With winter storms buffeting the Bay Area, about 10 to 12 towering coast redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument have toppled during the last two months, according to trail crew members in the Golden Gate National Parks.

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.

Whether you drive to Muir Woods National Monument in California, or take the shuttle, you soon might need a reservation to visit the site that honors John Muir.

Fees to visit Muir Woods National Monument in California will double on January 1, moving from $5 per person to $10, with other fee increases coming to Alcatraz Island and the paid parking area at the Presidio in San Francisco.