate and slight storms would cause flooding leaving residents flooded and local roads untraversable. While technically within the protected lands of Muir Woods, the poor state of Redwood Creek was having negative effects on wildlife and the ability to travel to Muir Woods. The efforts to restore Redwood Creek illustrate a way in which the government protection of Muir Woods leads to positive benefits for the surrounding area.

==Music==
American keyboardist and composer [[George Duke]] composed  ''Muir Woods Suite'' in 1993. The Suite, a major orchestral piece, was premiered and recorded live at the [[Montreux Jazz Festival]].
Japanese composer [[Toru Takemitsu]] composed a three movement solo classical guitar piece called "In the Woods" in 1995. The third movement of the piece is called Muir Woods and it was inspired in this forest.

==In fiction==
Characters played by [[James Stewart]] and [[Kim Novak]] visit the Muir Woods National Monument in [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s 1958 film ''[[Vertigo (film)|Vertigo]]''; however, the scene was actually shot in [[Big Basin Redwoods State Park]].<ref>{{cite book |last = Watkins |first = Charles |title = Trees, Woods and Forests: A Social and Cultural History |year = 2014 |publisher = Reaktion Books |isbn = 978-1-78023-415-1 |page = 225 }}</ref>

The monument was a setting in ''[[Rise of the Planet of the Apes]]'' (2011), ''[[Dawn of the Planet of the Apes]]'' (2014) and the first act of ''[[War for the Planet of the Apes]]'' (2017), though all three films were in fact filmed in [[British Columbia]],<ref name="motionpictures/dawn-apes-location">{{cite news |title=Dawn of the Planets of the Apes Location Manager on Filming in Rainforests |url=https://www.motionpictures.org/2014/06/dawn-of-the-planets-of-the-apes-location-manager-on-filming-in-rainforests/ |access-date=24 July 2025 |work=Motion Picture Association |date=19 June 2014}}</ref> and none of the movie was filmed in the park, but the movie crew took pictures of Muir Woods' redwood trees and replicated them.<ref name="nbcbayarea/1898899">{{cite news |last1=Farooq |first1=Sajid |title=Muir Woods Rises With the Apes |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/muir-woods-visitors-climb-with-the-planet-of-the-apes/1898899/ |access-date=24 July 2025 |work=NBC Bay Area |date=16 August 2011}}</ref>

[[Jack Kerouac]] discusses hiking though Muir Woods in his 1958 novel ''[[The Dharma Bums]]''. It appears in the ''[[Big Hero 6: The Series]]'', set in an alternate history that [[San Francisco]] was under much Japanese influence after the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]], as "Muirahara Woods" in the eponymous episode.

== See also ==
*[[List of national monuments of the United States]]
{{Portal bar|San Francisco Bay Area}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Muir Woods National Monument}}
*{{cite web |title=Historic images of Muir Woods |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/SearchResults/AlbumID/579542CE-A4C1-D5CF-1582D4A81772EFAB <!-- |website=NPGallery --> |publisher=[[National Park Service]] <!-- |access-date=25 July 2025 |language=en -->}}
* [https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm Muir Woods] - [[National Park Service]]
:* [https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/index.htm "Plan your visit"]
:* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070212114421/http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/map-muwo-2.pdf Muir Woods Trail Map]
* [https://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx Web Soil Survey (select Marin County)] - [[Natural Resources Conservation Service]]
* [https://npshistory.com/publications/muwo/cli-muir-woods-hd.pdf  Muir Woods] ([[Cultural landscape|Cultural Landscapes Inventory]]) - ''National Park Service History - Electronic Library & Archive''
* [https://www.marinij.com/tag/muir-woods/ Muir Woods] - ''[[Marin Independent Journal]]''
* [[National Parks Conservation Association]] (2025). ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20250328201620/https://www.npca.org/articles/7769-parks-group-responds-to-executive-order-targeting-american-history Parks group responds to executive order targeting American history]''.

{{Golden Gate National Recreation Area}}
{{NRHP in Marin County, California}}
{{Protected areas of California|NPS}}
{{National Monuments of the United States}}
{{Theodore Roosevelt}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:National Park Service national monuments in California]]
[[Category:Mount Tamalpais]]
[[Category:Parks in Marin County, California]]
[[Category:Coast redwood groves]]
[[Category:Forests of California]]
[[Category:Golden Gate National Recreation Area]]
[[Category:History of Marin County, California]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Marin County, California]]
[[Category:Old-growth forests]]
[[Category:1908 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1908]]