Among giants at Muir Woods — Coasting Toward Blue

I first visited Muir Woods National Monument seven years ago, when we rented a Zipcar—a bright blue Mini Cooper convertible—and made our way from San Francisco up through the windy roads that lead to Mill Valley, the home of Muir Woods, home of towering coastal redwoods. Since that first visit so many years ago, I knew I’d be back, and I couldn’t wait to take my Fuji X100F and X-T20 with me to capture the giants. And so, on a rainy Saturday in March, I finally returned.

The day started as so many that week did—a quick walk from the Metro Hotel to Faletti Foods for a flaky morning bun and then next door to Peet’s for a light-on-the-hickory-Cold Brew Fog…my San Francisco breakfast of champions.

Ah, morning buns and Cold Brew Fog…heaven.

After my morning bun/coffee breakfast combo, I walked back toward the Metro to board the #6 bus that would take me to the Ferry Building Marketplace, about a 30-minute trip. After stocking up on provisions for the afternoon—a chunk of St. Pat cheese from Cowgirl Creamery and two small olive rolls from Acme Bread Company, I was ready to get started on the day’s adventure.

Unlike my first visit so many years ago, the trip to Muir Woods now takes a little bit of advance planning, as parking and shuttle reservations are now required for a day visit. As I wouldn’t have a car, I opted for the ferry/shuttle combo—overall, an incredibly easy and seamless journey. From just outside the Ferry Building, I took the 10:30 a.m. Golden Gate Ferry to Sausalito ($13 r/t with my Clipper Card). A short walk from the dock in Sausalito would take me to the 11:30 a.m. Muir Woods shuttle ($3). The ferry to Sausalito was chilly, with gray skies and a constant drizzle. The Golden Gate Bridge, so often shrouded in fog on even the sunniest of days in the city, was barely visible.

After arriving at Muir Woods, I showed my National Parks Pass to gain entry to the park and grabbed a trail map. I wouldn’t be hiking the longer trails today, just meandering through the paved walking trails that loop through the park and maybe taking one of the shorter trails that connected from those main ones. My goal was to enjoy the day, stay as dry as I could, take photos, and bask in the quiet among the trees.

The day was cold and raw, alternating between a drizzle and steady rain. Still, the towering trees protected me and my cameras and lenses enough throughout the day—though I made sure to exercise abundant caution with my non-weather-sealed cameras. Ugh.

To say that Muir Woods is “beautiful” is an understatement. Maybe “staggering” is more apt. It’s easy to feel so small and young among the tall and old trees. Coastal redwoods rise from the ground, stretching far into the sky. I craned my neck, pointed my lenses, and still, I could not do these trees justice. With the rain falling and the moist air, the clean, pure smells of the forest filled me. I felt grounded. Calm. With every step, I reaped the wonderful benefits of forest bathing.

Before leaving Muir Woods, I made sure to grab my cancellation stamps—I was on a mission this trip to gather as many as I could. And with that, just as the rain was becoming steadier and heavier, I boarded the shuttle around 2:15 and headed back to Sausalito, where I grabbed the 3:50 ferry back to San Francisco.