Muir Woods National Monument is filled with glorious Coastal Redwoods and is perfect for exploring. I published a post last May titled California Dreaming, which highlighted multiple national parks on our trip. This post is an expansion of that to highlight Muir Woods specifically. Through this more detailed post, I hope to give you all the info you’ll need to make a trip of your own to Muir Woods.
We visited Muir Woods in December 2019 as part of our larger California adventure. The goal of the trip was to see as many national parks or protected areas as possible, so it felt essential to see Muir Woods while we were in Northern California. This protected area is an easy day trip from many locations around the Bay Area.
Muir Woods Basics
The old growth coastal redwoods in Muir Woods will easily enchant you. The park is located in the middle of the redwood range from the California-Oregon border all the way down to Big Sur. There are many different types of plants, animals and birds within it that are all worth exploring. However, the giant coastal redwoods found throughout really steal the show. The climate in the coastal redwood forest is usually cool and dry during the summer and wet in winter months.
Walking the trails at Muir Woods National Monument.
Muir Woods requires you to purchase a parking permit prior to arrival. I booked our parking pass a few months out to be safe. When reserving, you chose a 30 minute window to arrive. I would recommend getting your parking pass as soon as possible once you know your trip dates. Additionally, you can book shuttle passes and your entrance ticket to the park through the same company.
To enter you will need to pay the entrance fee, which is separate from parking. You can also enter using your America the Beautiful pass. This is what we did.
Breathtaking views around the trails of the park.
Getting There and Away
Muir Woods is located in the San Francisco Bay Area in the city of Mill Valley. The parkcan be accessed via car from most areas, as well as by shuttle bus from Sausalito, Marin City and the Pohono Park and Ride. Due to it’s popularity, you will need to book your shuttle and parking reservation ahead of time at gomuirwoods.com.
What to Do
Go on a Hike!
Trails around Muir Woods National Monument.
The most obvious and fun thing to do in Muir Woods is to walk around the trails and view the beautiful coastal redwoods. There are a few easy trails from the park entrance that range in time and distance. According to the park page, there are three loops, each one a half hour longer than the next for a total of 6 miles and one and a half hours.
Trails within the park are well marked and follow along the redwood giants. If you would like to hike for longer, there are options to break out to adjoining trails that offer a birds eye views of the area. Plan to bring some snacks and spend half a day hiking around and breathing in the fresh air.
Yosemite National Park is a wonderful place for hiking, exploring and camping. I published a post last May titled California Dreaming, which highlighted multiple national parks on our trip. This post is an expansion of that to highlight Yosemite specifically. Through this more detailed series, I hope to give you all the info you’ll need to make a trip of your own.
We visited Yosemite National Park in December 2019 and loved seeing the park in winter. Yosemite is one of those places that lives up to all the hype that you hear about it. While we only got to spend three days and two nights in Yosemite, I could have easily spent weeks there. It is truly mesmerizing. I recommend at least one visit, but hopefully many.
Views of Yosemite Valley.
Yosemite National Park Basics
The 1,200 square mile park is California’s most popular national park and there is no question as to why. It is located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in central California and sits 195 miles from San Francisco, 176 miles from Sacramento and 313 miles from Los Angeles.
Yosemite is well known for the ancient and majestic sequoia trees that populate the park. Not to mention the dome rocks that tower over you as you enter the valley floor alongside the many waterfalls and meadows found throughout. Elevation in the park ranges from about 2,000 feet to 13,000 feet. Yosemite experiences large amounts of precipitation from October to May, with snow covering the park throughout winter.
There is an entry fee to visit the park, or you can use your America the Beautiful parks pass for covered entry. During the 2021 season you will need a reservation to enter. Make your reservation on Recreation.gov well in advance as the time slots are likely to be booked up quickly.
You can drive to Yosemite via the south, west and north. The most common routes are from the San Francisco area, as well as from the Los Angeles area. It is advisable to use the park shuttle bus once you are inside the park due to all the traffic. Note that the shuttle is not running in 2021. There is also a YARTS bus that can also take you from Yosemite to the train station. YARTS travels east to Mammoth Lakes, west to Fresno and north to Sonora.
Crossing the Tejon Pass going north.
For our trip, we drove north to Yosemite from Los Angeles. There can be a lot of traffic, so we planned to leave by 5am to avoid it. Even though a 4am wake up call sounds rough, it is highly advisable if you are leaving from Southern California.
We drove out on the empty darkened LA freeways and hit the Tejon Pass by dawn. As we climbed the pass, daylight started to creep in, exposing the snow covered hillsides along the highway. We had lucked out, the pass was just a few days out of being shut down completely from a snow storm. The car crested the ridge and we rode into the valley below as the storied California farmlands fanned out on both sides. This eventually made way to a mountainous forested area that meandered into the national park.
Where to Stay
Our cabin in the Curry Village at Yosemite NP.
For our visit to Yosemite, we opted to stay inside the park in one of their lodges. While they are a bit more pricey, it was very much worth it to be able to reach the trails from your door. If you stay outside the park, you will have to queue up each day with a long line of cars. We stayed our first night in a cabin in Curry Village and our second night at the Yosemite Valley Lodge. Both were beautiful in their own way, with Curry Village more rustic and Yosemite Valley Lodge a step up in decor and price.
There are 13 campgrounds in the park, which you can review here. You will need to make a camping reservation on Recreation.gov well in advance of your stay. Those looking to splurge should check out Yosemite’s most famed lodge, the historic Ahwahnee.
What To Do
There is much to be said about Yosemite’s many opportunities for adventure that can’t all fit here. The most common activities are taking a hike, going on a wilderness tour and a whole range of active sports such as trail running, biking, fishing and horseback riding. I have highlighted what we did below.
Mirror Lake, Yosemite National Park
Go for a Hike
Prior to heading to Yosemite, I recommend looking up some of their trails and hikes. There is a great transit system that drops off visitors at most trailheads throughout the park, making everything more accessible without a car. The Yosemite Conservatory also offers tours that can take you to see some of the key highlights.
Since we were there for such a short time, we ended up doing trail runs on hiking trails to see more of the park. We checked out the Valley Loop Trail, Lower Falls Trail, and Mirror Lake Trail. Also, it was winter when we visited so a number of the trails were closed. Before you go, check out the park’s hiking page, which has a ton of information.
Go for a Run
Our first trail run was on the Mirror Lake Trail, which offered an enchanting setting around a lake and allowed us to leave from our doorstep in the Curry Village. We did an 8 mile trail run, but you can also do much shorter hikes from the trailhead. See our Strava outline below.
Mirror Lake Trail out and back run from Curry Village.
Yosemite trail running
On our second day, I ran solo around the Valley Loop Trail. This trail was mostly paved, with parts of the run in more remote areas of the valley. I was petrified the entire time that I would come across a bear, but thankfully that did not happen! Even still, it was a great way to check out the valley in the early, misty morning while most people were still sleeping. See the Strava route below.
Yosemite valley loop trail solo run.
On our last morning, we took a run around the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail. We got out early to avoid the tour buses and crowds at the falls. Because of this, we were completely alone. Such a treat in this often crowded park! It felt special to have the place all to ourselves with the valley dew in the air.
Take Some Photographs
Us posing awkwardly at Yosemite Valley Falls.
There are a lot of opportunities for beautiful photography in Yosemite. Ansel Adams Gallery offers photography classes and some of the other tours also offer chances for great photography. We took a lot of photos just walking around the Lower Yosemite Falls trail, which is a popular spot for visitors. But really, just get out there in the park and you will find so many inspiring views.
What Next?
Running the Mirror Lake Trail.
If you want ideas for outdoor places to visit, read my other posts to see what adventures await nearby. If you are in California, I highly recommend you making Joshua Tree National Park part of your trip. I recommend reading my posts about the beautiful state of New Mexico, the Grand Canyon or about Rocky Mountain National Park.
As we slowly start thinking about traveling closer to home, I have created a series that includes some outdoor places that are perfect for hiking, camping and exploring. Joshua Tree National Park is one of those places that hits all the boxes. I had originally wrote about Joshua Tree in a longer post that I published last May titled California Dreaming. I am expanding upon my earlier post to highlight this national park and give you all the info to make a visit.
When we visited Joshua Tree in December 2019, I hadn’t been in many years and I had forgotten just how magical it was. This park is a must see in California and you should definitely try to make a trip here. Not only is it beautiful, but visiting will change how you feel about the desert.
Exploring the trails of Joshua Tree National Park.
Joshua Tree National Park Basics
Joshua Tree National Park is an 800,000 acre park that is located just 140 miles east of Los Angeles in Southern California. The park sits where the Mohave Desert and the Colorado Desert meet. It is filled with cacti, trees, shrubs, lizards and other desert dwelling plants, birds and animals. More information about the history and make-up of Joshua Tree can be found here and here. There is a fee to enter the park or you can use your America the Beautiful parks pass for entry.
I recommend arriving early if you are visiting during the winter season. There are limited parking spots at the popular trail heads and you will want to beat the crowds. There are not many water facilities inside the park, so bring lots of water. It is essential to prepare yourself with all you will need in the park and pack layers of clothing. When we visited in December, the temperatures were quite cold and we wore our jackets the entire time.
Joshua Tree National Park is located about 140 miles east of Los Angeles, 175 miles from San Diego and 215 miles from Las Vegas. It is accessible via car and you can fly to one of the nearby cities and drive from there. There are three entrances to the park. The west entrance is at Joshua Tree Village and the north entrance is at Twentynine Palms. There is also a south entrance at Cottonwood Springs.
Joshua Tree National Park
Where to Stay
There are two small towns in Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms where most of the lodging is located near the park entrances. I would recommend staying in the Joshua Tree area, as that was where most of the restaurants and amenities were. We stayed both nights at an Airbnb in a fairly remote location on the outskirts of Joshua Tree. You can also stay farther out, but it will make beating the crowds at the park entrances much harder.
Additionally, there are five campgrounds within the park that offer basic camping options and can be reserved in advance at Recreation.gov. There are also a number of camping options outside of the park.
What to Eat
I was surprised to see that there are a decent amount of food options in the area despite being in the middle of the desert. Some top restaurants are in Joshua Tree, as well as a few in Twentynine Palms. We ate at Pie for the People! and were surprised how much we loved it. You can also try some hot spots around the park. Since we visited over the holidays we had less options, but in general there are many yummy choices to choose from.
Sunset over the park.
Joshua Tree Hiking and exploring
Joshua Tree is huge and there are lots of things to do, including many great hikes for all activity levels. While we weren’t able to do any trail runs in Joshua Tree, we did a series of short and easy hikes on our visit. We went to the following places based on various recommendations.
Hidden Valley Nature Trail
We started at the Hidden Valley Nature Trail. This mile loop trail was an easy and beautiful hike. It is great for the whole family and didn’t take too long to complete.
Hidden Valley Nature Trail hike.
Miguel at the Hidden Valley Trail.
Barker Dam Trail
The Barker Dam Trail was another easy 1 mile loop hike. We took this hike easy and we got to see the historic Barker Dam. Overall it was a very relaxed hike with some cool views.
Joshua Tree National Park hiking on the Barker Dam Trail.
Ryan Mountain Trail
The Ryan Mountain Trail was a slightly more difficult three mile out and back hike up Ryan Mountain. It was was moderately strenuous with spectacular views and a must see if you are up for it.
Views from the Ryan Mountain Trail.
Skull Rock Trail
We stopped by the Skull Rock Trail, which is an easy loop directly off the park road. We did a quick pitstop here and we didn’t hike the full trail. It felt like more of a highly overrated IG hype location and not necessary to stop.
Skull Rock
Cholla Cactus Garden
The Cholla Cactus Garden is near the north entrance of the park. It offers an easy walk around the unique cacti and was one of my favorite areas that we visited. It was a bit of drive from the other hikes, but it was completely worth it. There is a partly paved path that follows a short trail around the garden. It is very popular, i.e. crowded, but for good reason.
Miguel in the Cholla Cactus Garden.
What Next?
If you are in the Southern California area, I highly recommend you making Joshua Tree National Park part of your trip. If you want ideas for outdoor places to visit, read my other posts to see what adventures await nearby. I recommend reading my posts about the beautiful state of New Mexico, the Grand Canyon or our trip to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Standing near the Twentynine Palms entrance to the park.
This past summer, we were lucky enough to spend some time at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. This national park hadn’t been on my radar, but it was a perfect detour on our way back home. I’m so grateful we took the time to see such a stunning national park.
Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) is located in north central Colorado on 415 square miles of breathtaking wilderness. It is truly one of the most spectacular natural settings I have ever seen. I highly recommend visiting it to anyone in the area. Rocky Mountain National Park is located on Cheyenne and Ute land.
The mesmerizing views of RMNP.
Rocky Mountain National Park Basics
RMNP is one of the most popular national parks in the country. In 2020, it was the fourth most visited park with 3.3 million visitors. We felt those numbers while we were there, even amid the pandemic that kept many people at home. I recommend visiting during spring or fall when the crowds are slightly reduced. Summer was a little bonkers, but still really cool to visit!
To ensure our safety and the safety of others, we were very careful to maintain our distance and keep masked. All national parks are now requiring that visitors wear masks and maintain physical distance from others. Here is more info about the COVID-19 measures in place at RMNP.
Miguel posing at the Grand Lake entrance to the park.
To get into the park we had to make a reservation through a timed entry system. This system will be in place for the 2021 season as well. To enter, the park releases specific time intervals for reservation in two hour windows. The entry times are released each month prior for the following month. Since this is such a popular park, you will need to book your entry as far in advance as possible. In addition to an entry time, we used our yearlong America the Beautiful Pass for entrance to the park.
Getting There and Away
Beautiful mountains for days!
The park is located within 66 miles of Denver, making it very accessible by road and plane. There are two main entrances used for entry into the park, the town of Estes Park in the east and Grand Lake in the west. Estes Park is by far the more popular side of the park with various options for food and lodging.
Where to Stay
There are tons of hotels and Airbnbs in the area near Rocky Mountain National Park. The lodging options are mainly in Estes Park, as well as the smaller community of Grand Lake. There are also five campground options within RMNP, as well as the option to do wilderness camping with a permit.
Since I had booked our trip so late, we stayed at an Airbnb in Grand Lake and really enjoyed it. The Airbnbwas perfectly located near the Grand Lake entrance and was well situated with great views and comfortable amenities. We even had the option to add on delicious breakfast or dinner meals for a fee. Note that if you stay in Grand Lake, you might have longer drives to get to some of the more popular trailheads.
What to Bring
The weather in the park can be really variable. It is advisable to dress in layers and be prepared for colder temps as you go up in elevation. I learned this the hard way when we did the Mt. Ida hike. Rookie mistake that I won’t make again! In addition to bringing lots of layers, always make sure to pack lots of water for your hikes. This is something I can’t stress enough.
RMNP is also known for it’s lightning storms during summer. Practice extreme caution when planning an outing if a storm is in the forecast. Monitor the weather and make sure to not be on exposed trail if a storm does come in. Here are some guidelines from the park about safety.
I recommend staying somewhere that you can prepare your meals and pack food to bring with you into the park. We packed snacks and lunch each day to bring along with us on our hikes. It is better to have more than enough water and food with you than to underestimate your needs while hiking.
Trailhead near Bear Lake.
Things to Do
Take a Drive
The Trail Ridge Road bisects the park and gives you access to the various key trails within. Driving on this road was easily the most spellbinding and scary road that I have ever driven on in my life. The 48 mile road crests over 12,000 feet in elevation and connects the two park entrances of Estes Park and Grand Lake. The best part is that the road takes you from the forrest meadows at the base up to alpine tundra at the peak. It gets a little dicey on the windy roads near the top where there is little to no space between the road and the steep drop off down the mountain. Despite some harrowing moments, I’m happy that we got to take the famous drive.
Views from the top of the Trail Ridge Road.
Go on a Hike (or many)
Rocky Mountain National Park has over 355 miles of trails. Hiking is one of the most popular activities and there are trails for all ability levels. There are many lists you can turn to about the best hikes in the park. Here is a link to the various trail maps within RMNP. I’ve detailed below the different hikes that we took.
Emerald Lake/Nymph Lake/Dream Lake
Views of Emerald Lake.
Our first hike was to Emerald Lake, starting from the Bear Lake Trailhead. The 3.5 mile round trip hike passes by both Nymph Lake and Dream Lake, both beautiful lakes to behold. This heavily trafficked trail was an easier out and back hike.
Nymph lake views en route to Emerald Lake.
On our way to Emerald Lake.
Alberta Falls Hike
Alberta Falls.
We also took a hike to Alberta Falls, an easy out and back trail totaling a little over 2 miles. We added this on after our hike to Emerald Lake since it left from the same trailhead. Due to it’s location near Bear Lake, it was a very crowded hike filled with lots of hikers. I would recommend hitting this trail in the early morning or later afternoon when less people are present.
Mt Ida Hike
Miguel at the Mt. Ida peak.
On our second full day in the park we set out before sunrise to hike up to Mt. Ida. This 9.5 mile out and back hike was much more strenuous and crossed multiple terrains. In total, we gained around 2,300 feet of elevation, with the peak at 12,889 feet. We left from the Poudre Lake Trailhead in the early morning in order to beat the afternoon thunderstorms. The trail is very exposed when it reaches the subalpine tundra so you have to be careful not to get caught exposed if a storm passes through. For this reason, we started early and we still barely missed a storm on our way back down.
Sunrise coming up over the Poudre Lake Trailhead as we started our hike.
Views of the glacial lakes on the hike up to Mt. Ida.
Bouldering at the end of the hike. There were lots of loose rock.Views from near the top of Mt. Ida.
Strava stats from our Mt. Ida hike.
Check out the Wildlife
We did not see much wildlife, though we did get some great close-ups of marmots on the alpine tundra. Wildlife sightings can be quite common within RMNP and that is something to look forward to on your visit.
Marmot along the peak of the Trail Ridge Road.
Go Kayaking outside the Park
On our first day we took a kayak trip on Shadow Mountain Lake near our Airbnb. This ended up being a really amazing experience since we got to see osprey and other local birds. We rented our kayaks at Trail Ridge Marina, which provided us with directions to see the early morning tranquility of the lake. If you stay in the Grand Lake area, it is definitely worth it to take some kayaks out to see the local wildlife.
What Next?
After a trip to RMNP, you might be asking what next. Check out my other travel posts to see what other adventures await nearby. I recommend reading my posts aboutthe beautiful state of New Mexico, the Grand Canyon or our road trip in California.
