Robert the Backpacker's Great Site

FIRST AID KIT
You can gather all the medical supplies you might need but it's a lot easier to just buy one of those little first aid kits, they're pretty cheap anyway.

MULTI PURPOSE TOOL
I don't go anywhere without my Leatherman tool, especially not into the great outdoors.

FIRE TOOL
Bring plenty of lighters and matches. Lighters are very small and light so bringing extra ones in case one doesn't work is a very good idea. Without means to make fire you will freeze to death. You can try to make fire like a caveman by spinning a stick against a piece of wood but that is a skill that takes practice to learn and if you don't already have that skill you'll freeze to death before you have it figured out.

RUBBING ALCOHOL
Absolutely necessary to disinfect open wounds. Also comes in handy to start a hard to start fire.

SLEEPING BAG
Normally I don't like to spend too much money on hiking equipment, mostly you just pay for the brand name. But in the case of sleeping bags it may be worth it to spend a few extra bucks. Get a good one, not a very cheap one.

TENT
There is very small difference between expensive tents and cheap tents. A 300 dollar tent is about 10% better than a 30 dollar tent, if you are planning an expedition to climb K2 the extra spending might be worth it, but anywhere below 12,000 feet a cheap tent is just fine.

CAMPSTOVE
The packweight of a camp stove is the sum of two weights; the weight of the stove and the weight of the fuel. In this category light weight wood powered stoves leave all conventional stoves in the dust. They are a little bit slower to cook on and generate some smoke but they are much lighter. The Stratus Trailstove has the lowest packweight of any stove in the world, it weighs 15.3 oz (433 grams), and that stays the same no matter how long a trip you go on since you don't bring any fuel at all.

Gather some wood, a handful of very thin twigs and a couple of handfuls of finger thick sticks will be enough to get things started. You also need to gather a number of larger pieces of wood to keep the fire going for as long as you want to.

Make a teepee shape with the sticks and twigs, the thinner pieces on the inside and the thicker on the outside, leave a space open on one side of the teepee.

Put some starter material such as some dry leaves into the side opening and ignite.

Once the teepee collapses into a random looking heap of fire you can start adding the bigger pieces.

Muir Woods National Monument

"This is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world," declared conservationist John Muir when describing the majestic coast redwoods of Muir Woods.

Until the 1800's, many northern California coastal valleys were covered with coast redwood trees similar to those now found in Muir Woods National Monument. The forest along Redwood Creek in today's Muir Woods was spared from logging because it was hard to get to. Noting that Redwood Creek contained one of the San Francisco Bay Area's last uncut stands of old-growth redwood, Congressman William Kent and his wife, Elizabeth Thacher Kent, bought 295 acres here for $45,000 in 1905. To protect the redwoods the Kents donated the land to the United States Federal Government and, in 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt declared it a national monument. Roosevelt suggested naming the area after Kent, but Kent wanted it named for conservationist John Muir.

Phone
Visitor Information Recorded Message - (415) 388-2595
Headquarters - (415) 388-2596
Information For Hearing Impaired(TTY) - (415) 556-2766

TRAVEL BASICS

Operating Hours, Seasons
The park is open from 8 am to sunset, including holidays.

Closing times for the year: Last Sunday of January, park closes at 6 pm; 2nd Sunday of March, park closes at 7 pm; 1st Sunday of April, park closes at 8 pm; 2nd Sunday of September, park closes at 7 pm; Third Sunday of October, park closes at 5 pm.

Getting There
PLANE - Commercial airlines serve San Francisco and Oakland International airports, both about an hour's drive from the monument.

CAR - Muir Woods is located 12 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Take Highway 101 to the Highway 1/ Muir Woods Exit. Follow the signs to Muir Woods. Roads to the park are steep and winding. Vehicles over 35' long are prohibited. Parking space is very limited and fills quickly on most days. There are no RV parking facilities.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - No public transportation directly serves the park. Golden Gate Transit (415-923-2000) bus #63 runs on weekends and holidays and makes stops at the Mountain Home Inn, Pantoll, and Bootjack on Panoramic Highway. From any of these stops it is a 1 to 1.8 mile hike down to Muir Woods.

Weather & Climate
The park is cool, shaded and moist year round. Daytime temperatures at Muir Woods average between 40 and 70 degrees Farenheit.

Accessibility
All 2 miles of paved trails are wheelchair and stroller accessible. Handicap parking is available in the main parking lot. Wheelchairs and strollers are available for loan at no cost at the Visitor Center.

Getting Around
There are 6 miles of trails in Muir Woods. There is a 1/2 hour loop, a 1 hour loop, and a 1 1/2 hour loop as well as trails that extend into surrounding parks. All of these walks afford views of thousands of old-growth coast redwoods, the tallest living things in the world.

FEES/PERMITS

Entrance Fee
INDIVIDUALS 17 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER
$3.00 for Day
(entrance fee also valid for same-day use at John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, CA)

Special Use Permits
FILMING OR CEREMONIES OR SPORTING EVENTS
$varies for One Time
For information concerning special use or commercial filming permits call 415-561-4300.

Local Passport
MUIR WOODS PASS
$15 for Annual
This pass is good for 12 months and admits pass holder and all accompanying passengers in a private vehicle to Muir Woods National Monument.

FACILITIES

ARAMARK CAFE AND GIFT SHOP
Open All Year
Phone - 415-388-7059
Location - The cafe and gift shop are on the first right once you enter the park's main entrance.
Exhibits - The cafe has a permanent display of historic photographs that include: John Muir; William Kent; "The Crookedest Railroad in the World"; and the "Bohemian Club's" Diahatsu Buddha, constructed in the 1880.
Available Facilities - The cafe sells deli-type food items. The gift shop sells Muir Woods souvenirs.

Visitor Centers
MUIR WOODS VISITOR CENTER
Open All Year varies throughout year...call for hours
Phone - 415-388-7368
Location - The Muir Woods Visitor Center is located at the main entrance to Muir Woods National Monument.
Exhibits - There are both permanent and changing exhibits in the Visitor Center. Both a redwood diorama and a three dimensional trail map are on permanent display.
Available Facilities - The Muir Woods Visitor Center contains an array of interpretive and educational merchandise, including books, postcards, posters, maps, and area information.

FIRST AID KIT		You can gather all the medical supplies you might need but it's a lot easier to just buy one of those little first aid kits, they're pretty cheap anyway.
MULTI PURPOSE TOOL		I don't go anywhere without my Leatherman tool, especially not into the great outdoors.
FIRE TOOL		Bring plenty of lighters and matches. Lighters are very small and light so bringing extra ones in case one doesn't work is a very good idea. Without means to make fire you will freeze to death. You can try to make fire like a caveman by spinning a stick against a piece of wood but that is a skill that takes practice to learn and if you don't already have that skill you'll freeze to death before you have it figured out.
RUBBING ALCOHOL		Absolutely necessary to disinfect open wounds. Also comes in handy to start a hard to start fire.
SLEEPING BAG		Normally I don't like to spend too much money on hiking equipment, mostly you just pay for the brand name. But in the case of sleeping bags it may be worth it to spend a few extra bucks. Get a good one, not a very cheap one.
TENT		There is very small difference between expensive tents and cheap tents. A 300 dollar tent is about 10% better than a 30 dollar tent, if you are planning an expedition to climb K2 the extra spending might be worth it, but anywhere below 12,000 feet a cheap tent is just fine.
CAMPSTOVE		The packweight of a camp stove is the sum of two weights; the weight of the stove and the weight of the fuel. In this category light weight wood powered stoves leave all conventional stoves in the dust. They are a little bit slower to cook on and generate some smoke but they are much lighter. The Stratus Trailstove has the lowest packweight of any stove in the world, it weighs 15.3 oz (433 grams), and that stays the same no matter how long a trip you go on since you don't bring any fuel at all.