Muir Woods — a beautiful place to get your grove on

MILL VALLEY — Is the late-summer heat sending you in search of a cool retreat? Are you yearning to escape the beating sun and enjoy a canopy of shade. Well, head to the coast to visit Muir Woods National Monument, where the majestic redwoods provide an umbrella of green fauna to keep the sunshine at bay and the heat away.

Just 12 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge at the foot of Mount Tamalpais, this haven of redwoods, where the average daily temperature is between 40 and 70 degrees, is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and caters to pedestrians. This nature preserve turned 100 in 2008, celebrating its creation in 1908 when President Theodore Roosevelt declared it a national monument, preserving the site for future generations.

Visitors to Muir Woods will find more than 6 miles of trails. The trails include a half-hour loop, a one-hour loop and a 1½-hour loop, as well as longer hikes on trails that venture into surrounding parks. All of the trail hikes offer views of thousands of old-growth coastal redwoods, which stand more than 260 feet high and date back more than 1,200 years.

Taking a trip to the monument before the ethereal monarch butterflies arrive in fall, visitors can catch the sight of thousands of ladybugs that flutter in the air among the branches or scour the branches for sightings of spotted owls or chipmunks and squirrels scattering about. Sometimes, wildlife also can be seen among the trees as deer come into view, or try to catch a peek at a river otter or trout or salmon as they make their way along the creek.

Walking the redwood trails can stimulate an appetite, and although no picnicking is allowed at Muir Woods, a side trip to Muir Beach offers a place to lunch and an opportunity to stop at the Muir Beach Overlook, where the panoramic views in every direction are beyond breathtaking.

Muir Woods National Monument is a visit to a redwood wonderland and a chance to be awed by the grandeur of nature.

Bee staff writer Karen Aiello can be reached at kaiello@modbee.com or 578-2392.