Muir Woods Main Trail
in California · centroid 12 mi from San Francisco
Muir Woods' main trail begins at the visitor center and follows Redwood Creek on both sides of the stream. Large redwood trees line this trail from the very beginning. Though a level, easy stroll, the walk can be shortened by crossing at the second or third bridge to return.
The path consists of firm surfaces, a mixture of wooden boardwalk, asphalt paving, and packed native soil. Muir Woods Main Trail Overview Distance: 2.0 mi (3.2 km) Elevation Gain: 30 ft Time: 2 hours Trailhead: Muir Woods Visitor Center Slope: Avg 2% Max 19% Side Slope: Avg 2% Max 19% Width: Avg 37" Min 48" Trail Surface: Firm Safety Stay on the established trail. Keep an eye out for poison oak.
Dress in layers and be prepared for varying weather conditions. Sunny days along the coast can turn windy, foggy, and cold very fast. Parking There is trailhead parking at Muir Woods including 8 ADA accessible spots.
- States
- California
- Trail type
- National Recreation Area trail
- Centroid nearest city
- San Francisco, CA · 12 mi · ~20 min drive
- Centroid coords
- 37.8934°, -122.5733°
About Golden Gate National Recreation Area
This trail is inside Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a national recreation area managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/muir-woods-main-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Muir Woods Main Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
ADT - California - T - Seg 9
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Steaming Down the Track
8 miles from this trail's centroid
San Francisco Crosstown Trail - Hiking - Section 5
9 miles from this trail's centroid
Alcatraz Agave Trail
10 miles from this trail's centroid
San Francisco Crosstown Trail - Hiking - Section 4
10 miles from this trail's centroid
The Barbary Coast Trail
11 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.