Four Half-Day Muir Woods and Sausalito Tours

The half-day trip, minute by minute

The Muir Woods and Sausalito Half-Day Trip lasts 5 hours in a minibus and collects passengers at four points: 251 Mason Street, the Hotel Riu Plaza, the Joinery and 374 North Point Street. It drops everyone back at the Hotel Riu Plaza. The listing gives each leg:

• Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center, photo stop: 15 minutes
• Drive to Muir Woods: 15 minutes
• Muir Woods: 1.5 hours, with the guide leading and time to explore alone
• Drive to Sausalito: 30 minutes
• Sausalito: 45 minutes of free time, with an optional narrated minibus ride through town
• Return to San Francisco: 30 minutes

The trip is billed as an early-morning visit, to reach the forest when fewer people are there. The listing asks for hiking attire and layers, and offers reserve now, pay later. Wheelchair access is not stated. The half-day trip close-up collects what reviewers mention.

The small-group tour, minute by minute

The Muir Woods and Sausalito Small-Group Tour lasts 5 hours in a 14-passenger van and collects from most San Francisco hotels; the listed points include the Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf, the Hotel Zeppelin and the Fairmont San Francisco.

• Scenic drive through the Presidio: 30 minutes
• Golden Gate Bridge photo stop: 10 minutes
• Drive through Marin: 25 minutes
• Muir Woods: 80 minutes
• Drive to Sausalito: 25 minutes
• Sausalito: 1 hour
• Return to San Francisco: 30 minutes

Bottled water and the entry fee are included. Anyone who stays on in Sausalito pays for their own ferry or ride-share back. The tour is not suitable for wheelchair users. The listing suggests comfortable shoes, sunglasses, a camera, a jacket and snacks, which are eaten outside the forest. The small-group tour close-up has more.

The ferry-option tour

The Muir Woods and Sausalito Tour with Ferry Option runs in an air-conditioned coach with a driver-guide. There is no hotel pickup: it meets at 478 Post Street on Union Square or at 2805 Leavenworth Street near Fisherman’s Wharf. The listing guarantees a 90-minute stop in Muir Woods, stops at a Golden Gate Bridge viewpoint and gives 60 minutes in Sausalito, passing the floating-home colony on the way. Depending on the option booked the day lasts 5 to 8 hours:

• Return by coach with the group
• Stay on in Sausalito and return by ferry, about 20 minutes to Pier 41 with views of Alcatraz and the skyline
• Add a guided bike ride of 2 to 3 hours, helmet and bag included
• Book a version without park entry

The coach, the driver-guide and Muir Woods admission are included, unless the no-entry option is chosen, and so is the ferry ticket on the ferry option. The ferry-option close-up and the Sausalito page cover the town end of the day.

The roundtrip guided tour

The Guided Muir Woods Tour with Roundtrip Journey lasts about 4.5 hours and starts and ends at 99 Jefferson Street, Fisherman’s Wharf. The guide speaks English; an optional audio guide covers English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Korean.

• Coach to Muir Woods with commentary, across the Golden Gate Bridge and with a short city tour on the way: about 1 hour
• Muir Woods, guided on the trails: 1.5 hours
• Drive to Sausalito: 30 minutes
• Sausalito: 45 minutes
• Return to San Francisco: 45 minutes

Round-trip transport, the guide, the entry fee and the bridge crossing are included. Combination options with a hop-on hop-off bus exist, used on separate days. The roundtrip tour close-up has the details.

What 80 to 90 minutes covers on the trail

The Main Trail follows Redwood Creek on the valley floor and is paved and boardwalk. Its loops turn at numbered footbridges. The Bridge 2 loop is 0.5 mile, about 30 minutes, and passes the family circles of young redwoods. The Bridge 3 loop is 1 mile, about an hour, and passes through Cathedral Grove, a signposted quiet zone. The Bridge 4 loop returns on the Hillside Trail: 2 miles, 90 feet of climbing, about 1.5 hours. A 90-minute stop leaves room for the Bridge 3 loop and a pause, or for the Bridge 4 loop at a steady pace. An 80-minute stop suits the Bridge 3 loop. The Main Trail page follows the loop bridge by bridge.

Sausalito: 45 minutes or an hour

Sausalito is the bayside town just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, with hillside houses, the Bridgeway waterfront and a houseboat community. Two tours give 45 minutes there and two give an hour. Meera from India, on the small-group tour, found an hour was time for lunch or for exploring, not both. On the half-day trip, Isabel from Germany stayed on in Sausalito and took the ferry back; the ferry-option tour sells that return as part of the booking.

The four in one table

Check dates for the half-day trip

The 5-hour trip with hotel pickup at four central points and 1.5 hours in the forest.

Check dates for the ferry-option tour

The coach tour with a guaranteed 90-minute forest stop and a return by ferry as an option.

Frequently asked questions