Muir Woods National Monument

At a glance

Visual character

“Ancient coastal redwood forest just 12 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge — towering 1,000-year-old trees creating cathedral-scale light filtering effects year-round. Quintessential Northern California old-growth character.”

About

Muir Woods National Monument, a 560-acre cathedral of ancient coastal redwood forest 12 miles north of San Francisco, is one of the most visually evocative landscapes in the National Park Service. The towering Sequoia sempervirens — some over 1,000 years old and approaching 250 feet — create a vertical forest experience of extraordinary scale, with filtered shafts of light penetrating the canopy to a fern-carpeted floor. Cathedral Grove, the park's old-growth core, produces a hushed, sacred visual atmosphere unlike anything else near a major city. Commercial filming requires a NPS permit through the Golden Gate NRA office at 415-561-4323. Timed entry reservations are required for all visitors, which production crews must coordinate carefully. Dawn access before park opening offers the best opportunity for unobstructed wide shots. Managed as part of Golden Gate NRA. A bucket-list location for any cinematographer seeking old-growth redwood forest atmospherics.

Where you'll be