Trip planning

Mill Valley to Muir Woods: hike it, drive it, or ride the shuttle

Muir Woods is about 2 miles from downtown Mill Valley on foot, over the Dipsea Trail, and about 3.5 miles by road. Hikers need no reservation. Every car needs a parking reservation, booked ahead at GoMuirWoods.com. Everyone 16 and older pays the $15 entrance fee, however they arrive. There's no cell service at the woods, so plan the way back before you set off. Here are the ways in, what each costs, and what changes with the season.

Ways from Mill Valley to Muir Woods

Way	How far	Booking and cost	When
Hike the Dipsea Trail	About 2 miles from Old Mill Park, starting with three flights of stairs.	No reservation. $15 entrance at the gate for anyone 16 or older.	Any day the park is open, 8 am to about sunset.
Drive	About 3.5 miles from downtown, on narrow roads with sharp turns.	Parking reservation required: $10 for a car under 17 feet, plus $15 a person.	Every day. Book up to 90 days ahead.
Bus 17, then the Muir Woods Shuttle	Bus 17 from the Mill Valley Depot to Larkspur Landing, then the shuttle from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal.	Shuttle reservation: $4 round trip from age 16, free for younger kids, plus $15 entrance.	The shuttle runs Fridays to Sundays and holidays, spring to September, and October weekends. Off until spring 2027.
Bus 61, then a trail	Stagecoach bus 61 up Panoramic Highway, then about 1.3 miles down on foot, and 1.3 back up.	No reservation. Bus fare, plus $15 entrance.	Check the timetable for the last bus back.
Taxi or rideshare	About 3.5 miles by road.	The fare, plus $15 entrance.	Easy to get there; there's no cell service to call a ride back.

Hiking distance from the Dipsea Race's own mile markers; road distance from the Depot on Lytton Square by OpenStreetMap routing. Fees and seasons are the park's and GoMuirWoods.com's, checked November 2026.

Walking from Mill Valley on the Dipsea Trail

Start in Old Mill Park
The Dipsea Trail begins in Old Mill Park, the redwood grove at Throckmorton and Cascade. Cross the footbridge at the back of the park and walk up narrow Cascade Way to the first flight of the Dipsea Steps.
Climb the three flights
About 680 steps in three flights rise from the park to Sequoia Valley Road at Edgewood Avenue; the Dipsea Race says they're as tall as a fifty-story building. Past them, the trail runs above the road to a wooden gate signed "Dipsea Trail". You've come about a mile.
Over the hill to Muir Woods Road
The trail comes out on Bayview Drive and crosses Panoramic Highway (watch for cars), then drops down steps to Muir Woods Road. Walk on the left, facing traffic, for almost half a mile, and pick up the trail again on the left, past the race's 2-mile marker.
Down into the woods
The trail meets Muir Woods Road again at the park's parking lots, a short walk from the entrance. Pay the entrance fee at the gate, or buy it online ahead. The full Dipsea goes on to Stinson Beach, 7.5 miles from Mill Valley; its footbridge over Redwood Creek closes every winter for the coho salmon spawning season.
What to bring
Water, warm layers and shoes with good grip: past the flat loops by the creek, the park calls these trails narrow, steep and rutted with roots. Leave the dog at home, because pets aren't allowed in the monument or on Mount Tamalpais State Park's trails. And know how you're getting back before you go.

Our Mill Valley walk ends at the foot of the Dipsea Steps, 650 feet from Old Mill Park, so it makes an easy start: do the walk, then keep climbing.

Driving and parking

Book before you leave
Every car needs a parking reservation, from GoMuirWoods.com or 1-800-410-2419. None are sold at the woods, and cars without one are turned away. A standard space is $10 for a 30-minute arrival window, and you can stay until closing. Most open 90 days ahead at 9 am Pacific; a few more open 3 days ahead.
Check how long your car is
Standard spaces are for vehicles under 17 feet. Plenty of pickups and big SUVs are longer, among them the Ford F-150, the Toyota Tacoma and the Chevrolet Suburban; they need a medium space, $30 for 1 hour 45 minutes. Nothing over 35 feet is allowed on the roads in.
Save the pass on your phone
There's no cell service or Wi-Fi at or near the woods, so download the parking pass, or print it, before you set off.
Opening hours
The park is open every day of the year from 8 am to about sunset. The visitor center opens at 8 and closes 30 minutes before the park; the café opens at 9.

Without a car

The shuttle from Larkspur, spring to October
It leaves from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, 101 E Sir Francis Drake Blvd, on Fridays to Sundays and federal holidays from early spring through September, and on Saturdays and Sundays in October. A round trip is $4 from age 16 and free for younger kids; reserve both rides. Shuttle riders don't need a parking reservation. It isn't running now and comes back in spring 2027.
From Mill Valley to the shuttle
Marin Transit route 17 stops at the Mill Valley Depot, at Miller and Sunnyside, and at Larkspur Landing, by the ferry terminal. If you drive to the terminal instead, parking there is free on weekends and holidays.
Bus 61 and a walk down
Marin Transit's Stagecoach route 61, Sausalito to Bolinas by way of Marin City, climbs Panoramic Highway. The park's advice: get off at Panoramic Highway and Ridge Avenue and take the Panoramic and Canopy View trails down, about 1.3 miles, then 1.3 miles back up to the bus. Check the timetable for the last bus.
Taxi or rideshare
A driver can take you in, but you can't call one from the woods. The visitor center has a payphone, for cards or quarters, to call a taxi out. The park advises against booking a pickup ahead, since you won't be able to reach a driver who cancels or can't find you.

Before cars, there was a train: from 1907 a branch of the Mount Tamalpais railway ran to Muir Woods, and the first tourists came on it. It closed in 1930.

Before you climb: the Mill Valley walk

Our Mill Valley walk is 5 stops over 0.7 miles, about 32 minutes with the stories. It starts at the Outdoor Art Club, which 35 women founded in 1902 to protect the town's trees, passes the Depot on Lytton Square, where the mountain railway set off, and runs through Old Mill Park to the foot of the Dipsea Steps, where the trail to Muir Woods begins.

Stop 1 is free, no sign-up. The whole walk is $4.99 for your group, on up to 4 phones.

Walk

Mill Valley, California

Mill Valley Walk: Downtown and Old Mill Park

Five stops from the Outdoor Art Club, founded by 35 women in 1902, to Old Mill Park and the Dipsea Steps.

32 min · 5 stops · 0.7 mi · $4.99

Mill Valley to Muir Woods: questions people ask

How far is Muir Woods from Mill Valley?

About 2 miles on foot from Old Mill Park, over the Dipsea Trail, and about 3.5 miles by road from downtown.

Can you walk from Mill Valley to Muir Woods?

Yes, on the Dipsea Trail. It starts in Old Mill Park, climbs about 680 steps in three flights, crosses Panoramic Highway and comes down to Muir Woods Road at the park's parking lots. It's steep, narrow dirt trail, so wear shoes with grip and carry water.

Do I need a reservation for Muir Woods if I walk in?

No. Reservations are for cars and shuttle riders. Visitors who arrive on foot or by bike pay only the entrance fee: $15 for anyone 16 or older, free for younger kids.

Is there a shuttle from Mill Valley to Muir Woods?

Not from Mill Valley itself. The shuttle runs from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, Fridays to Sundays and holidays from early spring through September and on October weekends, and Marin Transit route 17 links the Mill Valley Depot with Larkspur Landing. The shuttle is off until spring 2027.

How much does it cost to visit Muir Woods?

$15 a person from age 16, plus $10 to park a standard car or $4 a person for the shuttle round trip. The park's annual pass is $45, and America the Beautiful passes count too, though drivers still need a parking reservation.

How long do you need at Muir Woods?

The flat loops from the visitor center take about 30 minutes to Bridge 2 (0.5 miles), an hour to Bridge 3 (1 mile) and an hour and a half to Bridge 4 (2 miles). Longer hikes climb into Mount Tamalpais State Park.

Are there redwoods in Mill Valley itself?

Yes. Old Mill Park, at Throckmorton and Cascade, 0.3 miles from the Depot on Lytton Square, is a redwood grove around the site of Marin County's first sawmill. The Dipsea Trail to Muir Woods starts there.

Where these facts come from

Checked November 2026. Fares, schedules and seasons change: check the official sites before you go.