Monday, January 16, 2012

Muir Woods and Scenic Viewpoint of Golden Gate Bridge


View Muir Woods - Jan16 in a larger map

Muir Woods

What: A popular hiking destination in the Marin County; Coast redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens) trees
More Info: $7/person admission fee; however admission is free during U.S national holidays. There are restrooms and a souvenir and snack shop at the entrance. You may check out the U.S national holidays schedule here.

Paved Trail at Muir Woods National Park

Being the Martin Luther King’s holiday on January 16, we decided to take advantage of the free admission at Muir Woods. From San Jose, it took us a little over an hour to reach the Muir Woods National Park. As soon as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, we saw a LED billboard that read “Muir Woods Parking Lot Full”. While reading in Yelp, one of the members said that there is extra parking on the road; hence thought we will try our luck with road-side parking. We did, about a mile away from the entrance.

Tallest Trees - Sequoia Sempervirens

Bridge 4 - Fern Creek Trail - Lost Trail - Panoramic Trail - Ocean View Trail

Length: ~3 miles; Time: 3 hours; Difficulty: Moderate

It was crowded until we reached Bridge 4, where the paved trail ended. As soon as we took the Fern Creek Trail to the right, the crowd disappeared and we found ourselves walking through a canopy of magnificent redwood trees. The Lost Trail, which connected with the Fern Creek Trail, took us all the way till it connected with Panoramic Trail, where we saw a marvelous view of the deep forests and a hint of the Pacific Ocean. We then returned to the park entrance via the Ocean View trail.

View from Panoramic Trail

Luckily, the trails are mostly shaded and we were glad that we brought snacks and lots of water with us.

We spent some time inside the souvenir shop near the entrance and drove to the Golden Gate Bridge scenic viewpoint in the Marin County.

Useful Resources: Official Website
Nearby Locations: Mt. Tamalpais State Park, City of San Francisco, Bonita Lighthouse, Stinson Beach

Scenic Viewpoint of Golden Gate Bridge from Marin County

What: Scenic viewpoint of golden gate bridge, San Francisco, Farallon Islands, Bonita lighthouse
Info: There is free parking space near the viewpoints

Golden Gate Bridge and City of San Francisco

To the left is the classic view of Golden Gate Bridge and the beautiful City of San Francisco in the background. To the right are the enormous, never-ending ocean, Bonita Cove and Bonita Lighthouse. The Bonita lighthouse is located on a sharp peninsula that extends into the Pacific Ocean.

The day being clear and sunny, we saw the Farallon Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We spent a couple of hours, admiring the beauty of nature. Although the bitterly cold weather froze us out, we were determined to watch the beautiful sun set behind the biggest ocean in the world. 

Nearby Locations: Mt. Tamalpais State Park, Muir Woods, City of San Francisco, Bonita Lighthouse, Stinson Beach

2 comments:

  1. Good blog, Anu....
    Keep cherishing us with your blog about your explorations....

    Hey.. Why didn't u share the sunset pic that you enjoyed?

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    Replies
    1. Thank you very much, Sabry :-) Will soon update the blog with the sunset picture!

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