Muir Woods

Just 12 miles north of San Francisco lies Muir Woods, part of the National Park Service and home to the coastal redwoods. The average age of the trees here are between 500 and 800 years old with the oldest being at least 1,200 years old. It's just a beautiful, peaceful place, even though it was more crowded than the last time we came here in 2009.

A little history....before the logging industry came to California, there around 2 million acres of old-growth forest containing redwoods growing in a narrow strip along the coast. By the early 20th century, most of these forests had been cut down. Just north of SF Bay, one valley named Redwood Canyon remained uncut, mainly because it was difficult to access. U.S. Congressman William Kent and his wife Elizabeth bought 611 acres of land for $45,000 with the goal of protecting the redwoods and the mountain above them. In 1907, a water company in nearby Sausalito planned to dam Redwood Creek, thereby flooding the valley. When Kent objected to the plan, the water company took him to court. Kent out-manouvered the water company by donating 295 acres of the redwood forest to the Federal Government.

On January 9, 1908, President Roosevelt declared the land a national monument, the first to be created from land donated by a private individual. The original suggested name for the monument was the Kent Monument but Kent insisted it be named after naturalist John Muir, whose environmental campaigns helped to establish the national park system.

Thank you Mr and Mrs Kent :)