Sunday's Trip: Muir Woods
It has been a very long time since I’ve really visited Muir Woods north of San Francisco. Well, I did go a few years back with a group of friends, but we were really there to sample beers at the “guest house” in the hills above the park. In any case, yesterday I decided to combine a bit of photography in the Marin Headlands area with a visit to Muir Woods.
Since I had been at the Golden Gate Bridge early enough to do some sunrise photography, even though I made a short stop near Fort Cronkite first, I still was at Muir Woods quite early. Even with my early arrival the close-in parking lot was already full, so I went down the road a few hundred yards to the overflow lot.
The main section of this park is a redwood forest surrounding a creek that flows through the bottom of a small valley. Trails meander up and down this valley from the entrance. Actually, for someone accustomed to cross-country travel above timberline, “trail” seems like the wrong word. A good number of the paths are boardwalk, in places separated from the forest by fences. I generally don’t like being separated from my “wilderness,” but some protection from the hordes of visitors is no doubt necessary.
About the visitors… There are tons of them. By the time I finished my little photographic amble through the park around noon the place was crawling with people, and not only was the overflow parking lot (where mine had been the only car when I arrived) now completely full, but cars were lining the roadway for a good distance beyond. It didn’t take long to figure out that Muir Woods is on the San Francisco tourist loop, as there were quite a few people arriving by tour bus, and I heard accents and languages from most of the planet.
Even though the crowds are not to my liking, I do understand that areas like this are necessary and, in fact, do serve to expose some people who would not otherwise have the experience to something that feels a bit like wilderness. Among the visitors I saw quite a few who seemed truly impressed by the tall trees and the quiet stillness of this patch of forest.
Of course, I also saw a few humorous things as well. It appeared that some people, wearing clothing and shoes more appropriate for shopping in downtown San Francisco, might have accidentally left the boardwalk trail and ended up on real trails. Good for them for being a bit more adventurous, but some looked more than a bit uncomfortable stepping over downed branches and mud. Since I was in full photographer mode (biggish camera, large lenses, backpack, full size tripod) I also had to endure (enjoy? suffer? laugh at? laugh with?) the comments/antics of people reacting to me and my equipment: “Are you a photographer?” “Did you get a good picture?” It is all in good fun though – I often ask if they would like me to use their camera to take a photo of their whole group for them.
A Two-Heel Drive to Mt. Madonna
Tom (at Two-Heel Drive) has just posted a piece on his recent hiking trip at Mt. Madonna park south of the San Jose Area.
I used to go there many years ago to use their field archery range, but I have to say I’ve never hiked in that park. From Tom’s description, it seems like it might well be worth another look.
Wow, That's Early!
West Coast Imaging’s blog reports that there is snow on Tioga Pass, and backs up the claim with photographic evidence. In the long run, who knows what it means – it could easily turn warm again, as it often does in late September and early October. But still, kinda’ gets the winter juices going, doesn’t it?
Tom Goes to Point Lobos
So soon after my visit that we might have almost passed on highway 1, Tom Mangan also visited Point Lobos. Sounds like we’re on to something with the September visits to this park.
As for me, continuing my theme of visiting the shoreline, yesterday I spent a day at Point Reyes National Seashore. More on this soon, but a few comments now.
I’m almost embarrassed to say that this was actually my first visit to this Bay Area treasure. I’ve driven past the park before, but that’s it.
Doing a one-day up-and-back trip from the south SF Bay meant that I was up at 5:00, on the road shortly after that, and didn’t return until about 10:30 p.m.
For me at least, the appeal of this park is different than that of my beloved Sierra Nevada. Perhaps that is partly because the terrain and the flora are not so different from the hills around my home. But there are some places there that do get my attention. I hiked out to Arch Rock and sat there for alone for awhile. I visited the north shore on my way to Point Reyes itself, and the surf is astounding on these beaches facing the open Pacific to the north. At Point Reyes near the lighthouse at sunset, the wind was wild and the sky was spectacular.
Sunset at Point Lobos State Reserve
Point Lobos State Reserve (part of the California State Parks System) is one of the best places in central California to enjoy the Pacific coast. This rocky shoreline features great vistas and wildlife including otters, sea lions and seals, and tons of birds. There have been two downsides:Being only a few miles south of the tourist mecca of Carmel it can be quite crowded, and closing time has always been way before sunset – at one of the best places in the state to watch the sun set over the Pacific.
This summer the park system fixed one of those problems, and in doing so reduced the other. The change is that the park now closes 30 minutes after sunset. (This may change after the peak tourist season, so contact the park to make sure that this policy is still in effect before visiting.) Yesterday I went there to photograph the evening light – the park listed sunset as 7:15 so I was able to stay until nearly 7:45.
It was a nearly completely calm evening, with low surf and almost no wind. The “golden hour” light was beautiful, occasionally illuminating wispy clouds of fog.
Dusk, Point Lobos State Reserve. Monterey Peninsula, California. September 15, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
Surprisingly, there was almost no one in the park at this most beautiful time of day – quite a contrast with a typical weekend during the day, when the park can be so full that all the parking spaces are taken and cars are queued up at the entrance waiting to get in. There seemed to be a small number of people waiting for the sunset, but most of them left around 7:15 as the sun dropped below the horizon. Extraordinary light continued, and perhaps even improved, for another 20 minutes or so – but I don’t think that there could have been more than a dozen people left by then.
Lower Young Lake, Morning
As an example of why it was so hard to get on the trail on the last day of my recent Young Lakes pack trip, this photo of a morning view a short stroll from my campsite.
Lower Young Lake, Morning. Yosemite National Park, California. September 11, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
Sierra Nevada and Yosemite backcountry aficionados may recognize the taller peak to the left as Mt. Conness.
Tom's Latest
Tom Mangan (Two-Heel Drive) reports that he has a new hike article at the Mercury News:
Latest Hikes column: Butano State Park. Actually, it was posted yesterday:
Some hiker friends of mine visit Butano State Park mainly as excuse to stop off for pie at Duarte’s in Pescadero, a few miles down the road. Duarte’s bakes luscious pies with berries picked from nearby fields, and any excuse to stop in for a slice is valid.
But Butano is worth a visit regardless of your pie-craving proclivities. The park has remarkable biological diversity – six distinct habitats – and an excellent mix of trails: flat walks along shady creeks, rocky hillside passages, hill climbs steep enough to require stairs.
Best Time of the Year in the Sierra?
It is September, and my favorite time of the year in the Sierra Nevada begins now and lasts for the next two months or so.
Aspen Leaves. Bishop Creek, California. October 1, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
Labor Day weekend marks the last big rush of tourists to the Sierra – at least until the ski season begins. During the next two weeks the number of visitors to the high country will diminish greatly, and by the second half of September many places will seem downright (and delightfully) deserted. I’m lucky enough to have a schedule that gives me a lot of free time still for the next three weeks, so I’m planning to be up there several times this month.
What many people do not realize is that some of the best Sierra weather of the year occurs during September and early October. Early September can be like late August – warm, going on hot, and increasingly dry, especially in a drought year like this one. But some days are not like this, and a change is obvious – the sun sets earlier and the rate of change increases, nights are colder and days generally are comfortable, the light is softer and often there seems to be a stillness in the air. Grasses have all gone golden and some of the leaves on trees and bushes and even short alpine tundra plants are beginning to change color. An early Pacific front or two may pass by, and there may even be a dusting of snow on occasion as the month goes by. (And the mosquitos are gone!)
In many ways, early October is even better. The best days are sunny and warm but not hot. The light is soft and golden, and by the beginning of the month the aspens change colors spectacularly. In a good year, a stunning display of aspen colors can be seen all up and down the eastern Sierra – the amazing thing is that so few people seem to know about it.
If you can schedule your Sierra visits just right, you can follow the aspens down the length of the Sierra over several weekends, and then you can visit the lower country on the west slope and see more amazingly colorful displays a bit later, stretching the season over a good month of more. Yosemite Valley colors seem to be at their peak near the end of October and even into early November.
Timberline Forest on the Bighorn Plateau
Two Forests, Bighorn Plateau. Sierra Nevada, California. August 9, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
This photo is from a place that I regard as one of the most intriguing locations in the Sierra Nevada, the area near Tawny Point on the Bighorn Plateau along the John Muir Trail (JMT) just north of Mt. Whitney. This particular spot is quite high – over 11,000′ – and right at timberline, but instead of rocky and steep terrain it is rounded and rolling and open. From the highest points there is a 360-degree view of the highest peaks in the Sierra: the crest to the east, the north wall of the Kern Basin to the north, the Great Western Divide and the Kaweahs to the west and south.
This little section of timberline forest fascinates me. This year I encountered it while heading north from Wallace and Wright Creeks and ascending toward the high spot at Tawny Point. Right at timberline there is an extensive old forest of large but long-dead trees. Among them is a newer, younger forest of much smaller trees. What killed the original forest, and how did such large trees survive here? How old are these snags? What happened that allowed the new forest to reestablish itself here?
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Dan's Outside 
Dan at Muir Woods
Tom at Two-Heel Drive just referenced my recent visit to Muir Woods and made a few observations and comments. A quick reply to Tom…
I agree regarding the comparison to other Redwood locations. While Muir Woods is a beautiful place, it main advantage (?) compared to other local redwood forests is its proximity to San Francisco… and, I suppose, its popularity. While I was there I had the same thought – namely, that other Redwood forests in the area are every bit as beautiful if not more so and they are far less crowded. I’ll take Big Basin over Muir Woods any day.
And, yes, Muir Woods adjoins the Mt. Tamalpais Park and you can easily hike between them.
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October 26, 2007 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary, Places | Comments Off on Dan at Muir Woods