Established in 1908 as the country's 6th National Monument, Muir Woods is famous for its Coast Redwood trees, the tallest species of tree on Earth. Some of the trees here are over 200 feet tall and 1,000 years old. Upon seeing the grove of Redwoods bearing his name, John Muir declared, "This is the best tree lover's monument that could be found in all the forests of the world."

After a quick pre-hike talk, we begin right at Muir Woods with a quiet walk through the ancient redwood grove.

But while most visitors never leave the paved walkway, we take you beyond, climbing the rustic Bootjack path along the banks of Redwood Creek. Eventually finding our way to the famed Dipsea trail, we relax and eat lunch before a spectacular coastal view of the Pacific Ocean and distant San Francisco.

From there the walk is all downhill as we reenter Muir Woods through a back route, finishing with one last stroll through the celebrated National Monument.