Muir Woods Hiking Trails, Route by Route
The NPS trail list
The figures below are the ones the National Park Service publishes for walkers starting at the Muir Woods entrance. The first three rows stay on the valley floor. Everything after them climbs the canyon walls, and the longest routes reach the coast or the summit of Mount Tamalpais. A free trail-map brochure is handed out at the entrance, and trail information is published on nps.gov.
| Route | Distance | Elevation gain | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Trail, Bridge 2 loop | 0.5 mi | Flat | About 30 min |
| Main Trail, Bridge 3 loop | 1 mi | Flat | About 1 hour |
| Main Trail, Bridge 4 loop (with Hillside Trail) | 2 mi | 90 ft | About 1.5 hours |
| Fern Creek to Camp Alice Eastwood | 3 mi | 340 ft | 2 hours |
| Canopy View to Lost Trail to Fern Creek | 3 mi | 530 ft | 2.5 hours |
| Ben Johnson, return via Dipsea (summer) | 4 mi | 925 ft | 3 hours |
| Ben Johnson, return via Dipsea (winter) | 5 mi | 925 ft | 3–3.5 hours |
| Canopy View to Redwood to Sun to Dipsea | 5 mi | 780 ft | 3 hours |
| Muir Woods to Muir Beach via Redwood Creek | 6 mi | 150 ft | 4 hours |
| Bootjack to TCC to Stapleveldt (summer) | 6 mi | 1,000 ft | 4 hours |
| Bootjack to TCC to Stapleveldt (winter, Dipsea return) | 7 mi | 1,000 ft | 5 hours |
| Muir Woods to East Peak, Mount Tamalpais | 8 mi | 2,600 ft | 5–6 hours |
| Muir Woods to Stinson Beach, Dipsea round trip | 10 mi | 2,480 ft | 6–7 hours |
| Stinson Beach, Dipsea out / Steep Ravine back | 11 mi | 2,860 ft | 7–8 hours |
Notes that change the plan
Two routes appear twice. The Redwood Creek footbridge on the Dipsea Trail is removed or closed for part of the year while coho salmon spawn, so the Ben Johnson loop and the Bootjack–TCC–Stapleveldt loop each have a summer version and a longer winter one. The Ben Johnson and Dipsea loop page sets out both versions of the classic climb.
The Steep Ravine Trail, used on the 11-mile Stinson Beach route, includes a 10-foot ladder. Poison oak and ticks are common along the Redwood Creek Trail to Muir Beach. The trail now signed Canopy View was formerly called Ocean View, and older maps still carry the old name. The longer Mount Tamalpais hikes are described one by one on their own page.
Monument trails and state park trails
The monument covers 554 acres along Redwood Creek at the foot of Mount Tamalpais. Inside it, the Main Trail is paved and boardwalk. The longer trails continue into Mount Tamalpais State Park, a California state park (parks.ca.gov), where the paths are dirt, narrow and steep in places, with tree roots underfoot. Trainers or comfortable walking shoes are enough on the valley floor. On the climbing trails, shoes with grip help, though boots are not required anywhere; the hiking boots page covers footwear.
Rules on every trail
Walkers stay on the trails. Bicycles are not allowed in the monument, and neither are pets; working service animals are the exception. Smoking, picnics and camping are not permitted, and eating is limited to the entrance plaza and the café patio. Nothing may be taken from the forest. The monument is open every day from 8 am to sunset, so a long route has to finish before closing. There is no cell signal at or around Muir Woods, which means a map or route notes need to be downloaded or printed before arriving.
The NPS names poison oak and stinging nettle beside the trails, ticks on the longer routes, and yellow jackets, which it calls the most dangerous animal in the park.
What a tour’s time on the ground covers
The six guided tours sold on GetYourGuide give between about 60 and 90 minutes in the forest, where the listing states it. That fits the Bridge 2 or Bridge 3 loop, or the Bridge 4 loop with the Hillside Trail at the upper end. None of the climbing routes fits. The hike-by-time page matches each tour’s forest time to a loop.
The winter versions of the Dipsea routes add a mile. A hiker planning the Ben Johnson loop in the salmon season can allow for 5 miles and up to 3.5 hours.
Frequently asked questions
How much walking is there in Muir Woods?
About 6 miles of trails inside the monument. The flat Main Trail loops run 0.5, 1 or 2 miles; the hike-by-time page sorts every route by the hours it takes.
Is there a Muir Woods trail map?
A free trail-map brochure is handed out at the entrance. With no cell signal on site, a copy downloaded from nps.gov before leaving is the safer plan.
What is the longest hike from Muir Woods?
On the NPS list, Stinson Beach out on the Dipsea and back by Steep Ravine: 11 miles, 2,860 feet of gain, 7 to 8 hours, with a 10-foot ladder. See the Mount Tamalpais hikes.
Are the trails open in winter?
Yes, the monument is open every day of the year. The Dipsea footbridge over Redwood Creek is removed seasonally, so the Ben Johnson and Dipsea loop runs a mile longer in winter.