This challenging hike out of Muir Woods into Mount Tam State Park carries you along Redwood Creek, then winds through redwood forests back down into the valley.
Location: Muir Woods National Monument (and Mount Tamalpais State Park)
Length: 6.5 miles
Difficulty: strenuous
Shade: shaded
Parking: Muir Woods entrance (reservation required, entrance to park $15/adult)
Public Transportation: Muir Woods shuttle from Mill Valley (reservation required)
WC: toilets at the Visitor Center and parking lots
Dogs: not allowed
Hiked: Jun 2025
Trail Route
Start this hike at the entrance to Muir Woods. As you walk along the boardwalk past the visitor center, take this opportunity to use the restroom – there is no toilet of any kind on this hike. Then continue on Redwood Creek Trail, past Cathedral Grove, to the end. It’s about a mile. There will be a large sign for Bootjack Trail.
Climb up Bootjack Trail for 1.2 miles. This is the tough part, a nearly-constant uphill until you reach Van Wyck Meadow. Take the closest left onto TCC Trail for another 1.4 miles – this time, along the gradient and therefore nice and easy. You’ll cross a bridge, then look for Stapelveldt Trail down to the left.
Hike back down into the redwoods on Stapelveldt for 0.6 miles, then continue straight onto Ben Johnson Trail for 1 mile. Cross the creek back onto Redwood Creek Trail and stroll the last mile on flat terrain.
Notes
This hike was seriously challenging, at least for the portion climbing up Bootjack. A bunch of hikers passed us as we were taking a break, and as we got going again, we passed most of them taking their own breaks along the stream. So it wasn’t just us who were struggling!
That said, the hike was beautiful. We passed a lot of people on Ben Johnson Trail, but the whole sections on the TCC Trail and Stapelveldt were almost entirely free of foot traffic, and having the redwoods to ourselves was really peaceful. I don’t know if this was my absolute favorite Muir Woods hike, but I would definitely recommend it to an avid hiker. For the casual tourist, I would recommend the loop starting on Fern Creek instead.
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