Muir Woods National Monument is located on Mount Tamalpais in southwestern Marin County in California. Named after naturalist John Muir, the park is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The National Monument is 12 miles north of San Francisco and protects 554 acres, including 240 acres of old growth coast redwood forests, with trees ranging from 400-800 years old.
As the National Monument is close to the Pacific Ocean, the forest is often covered in a coastal marine layer of fog, which adds to a wet environment and boosts plant growth. The fog is also important for the growth of the redwoods, which use the moisture from it during periods of drought, especially in the dry summer. Between the redwood trees you will find red alders, California big leaf maples, tanoaks, and Douglas fir. Found on the forest floor are redwood sorrel, ferns, fungi, and duff. Redwood Creek flows through the park all year and the park is home to wildlife like coho salmon, Pacific wren, woodpeckers, owls, deer, chipmunks, skunks, and river otters.
A popular place to visit, Muir Woods National Monument offers amazing scenery along with the opportunity to get away from it all, just minutes from a major city.