Читать книгу Afoot and Afield: San Francisco Bay Area. A Comprehensive Hiking Guide онлайн

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About 100 feet from the trailhead, you pass a path, right, to the gift shop and the cafe, which are open 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Redwood Creek, which gathers water from several tributaries cascading down the south side of Mt. Tamalpais, is on your left.

Approaching Bridge 1, you get your first look at the giant coast redwoods that fill the valley, making this such a special place. Beyond Bridge 1, you stay on the east side of Redwood Creek. Rest benches here and there invite you to sit and contemplate the sights and sounds of this ancient forest, which, on weekends, may be full of visitors. On a quiet, fog-shrouded mornings, however, your only companions may be feathered ones. About 70 species of birds, including the secretive spotted owl, have been observed in Muir Woods.

A junction with the Ocean View Trail, right, serves as a meeting place for ranger-led walks; times for these are posted near the entrance station. Continuing straight, you enter a realm dominated by giants. Dense stands of redwoods create a shady environment suited to only certain other types of plants, and the thick carpet of needles and twigs deposited each winter, called duff, makes it hard for seeds to sprout. Coast redwoods are often joined by other plants suited to the damp, shady environment. Among these are California bay, tanbark oak, hazelnut, thimbleberry, evergreen huckleberry, and western sword fern.