Muir Woods National Monument would become easier to visit under a plan being considered by the National Park Service to improve parking and pedestrian access/Kurt Repanshek

When my wife and I visited Muir Woods National Monument in California, we wound up parking on the side of a road about a half-mile from the park's entrance. And, we learned later in the day when we saw the line of cars similarly parked stretching for about two miles, that we were lucky.

Now the National Park Service is working on a plan to improve parking and access at the monument just north of San Francisco Bay.

This past Friday the Park Service released the Muir Woods National Monument Sustainable Access Project Draft Environmental Assessment for a 30-day period of public review and comment, closing on December 5.

The Sustainable Access Project is designed to enhance visitor experience and ensure the protection of park resources in the Redwood Creek watershed by improving parking, transit, and pedestrian access at Muir Woods.

The Draft EA describes the need for the project, analyzes the environmental outcomes of several possible project actions, and identifies the NPS preferred alternative which features:

• Redesign/reorganization of Muir Woods entry plaza and parking areas (not to exceed 232 existing personal vehicle spaces) 
• Improvements to pedestrian trails and walkways connecting parking to monument entrance
• Protection of resources by better managing stormwater runoff from parking areas
• Completion of plaza improvements begun in 2010

How to Comment

You can find the document and comment on it at this site.

Or you can send written comments to:

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

ATTN: Muir Woods Sustainable Access Project EA

Fort Mason, Building 201

San Francisco, CA 94123

After December 5th, all written comments will be evaluated to determine if any new issues, reasonable alternatives, or mitigation methods have been raised before making a decision to proceed with the project. In early 2017, the decision document will be released including responses to public comments.