Destination: Muir Woods & Sausalito
Hike Muir Woods, Visit The Bay Model, And Tour The Tall Ship Matthew Turner
This is part of a series of family-oriented day trip outings around the San Francisco Bay Area I look forward to enjoying with my kids once social distancing and shelter in place isn’t the norm any longer.
Photo by Caleb Jones on Unsplash
Social Isolation — Day 25
It’s spring break for the kids, such an odd concept right now. Their schools have been remarkable about being in touch, relaying news, and offering support where they can. Today the Superintendent announced formally that school campuses around the Bay Area would not reopen this school year. My older daughter's high school drama program has hopes that we might be able to hold their play in late July or early August, but for now, it’s all wait and see.
I took my kids out for a walk in the small park down the street from where I live today, and we watched some fun movies. Usually, I’d be taking them places like the ones I list below. I guess I should double down on some DIY projects with the kids. Maybe I can convince them to go on a bike ride tomorrow, not too far away though…
Destination: Muir Woods & Sausalito
Hike in Muir Woods
Visit the Bay Model
Tour the tall ship, Matthew Turner
The bus stop for the weekend Muir Woods shuttle is quite close to the other two locations listed here, so they made a nice grouping even though Muir Woods is closer to Mill Valley.
Parking at Muir woods has become a problem, and recently they switched to a parking reservation system to try to alleviate some of the struggles. I’ve personally not tried the new system, but on my next trip, I’m pretty sure I’d opt for the shuttle from Sausalito instead. If you do want to drive there directly, make sure you have a reservation.
Hike in Muir Woods
Congressmen William Kent donated the land we now know as Muir Woods to the Federal Government in 1908, insisting it be named for famed naturalist John Muir. Muir Woods was the first National Monument and was signed in to existence by Theodore Roosevelt. The park features many old-growth coastal redwoods, and features some wonderful hiking trails next to Redwood Creek. Don’t forget to pick up some Junior Ranger workbooks for the kids. Adult entry is $15, kids 16 and under are free.
Visit the Bay Model
The entrance for the Bay Model by Cody Tolmasoff
I first came here for a school field trip in middle school. The Army Corps of Engineers built this originally in 1957 to assess man-made projects on the natural environment of the bay. This hydraulic model was the largest of its kind and was in operation from 1958–2000 when computer models could replace it. Because it can simulate the tidal flow to scale when we would have things like oil spills in the bay, they could quickly test to find out where to deploy resources. We could also understand how bay-fill projects would affect the bay.
The model continues to operate as a nonprofit education center. Free admission and parking, but it’s closed Sundays.
Tour the tall ship, Matthew Turner
This one has been on my to-visit list for a while. We have visited “Tall Ships” before, there are a couple that tour the west coast and one of the stops is in the Port of Redwood City. These classic sailing ships are amazing to see, especially if you can get out for a tour on the water.
The Matthew Turner is a brand new boat, built very close to where it is now docked.
Cody Tolmasoff is an author and publisher for Adventuring.in. He is a recovering programmer and a San Francisco native, raising two daughters, and regularly finding new adventures around the SF Bay Area. This article is an excerpt from an upcoming book, 52 San Francisco Bay Area Weekend Adventures, Day Trips With Your Kids!
Find him on Twitter @codyo, and read his most recent title Adventures in Getting Out on Amazon, filled with advice on successfully getting your family out for day trip adventures.
Originally published on Medium on 7 April 2020