Hike into Muir Woods Through the Backdoor

Muir Woods Through the Backdoor

Hike into Muir Woods from Mount Tamalpais and the Bootjack Trail

Hike Mount Tamalpais into Muir Woods

Muir Woods is a small and wonderfully beautiful place. And it’s a rite of passage to visit whether you’re local or from out of town. The challenge: It’s popular! The solution: Enter the park through one of several adjacent trails. You’ll avoid the busyness of the main parking area and you’ll get to explore the neighboring Mount Tamalpais State Park on some scenic and quiet trails.

One of the best loop hikes starts across the street from the Mountain Home Inn on Panoramic Highway. You’ll cover 4.5 miles, with the first stretch being a gradual descent. Starting on a wide fire road, immediately descend into a cool canyon of redwoods, Douglas fir, manzanita, and toyon. You’ll stay shaded as you hop onto the Troop 80 Trail, which was built by Boy Scouts way back in 1931. This is a great and lightly used trail that crosses fairytale bridges through more redwoods and Douglas firs.

Muir Woods secret hike Mount Tamalpais Bootjack trail

Take a break in the sun at Van Wyck Meadow, which as the sign says, has a population of three Steller’s jays. Here you’ll descend the Boot Jack Trail all the way into Muir Woods. There's a sign welcoming you to the trees, and this backdoor entrance puts you right into the heart of the good stuff: Bridge 4 crossed Redwood Creek and you can take a detour into Cathedral Grove, one of the most majestic places in the whole park. Wander and explore as much as you want—just be sure to exit on the Fern Creek Trail (between Bridge 3 and 4). {NOTE: If you decided to stay a while and get into the heart of Muir Woods instead of just briefly entering and leaving again immediately (see directions below), then please stop at the main entrance or visitor center to pay the fee for Muir Woods. If you have a current National Parks Pass then you won't need to do this as the pass covers the entry fee.}

Hiker in Cathedral Grove at Muir Woods National Park near San Francisco

This is the hard part of the hike: You’ve gotta climb out of the canyon and back up to your car. But after all that time with these old-growth beauties, you’ll be motivated!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST: In the episode "Pandemic Autumn Outings" Weekend Sherpa co-founders discuss their hike through Muir Woods' backdoor. They also recorded a "live from Muir Woods!" segment.

Park at the small parking lot across from Mountain Home Inn on Panoramic Hwy. (map). Start the hike on the north end of the parking lot on the Trestle Trail. It’s a short flight of steps to a fire road, where you turn right, following the signs to Camp Alice Eastwood. At 0.5 mile, take Troop 80 Trail on the right. At about 1.7 miles into the hike you’ll get to Van Wyck Meadow, where you’ll go left on the Bootjack Trail. Take this down into Muir Woods. Explore the park and exit on Fern Creek Trail (between Bridge 3 and 4). At 3.5 miles you’ll reach the Lost Trail, where you turn right. The trail ends after half a mile; turn left on Ocean View Trail, which takes you back up to the parking area. No dogs.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Aloha from California

    Say Aloha without leaving California with a 7-mile out-and-back hiking adventure to Lake Aloha in El Dorado National Forest. You can also camp here, a premier place for stargazing.

    View
  2. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

    View
  3. Easiest Best Hike in the World

    Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road

    View
  4. Hiker in the forest at Mount Sutro in San Francisco

    San Francisco's Middle Earth

    No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Can't Top This

    San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.

    View
  2. Underground Garden

    Looking to escape the summer heat? Head to Fresno and discover its cool secret: the Forestiere Underground Gardens–an enchanting garden and architecture oasis like no other.

    View
  3. Volcanic Activity

    Northern California is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the country: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The region features geothermal areas, including the largest dome volcano in the world, Lassen Peak. Hike to the top of this active volcano on a 5-mile out-and-back.  

    View
  4. Oh Ryan

    Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...

    View