Canopy View to Dipsea Trail Loop

Hiking up from Muir Woods along Canopy View Trail.

Hike out of the redwoods and into the open hills, then wind back down along popular Dipsea Trail.

Location: Muir Woods National Monument (and Mount Tamalpais State Park)
Length: 4.5 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Shade: mostly 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

Link to park website

Hiked: May 2021

Sun Trail was pretty foggy and not at all sunny on this occasion.

Trail Route

Begin the hike at the main Muir Woods entrance. Walk past the visitor center and look for the trail heading up the stairs to the right: Canopy View Trail. Climb the stairs and then hike up a gentle but steady incline for 1.2 miles. Then you’ll see a spot with a bench, where will probably be people stopped for a break, and a two trails. The trail down is Lost Trail, which winds back into Muir Woods. Take the other trail, which is a continuation of Canopy View.

You’ll continue in the woods briefly but emerge into open hills. Where Canopy View finally meets Panoramic Trail, there’s a good viewpoint. Take Panoramic Trail to the right, then shortly after, take the right fork onto Redwood Trail. You’ll follow that for 0.7 miles, in and out of the woods. Then you’ll see what may what I believe is the Tourist Club. Just follow the trail along the hill above those buildings, and you’ll see a clear sign for Sun Trail.

Hike along Sun Trail for another 0.7 miles. It’s mostly in the open. You’ll hit Dipsea Trail next; take the trail down and to the right towards Muir Woods. You’ll have to cross Muir Woods Road, but the crossing is in a good spot with a clear view in both directions. You’ll be on Dipsea for 0.9 miles before arriving at the Muir Woods parking lots.

Dipsea Trail in this section is shaded and green.

Notes

This hike was surprisingly nice. I didn’t love the traffic on Canopy View or Dipsea Trails, but the rest of the trails were peaceful and not too busy. I was shocked by the number of people on Canopy View, actually; when I’ve been there before, it wasn’t so popular.

As a hike, it was pretty interesting because the landscape differed drastically from one point to another–as you can probably tell from the gallery below. It was a warm day but we were lucky that the fog lingered over one side of Mt. Tam, so Sun Trail, which is in the open hills, wasn’t too bad. Heading into summer, open trails can be pretty unpleasant. Since we were cool in the woods and hot nearer the top, it was good to wear layers. Even if only because the climb up along Canopy View–not steep but constant–can leave you pretty hot and sweaty by the time you get to the top.