Muir Woods National Monument isn't especially large; you can see it in a couple of hours (though you could easily wander among the giants for many more.) Many of the pathways also connect to longer trails that go all over the area. I wanted to keep going into the forest, but unfortunately, I eventually had to turn back... I hope I will be able to return someday soon.


People ought to saunter in the mountains - not hike! Do you know the origin of that word "saunter"? It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, "a la sainte terre" -- "to the Holy Land". And so they became known as "sainte-terre-ers" or "saunterers". Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not "hike" through them. -- John Muir

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