Muir Woods: Mother Nature has room for everyone

Muir Woods is just outside of San Francisco

I have a friend who has been telling me to check out Muir Woods in California, which are located just outside of San Francisco. Now finally after nine months, I finally did it.

For those of you who have been, you are probably wondering why it me so long – especially as the person who told me to check it out has not let me down with his suggestions in the past. He’s recommended wine bars, pizza places and other things, and they have all been exceptional. It’s like he’s the boy version of me and knows what I would like

Yet, when he suggested Muir Woods, I hesitated because frankly, why would I drive 2 hours to see a bunch of old trees? I mean, there are a lot of trees in Tahoe and I’ve already seen those, plus I lived on Vancouver Island for a while and had seen lots are really big trees in the Pacific Rim National Park. Many of those trees are hundreds of years old and, as part of the rainforest, the park is known as one of the highest biomass-producing areas in the world - now that's a lot of trees.

Note: If you are ever on the Island, it’s worth checking out, but don’t go late in the afternoon. The sun disappears quickly in the mountains and the trees make scary creaking sounds.

So what’s the big deal about the Muir Woods trees?

It turns out it is a big deal. The Redwoods in Muir Woods may not be the ones you may have seen on Walt Disney as a kid where the cars drive through, but they are gigantic—and they are old.

But what makes the place incredible is the atmosphere and the respect the majestic Redwoods command.

As you wander down the trails, the place has a sacred quality to it. In fact, many of the people I passed along the way were talking in whispers as if they were afraid their voices would disturb the calm. It was like being in another world. A world where time didn’t exist, only nature. And cars, concrete and man hadn’t been able to mess it up yet. It really is an amazing place full of peace.

Michelle Ponto hanging out with the majestic trees

You can spend the whole day wandering around in this sanctuary as Muir Woods contains 6 miles of trails. There is a 1/2 hour loop, a 1 hour loop, and a 1 1/2 hour loop as well as longer hikes on trails that extend into surrounding parks. If you go, bring a jacket. The trees block out the sun making it chilly even on warm days.

Oh, and here’s another thing, don’t worry about the thousands of tourists visiting the woods every year. Even though both the regular and over flow parking lot were packed when I went, for some reason, the woods still seemed empty and there were many times on the trail where I was alone. It seems Mother Nature has room for all of us.