Each season at Muir Woods National Monument has its own character.
Fall is warmest: Ladybugs swarm, crayfish are active in Redwood Creek, and the leaves of big-leaf maple turn yellow and drop. During winter, steelhead (migratory rainbow trout) and silver salmon migrate up Redwood Creek to spawn, and toyon berries turn a vibrant red. In spring, birds nest, wildflowers dot Redwood Canyon, and blacktail deer birth spotted fawns. Summer is the season of fog, azaleas, aralias, buckeyes, Steller's jays, and chipmunks.
Animals
You may notice the relative silence in these woods. Animal life in a redwood forest is limited because the shaded conditions provide scarce food. Many animals that do live here feed at night, as owls and bats do, or in early morning and around dusk, as deer do. Mammals most often seen are the Sonoma chipmunk and blacktail deer.
You may hear the scolding of Steller's jays or the raucous cawing of ravens. Warblers, kinglets, and thrushes migrate, living here for part of the year. Wrens live here year-round. Reptiles and amphibians are represented by western garter snakes, rubber boas, several species of lizards, salamanders, and newts.
Trees
Coast redwood trees dominate the forest. With them grow Douglas-fir, big-leaf maple, tanbark oak, and bay laurel. At the lower end of the canyon, red alders line the stream and buckeyes cluster nearby. Shaded bays growing toward the light may assume contorted shapes or topple over.
Plants of the Forest Floor
Ferns are common forest associates of the redwood. Most common here are the sword fern, ladyfern, California polypody, and bracken fern. Moss and lichen grow on rocks and trees but are not parasitic. Redwood sorrel carpets much of the canyon floor. Abundant mushrooms and fungi appear after rains. Magnificent shelf fungi can be seen year-round on both live and dead trees. Others, such as the vermillion hygrophorous and oyster mushrooms, appear only seasonally. Fields of primitive horsetail grow near the creek's banks.
Redwood Creek
Redwood Creek originates high on the slopes of Mt. Tamalpais and nearly bisects the park. It runs year-round, providing nearby trees and animals with water and is host to diverse aquatic creatures, including fish, crayfish, and salamanders. In summer, the creek slows to a trickle connecting quiet pools, but winter rainstorms turn it into a raging torrent. Rain-swollen, Redwood Creek breaks through the sand barrier at Muir Beach and adult steelhead and silver salmon move up the creek to spawn.
Redwood Canyon Loop Walks
Muir Woods' Redwood Canyon is a place to walk and enjoy the forest. The park's 560 acres include 6 miles of walking trails. The main, mostly level trails along the canyon floor are paved. Bridges along Redwood Creek make short loop walks possible. Unpaved trails lead up out of the canyon and connect with trails in Mt. Tamalpais State Park.
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