California Adventures: Visiting The Tallest Trees In The World

21 Jan 2020

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

Visiting the famous redwoods, aka the tallest trees in the world, was high up on my list of things to do in California. Muir Woods is about 16 miles outside of San Francisco so for us, the easiest way to get there was to get the shuttle bus from Sausalito which is a city across the water from San Francisco. I’d heard good things about Sausalito so was happy to stop in on the way. We started the day picking up supplies at the market at the Ferry Building, and then hopped on the ferry across the water where we had great views of the bridges and Alcatraz. 

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

Sausalito is picturesque with a Mediterranean vibe and colourful houses. There’s lots of cute boutique shops, on-the-water restaurants and dreamy views of that San Francisco skyline. We spent an hour walking along the waterfront and browsing the shops. I picked up a frozen hot chocolate from a local chocolate shop and felt pretty content with my life choices it’s got to be said. We then took the shuttle bus to Muir Woods which, admittedly, took longer than I expected which I think is due to all the hairpin turns through the mountains, as the distance is only a handful of miles as the crow flies. 

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

Muir Woods is a majestic forest full of gigantic coastal redwood trees which are officially the tallest trees in the world. The tallest in Muir Woods is 258 feet but apparently they can get to heights of 380 feet. Mind blown. 

I have wanted to see the redwoods for a long time so it was pretty special to finally be able to crane my neck and take them in. What a view! Rusty red, endless trunks; they really are huge. I’ve never seen trees rise that tall; they create a canopy high above which the light filters through and dapples on the forest floor. 

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

There are boardwalks along the forest floor and you can venture off on paths that take you higher up which gives you a different perspective on the trees. Apart from a brief picnic stop, we spent the majority of the afternoon gently walking a couple of different trails, taking in the grandeur. The forest is amazingly peaceful; when you stray away from the boardwalk, you almost get a sense of being alone – lost in the woods so to speak. I hugged a tree, ducked under a tree, sat on a huge tree stump and gave myself neck ache by constantly staring upwards. 

There’s something so fairytale about a forest don’t ya think? The redwoods doubled that feeling, majestic and magical; I’m so glad I had the chance to tick them off my bucket list.  

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco

Visiting Muir Woods, San Francisco


Comments

  1. Lovely photo's, I have not been to the northern part of the state :)

    Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes

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