Muir Woods is a National Monument located near the coast of California. It has been nationally protected since 1908. The monument is made up of beautiful redwood trees that plant their roots in Redwood Creek. This National Monument is a huge attraction that brings millions of tourists year round.
With the many visitors that frequent the Muir Woods, parking issues are abundant. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the park is frequently crowded with vehicles, and that “the road is usually lined with parked cars as people walked along its shoulder all the way to the redwoods. That type of situation, with crowds of people dodging cars on the narrow roads, was dangerous and helped trigger the new system.”
When people go to visit the monument, they may drive around for what seems like forever, trying to find a place to park. These drivers, and many other Americans, waste about $345 every year in time and fuel when they have to drive around looking for a parking space.
This issue will cease to exist at the Muir Woods National Monument thanks to their new parking reservation system. They launched the program on Tuesday, January 16, in hopes of eliminating the severe parking problems that the visitors experience. The new system provides 232 parking spots in their lot. Each spot will need to be reserved ahead of time electronically. Unless you plan to hike or bike to the woods, you will need a reservation to get into the monument.
The new parking system hopes to rid the park of traffic jams and overcrowding, and it will most likely be a permanent fixture. The San Francisco Chronicle tell us that reservations cost $8 per car. The reservations for a parking spot can be made up to 90 days before the visit is planned.