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Muir Woods National Monument Facts

Muir Woods National Monument Facts
Muir Woods National Monument is a 554 acre unit of the U.S. National Park Service, located in Marin County, California. Muir Woods was created to protect 240 acres of old growth coast redwood, which is one of the few remaining areas in the San Francisco Bay area where they still exist. The redwoods have been growing in this region since before man inhabited the area. Prior to logging in California there were roughly 2 million acres of these forests but by the early 1900s they were mostly gone. In 1908, following efforts by Congressman Kent and his wife to preserve the forest, President Theodore Roosevelt declared the land Muir Woods National Monument. It was named after the naturalist John Muir who helped establish the country's national park system.
Interesting Muir Woods National Monument Facts:
Congressman William Kent and his wife bought 611 acres of redwoods and mountains to protect the forest. It came down to a legal battle in 1907 when a water company wanted to flood the land. Kent donated 295 acres of redwoods to the government which stopped the court battle.
In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt created the first national monument from donated land.
The first name suggested for the national monument was Kent Monument but Kent preferred that it be named after John Muir instead.
There is a wooden statue at the Muir Woods National Monument depicting John Muir.
Muir Woods National Monument is considered to be one of the most popular tourist attractions in the San Francisco Bay Area. More than 750,000 people visited the site in 2005 alone.
The tallest redwood in Muir Woods National Monument is 258 feet tall. Redwoods can grow as tall as 380 feet.
The redwood seed is the same size as a tomato seed.
The majority of the trees located in Muir Woods National Monument are between 500 to 800 years old but the oldest tree in the protected forest is over 1200 years old.
People travel from around the world to visit Muir Woods National Monument, to see the giant redwood forest.
There are flat trails through the forest for visitors to explore.
Wildlife living in Muir Woods National Monument includes Sonoma chipmunks, western gray squirrels, shrew moles, deer, an occasional black bear, 11 species of bats, sea otters, owls, woodpeckers, and fish such as coho salmon and steelhead.
There are not many insects in Muir Woods due to the tannin in the trees which acts as a natural repellant. The canopy created by the trees also limits the growth of fruits and flowers. These factors contribute to the fact that only about 50 bird species are found in the national monument.
Muir Woods National Monument is ideal for visitors who wish to hike and walk through the forest. There is no camping or picnicking allowed and vehicles and pets are not allowed. The park is for say use only and no overnight camping is allowed.
It is possible to get married in the park or film for commercial purposes but special permits must be obtained first.


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