Hillside Trail - Looking Into the Canopy

A stop on Muir Woods, a free self-guided tour.

Up here on the Hillside Trail, you finally see the forest from a new angle. Instead of craning your neck, you're looking across at the middle of the trunks and down onto the creek and boardwalk below.

Redwoods grow so tall that they create their own world overhead. The tallest tree measured in Muir Woods is about 258 feet, taller than a 20-story building. The canopy is home to birds and bats, and northern spotted owls, a threatened species, nest in the monument's forest. If you hear a series of deep hoots, you may be lucky.

This trail is narrow and dirt, with a steep drop on one side, so walk single file, keep kids close and step aside on the uphill side to let others pass. Stay on the path; poison oak grows on these slopes.

Look down at people on the boardwalk below. From up here, you can see just how small we are next to these trees.

Getting here: Continue past Fern Creek to Bridge 4, cross the creek, climb the short rise and turn left onto the Hillside Trail heading back toward Bridge 2.

Did you know?: Most redwoods in Muir Woods are 500 to 800 years old, and the oldest known tree here is at least 1,200 years old.

Photo op: Where the trail opens up above the creek, shoot down through the trunks to the boardwalk; people walking below give an instant sense of scale.

Nearby: None on the trail; continue to the entrance for restrooms and the cafe.

More on Wikipedia: Northern spotted owl · Sequoia sempervirens

Hillside Trail - Looking Into the Canopy

Stops on this tour