The best Muir Woods tours from San Francisco are small-group guided trips that include round-trip transportation, the required park reservation, and time among the redwoods. Dylan’s Tours runs three versions of its Famous Tour with Muir Woods, from a four-hour half-day trip to full-day tours that add Alcatraz or a lunch stop in Sausalito, plus an active bike-and-shuttle option.
Some of the trees at Muir Woods were already centuries old when the Golden Gate Bridge was just an idea. They stand a short drive north of the city, in a fog-fed canyon where the light comes down in shafts and the loudest sound is Redwood Creek. For a place that feels this remote, it’s surprisingly close to San Francisco.
Getting there is the catch. There’s no direct public transit from the city, the roads in are narrow and winding, and every vehicle needs a parking or shuttle reservation booked in advance. A guided tour skips all of that, so you spend your time under the redwoods instead of planning how to reach them.
Dylan’s Tours has led small-group San Francisco tours for over 20 years, with 5,700+ five-star reviews and guides who make the city and the forest come alive.
Dylan’s Famous Tour with Muir Woods pairs a small-group city tour with time in the forest and a stop in Sausalito, or you can compare the full lineup of San Francisco tours to find the mix of redwoods, Alcatraz, and Sausalito that fits your trip.
How to Get to Muir Woods From San Francisco
Muir Woods sits across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County, about a 45-minute drive north of San Francisco depending on traffic. The park is open every day of the year, from 8:00 AM until around sunset, with only the occasional emergency closure for weather or air quality. The catch is that reaching it takes some planning, since there’s no drive-up option and no direct bus from the city.
Here’s how each way works:
Driving and Parking Reservations
If you drive yourself, you’ll need a parking reservation booked ahead of time. These are required seven days a week, year-round, and they sell out weeks in advance during peak season. You can reserve at GoMuirWoods.com, where a standard vehicle spot costs $10.
It’s a scenic drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and up a set of narrow, winding roads with no cell service near the park, so it helps to download your directions before you leave. That parking fee is separate from the park entrance fee, which you pay on top of it.
The Muir Woods Shuttle
The Muir Woods Shuttle runs from a park-and-ride lot in Marin on weekends and select days, mainly in the busier months. A reservation is required here too, at $4 per adult round trip and free for children 15 and under, also booked through GoMuirWoods.com. The one thing to plan around is that you still have to reach the Marin departure point first, so the shuttle solves the last leg rather than the whole trip from San Francisco.
Getting to Muir Woods Without a Car
Plenty of visitors reach Muir Woods without driving, and some options are smoother than others:
- Rideshare: Possible, but it runs expensive one way, and with no cell service at the park, booking a ride back can leave you waiting.
- Public transit plus the shuttle: Doable, though it means piecing together a bus or ferry into Marin and then timing the shuttle connection.
- A guided tour: The simplest route, since the transportation, reservation, and timing are all handled for you.
For a fuller breakdown of every route in, see our guide to 10 ways to get from San Francisco to Muir Woods. If skipping the logistics sounds better, the tour options below all include round-trip transportation from the city.
Muir Woods Tour Options From San Francisco
Dylan’s Tours offers three versions of its Famous Tour with Muir Woods, each a guided tour from San Francisco built around how much time you have and what else you want to fit into the day. Each one includes round-trip transportation from San Francisco, a local guide, a climate-controlled minibus, and up to 90 minutes in the forest.
| Tour | Duration | Neighborhoods | Photo stops | Time in Muir Woods | Sausalito | Departures |
| Full Day Famous Tour with Muir Woods | 7 hours | 13 | 7 | Up to 90 min | Over an hour for lunch | Daily, 9:00 AM |
| Half Day Famous Tour with Muir Woods | 4 hours | 9 | 4 | Up to 90 min | Optional lunch stop | Daily, 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM |
| Half Day Famous Tour with Muir Woods and Alcatraz | 8 hours | 9 | 4 | Up to 90 min | Drive through | Daily, 9:00 AM |
One note that applies to all three: the Muir Woods entrance fee of $15 per adult, free for children 15 and under, is paid directly to the National Park Service at the gate and isn’t included in the tour price.
The Full Day Famous Tour with Muir Woods
This is a complete seven-hour day that covers the most ground. It departs daily at 9:00 AM from Fisherman’s Wharf and explores 13 San Francisco neighborhoods with 7 photo stops, then crosses the Golden Gate Bridge for over an hour of lunchtime in Sausalito and up to 90 minutes among the redwoods at Muir Woods.
It suits travelers who have a full day and want to see the city in real depth alongside the forest, with time to slow down at each stop.
You can see everything it covers on the Full Day Famous Tour with Muir Woods page.
The Half Day Famous Tour with Muir Woods
This is the four-hour option. It runs daily at 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM, covering 9 neighborhoods with 4 photo stops, the Golden Gate Bridge, up to 90 minutes in Muir Woods, and a stop in the waterfront town of Sausalito.
On the morning departure you can choose to end your day in Sausalito and take a scenic ferry back, or stay on the bus for a direct return to the Wharf. It’s a good fit for couples, families, and anyone who wants the city and the redwoods in a single, well-paced morning or afternoon.
Full details are on the Half Day Famous Tour with Muir Woods page.
The Half Day Famous Tour with Muir Woods and Alcatraz
This eight-hour version adds the Bay Area’s other iconic stop. Departing daily at 9:00 AM, it covers the same 9 neighborhoods and 4 photo stops, the Golden Gate Bridge, up to 90 minutes in Muir Woods, and a drive through Sausalito, then drops you at Pier 33 for your official Alcatraz ferry and the self-guided cellhouse audio tour.
As a Certified Alcatraz Partner, Dylan’s Tours can include official Alcatraz tickets with the tour, which helps when island tickets are scarce, though booking ahead is still the way to lock them in. This is the one to choose if Muir Woods and Alcatraz are both on your list.
Details are on the Half Day Famous Tour with Muir Woods and Alcatraz page.
An Active Alternative: Bike the Bridge and Shuttle to Muir Woods
If you’d rather be moving than riding in a bus, this option puts part of the trip on two wheels. You ride at your own pace from Fisherman’s Wharf through the Marina and the Presidio, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and down into Sausalito, where you can stop for lunch by the water.
From there a shuttle carries you to Muir Woods to walk among the redwoods, then brings you back to Fisherman’s Wharf, so you get the ride without pedaling the return leg or the climb up to the park.
You can pick a regular bike or an e-bike, and San Francisco’s hills make a strong case for the e-bike. Everything you need comes with it:
- Helmet, lock, and a route map
- Regular bike or e-bike, your choice
- Family-friendly setups, including kid bikes and accessories
See the route and what’s included on the Bike the Bridge and Shuttle to Muir Woods page.
What to Expect in the Muir Woods Redwoods
Muir Woods National Monument protects 554 acres on the slope of Mount Tamalpais, including 240 acres of old-growth coastal redwoods, one of the last redwood forests of its kind left in the Bay Area. The canyon sits close enough to the coast that summer fog rolls in and settles among the trees, which is part of why they grow the way they do. Even on a warm day in the city, the forest floor stays cool and shaded, so a jacket is a good idea.
The towering redwoods are the reason to come. The tallest tree in the park reaches 258 feet, and while most of the mature trees are 600 to 800 years old, the oldest have been standing for at least 1,200 years. Coast redwoods are the tallest trees on Earth, and walking beneath the redwoods of Muir Woods lands differently than reading the numbers.
The park has about six miles of trails, and most visitors stick to the flat valley floor. The main route is a roughly two-mile loop of paved paths and boardwalks that follows Redwood Creek past some of the oldest, tallest trees, and it’s flat and accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. On a tour with up to 90 minutes in the park, you have time to explore Muir Woods at an easy pace, walk the main loop, and take it in.
A few things to know before you go:
- No cell service: The canyon has no signal, so download anything you need in advance.
- Dress in layers: The forest runs cooler than the city, often noticeably so.
- Pets aren’t allowed: Service animals are the only exception.
If you want to go deeper on planning a visit, our guide to visiting Muir Woods covers timing, trails, and what to bring in more detail.
Best Time to Visit Muir Woods
Earlier in the day is typically a little quieter and cooler, but any hour at Muir Woods is a good one, and the forest holds up beautifully into the afternoon. The park opens at 8:00 AM, and weekdays run calmer than weekends year-round. The redwoods don’t really have an off hour, the canopy keeps the light soft and the floor cool no matter when you walk in.
Each season has its own character. Summer brings the coastal fog that settles into the canyon and keeps the forest cool, even when the city is warm. Spring and fall are mild and pleasant in the redwoods, with Redwood Creek running full after the rains. Winter is the quietest of all, wet and mossy, and it’s when coho salmon return with the rains to spawn in Redwood Creek, usually from late November into January.
Whenever you come, plan on a layer. On a guided tour the timing sorts itself out, since someone else holds the reservation and drives, and both the morning and afternoon departures land you in the forest with time to walk the main loop and take it in.
Muir Woods Trails Among the Coast Redwoods
Muir Woods has about six miles of trails, and most visitors spend their time on the flat valley floor. Here are the main options:
- Main Trail loop: A roughly two-mile paved and boardwalk route along Redwood Creek, past the oldest and tallest trees, including the hushed stand at Cathedral Grove. It’s flat and accessible for strollers and wheelchairs, and you can shorten or extend it by crossing any of the four bridges.
- Fern Creek Trail: A moderate climb off the valley floor into dense fern groves, passing the site of the old Kent Tree, for people who want a little more without a long hike.
- Canopy View and the upper trails: Steeper routes like Canopy View, Ben Johnson, and Dipsea head up toward Mount Tamalpais, trading redwood cover for ridge and ocean views.
Trail conditions change, and sections close from time to time, so check the park’s current conditions before a longer hike. For a closer look at the routes, see our guides to Muir Woods trails and the best hikes in Muir Woods.
Muir Woods and Sausalito: Making a Day of It
All of Dylan’s Famous Tour options pass through Sausalito on the way back from Muir Woods, and it’s a good place to slow down. The charming town of Sausalito sits right on the water in Marin, with the San Francisco skyline low across San Francisco Bay and the kind of laid-back, harborside feel that makes it easy to linger.
Bridgeway, the main street along the waterfront, is walkable and lined with restaurants, cafes, and art galleries, and the bay is right there beside you. If you have time, the houseboat communities are a highlight, a floating neighborhood that’s been part of Sausalito since the early days.
On the Half Day Famous tour with Muir Woods, you can choose to stay in Sausalito for lunch and catch a scenic ferry back across the bay to San Francisco, about a 30-minute ride with views of the water along the way. The full-day tour builds in over an hour here for a relaxed lunch stop. Either way, it’s a calm, pretty end to a day among the redwoods.
For more on what to see and where to eat, take a look at our guide to visiting Sausalito.
Muir Woods Tours FAQ
How do I get to Muir Woods from San Francisco?
Muir Woods is about a 45-minute drive north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County. There’s no direct public transit from the city, so most visitors either drive with a parking reservation, connect to the seasonal shuttle from Marin, or take a guided tour that handles the trip both ways.
Do I need a reservation to visit Muir Woods?
Yes. Every vehicle and every shuttle rider needs a reservation, booked in advance at GoMuirWoods.com, and it’s required seven days a week, year-round. Spots sell out weeks ahead in peak season. On a guided tour, the reservation is taken care of for you.
How much does it cost to visit Muir Woods?
Park entry is $15 per adult and free for children 15 and under, paid directly to the National Park Service at the gate. If you drive, a standard vehicle parking reservation is $10, and the shuttle runs $4 per adult round trip, free for kids 15 and under. Fees are set by the NPS and can change, so it’s a good idea to check the official site before you go.
How much time do you need at Muir Woods?
Most visitors spend one to two hours, which is enough to walk the main loop and take in Cathedral Grove without rushing. Dylan’s Tours builds in up to 90 minutes at the park, so you have time to walk among the redwoods before moving on.
Can you visit Muir Woods without a car?
Yes. You can piece together public transit into Marin and connect to the shuttle, take a rideshare (though the lack of cell service makes the return tricky), or book a guided tour that includes round-trip transportation. For a full rundown of every route, see our guide to getting from San Francisco to Muir Woods.
Can you see Muir Woods and Alcatraz in one day?
Yes, and it’s a popular combination. It takes planning, since Alcatraz runs on timed ferry tickets and Muir Woods needs a reservation, so many visitors book both together on a single tour to line up the timing.
