Cross the Golden Gate Bridge, and after you motor through the "Rainbow Tunnels" on Hwy. 101, Marin's unique
topography comes into view. Tidal flats along the bay segue into gentle undulating hills as they rise to meet
Mt. Tamalpais, Marin's 2,600-foot landmark. As your tour ascends Mt. Tam, breathtaking views abound at every turn.
Descending into the valley toward Muir Woods, you will see a landscape that hasn't changed since its original
inhabitants, the Coast Miwok Indians, lived here centuries ago. You will have 1 1/4 hour to spend in
Muir Woods, the most time offered on any sightseeing tour program. There will be ample time to stroll the Nature
Trail along picturesque Redwood Creek, and through Cathedral and Bohemian Groves, filled with 500 to 800-year-old
redwoods. Be sure to stop at the Visitors Center and Gift Shop.
The next stop on your tour is beautiful Sausalito, a Mediterranean-like community with elegant hillside
homes facing the bay and a unique colony of floating homes moored along the waterfront. You will have time
to stroll Downtown Sausalito, a National Historical Landmark District offering many fine shops, galleries
and restaurants. If you want to spend additional time here you can stay and take a ferry back to Fisherman's
Wharf or the San Francisco Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street (ferry fare not included). Your return to
San Francisco by motorcoach will be via the Golden Gate Bridge and through San Francisco's Marina District.
• 4-hour tour of Muir Woods and Sausalito
• Cross over the Golden Gate Bridge
• 1 1/4 hour in Muir Woods
• 1 hour in Sausalito
• Shopping/Dining/Galleries in historic Downtown Sausalito
MUIR WOODS NATIONAL MONUMENT
140 million years ago, redwood-like trees covered most of the Northern Hemisphere. Today, this expanse of trees
has been reduced to two areas, the west slope of the Sierra Nevada and a thin 500-mile strip along the Pacific
coast from Oregon to Monterey, California. Most old-growth coast redwoods have been cut down, but the trees in
Muir Woods National Monument have never been logged. Congressman William Kent and his wife Elizabeth Thacher Kent
bought the forest along Redwood Creek in 1905 to protect its old-growth redwoods from logging, and donated the land
to the Federal Government. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed it a national monument in 1908, naming it for
conservationist John Muir.
Today Muir Woods is a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and a part of the National Park System.
The redwood groves within the 560-acre park include trees that measure over 252 feet tall. One is 14 feet wide;
some are at least 1,000 years old. Although most famous for its redwoods, Muir Woods also has a variety of other
trees and plants. Douglas fir, bigleaf maple, tanbark oak and bay laurel grow along with ferns, lichen and mushrooms.
Its abundant wildlife ranges from ladybugs, silverhead trout and silver salmon to Steller's jays, chipmunks and
black-tailed deer.
The color of Muir Woods changes with the seasons; in Fall the big-leaf maples turn yellow; Winter brings the vibrant
red toyon berries; Spring explodes with wildflowers; and Summer is the time for azaleas, aralias and buckeyes.
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