Frequently Asked Questions

Visitation to Muir Woods National Monument increased significantly in the past decade, resulting in increased public safety risks and unreasonable wait times for parking spaces. Limited parking coupled with high visitation led to unsafe illegal parking and foot traffic along narrow roads. The parking and shuttle reservation system better manages visitation levels, allows visitors to plan their trip in advance, and reduces overcrowding. In this way, the system has improved the overall visitor experience while also enhancing the protection and preservation of the surrounding natural resources.

ACE Parking Management, Inc. is an authorized concessioner with the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior, operating parking and shuttle reservations on-site parking management for your visit to Muir Woods.

All vehicles and shuttle passengers arriving to Muir Woods are subject to the reservation system. Visitors arriving by foot, bicycle, or tour bus are not required to make a reservation.

Making a parking and shuttle reservation is fast and easy. Reservations can be made through this website or by phone at 1-800-410-2419. Reservations are required seven days a week, year-round. The system accommodates advance and day-of reservations (dependent on availability). There is no cell reception or public WiFi at Muir Woods, so all reservations must be made off site prior to arrival.

Muir Woods can accommodate oversized personal vehicles, defined as any vehicle over 17 feet in length and reservations are released 90 days in advance. Please read the additional FAQs on oversized vehicles for more information.

Depending on the type, needs, and length of your vehicle, you have multiple options.

• If you have an electric vehicle and would like to charge it during your visit, make an “Electric Vehicle” reservation.
• If you have an ADA placard or qualify for accessible parking, make an “Accessible” reservation. This includes vans that require accessible parking.
• If your vehicle is 17 feet and shorter, make a “Standard” reservation.
• If your vehicle is over 17 feet and shorter than 22 feet, make a “Medium” reservation.
• If your vehicle is 22 feet to 35 feet, make a “Large” reservation.
• If your vehicle is over 35, you cannot bring your vehicle to Muir Woods. Please take the shuttle or bring a smaller vehicle.

We recommend you double check the dimensions of your specific vehicle prior to making a reservation. Visitors arriving with a reservation that does not match their vehicle length may be turned away and unable to park.

The following listed vehicles, and others, are over 17 feet in length and require a medium-sized reservation: Ford Super Duty, Ram 3500HD, Chevrolet Silverado HD, GMC Sierra HD, Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan, Chevrolet Suburban, Cadillac Escalade ESV, GMC Yukon XL, GMC Denali Yukon XL, Ford Expedition MAX, Lincoln Navigator L, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, Nissan Armada, Infiniti QX80, Lincoln MKT, Toyota Sequoia, Land Rover Range Rover LWB.

Possibly. If you have an oversized vehicle (any vehicle over 17 feet and up to 35 feet in length), you can reserve parking through gomuirwoods.com/oversize. Choose a parking reservation based on the size of your vehicle. Fifth wheel vehicles and tow behind vehicles are not allowed.

Visitors with oversized vehicles are strongly encouraged to take the shuttle or bring a smaller vehicle if possible. The roads to Muir Woods are extremely winding with significant drop-offs. If you must bring an oversized vehicle, there is a 30 foot limit on Upper Muir Woods Rd, and a 35 foot limit on Frank Valley Road. Any vehicle between 30-35 feet must access Muir Woods by taking Highway 1 to Muir Beach. Roads to Muir Woods National Monument are managed and regulated by the County of Marin. Vehicle idling and generator use are prohibited once at Muir Woods. Parking is front-in parking only through a single-lane, narrow parking lot. Please see the nps.gov/muwo website for site specific regulations, including the pet policy if you have animal travelers with you. Oversized vehicle parking is limited to 1 hour 45 minutes. If you’d like to stay longer in your oversized vehicle, you will need to book multiple back-to-back reservations. There is no official passenger drop off or loading zone at Muir Woods.

A parking reservation for vehicles up to 17 feet is currently $9.50 per vehicle and will increase $0.50 every two years. The shuttle reservation fee is $3.75 per person, age 16 or older and will increase $0.25 every two years. A “free” reservation must still be made to secure a shuttle seat for visitors under 16 years of age. Visitors age 16 or older are required to pay a $15 park entrance fee in addition to any parking or shuttle reservation fees.

A parking reservation for medium vehicles (over 17 feet and shorter than 22 feet) is $30. A parking reservation for large vehicles (22 to 35 feet in length) is $45.

Visitors with standard, ADA, and electric vehicle parking reservations may stay until the end of regular park hours on the day of their reservation, regardless of their scheduled arrival time. These reservations have a scheduled half-hour (30-minute) arrival window.

Medium and large vehicle reservations have defined arrival and departure times. For medium and large vehicle reservations, the user must arrive and depart within the 1-hour 45-minute reservation.

No, to protect the wildlife, the other visitors, and your pet. However, pets are permitted in some nearby areas, such as Muir Beach, the Coastal Trail, some trails in the Marin Headlands, Marin Municipal Water District lands and Marin County lands.

Standard parking and shuttle reservations can be made online or by phone up to 90 days in advance on a rolling basis. All reservations are released at 9:00am Pacific Time. For medium and large vehicle reservations, 50% of all reservations are released 90 days in advance, and the remaining 50% are released 3 days in advance. For standard, accessible, and electric vehicles, the majority of reservations are released 90 days in advance, and a limited number of reservations are released 3 days in advance. The 3-day-out release is intended to provide access for visitors who were unable to plan their trip further in advance. Booking a reservation far in advance is recommended.

Yes, reservations are required for ADA spaces. There are eight (8) ADA spaces available, located in the main parking lot. Additionally, the reservation website is designed to comply with Section 508 standards to ensure that it is accessible to users with a variety of abilities.

There are two ADA spaces that accommodate vans. Additionally, oversized vehicles can be parked at the shuttle stops, and all shuttles have ADA accommodations.

No! Visitors arriving by vehicle must have a parking reservation in advance. If you arrive to Muir Woods without a reservation, you will be turned away. Parking reservations are not sold on site, and there is no cell reception to make a phone or web reservation. We encourage park visitors to plan ahead.

Visitors who make their reservations online will receive an email confirmation with a parking or shuttle pass with a unique barcode. Visitors who make their reservations over the phone will receive a confirmation number and may also have their parking or shuttle pass emailed to them. Parking and shuttle passes will be electronic, but visitors may choose to print them and bring a paper copy. These passes will be verified prior to boarding the shuttle or, if driving in a vehicle, prior to entering the parking area at Muir Woods. Download your parking pass in advance, as there is no Wi-Fi or cell phone service at or near Muir Woods.

Yes. A full refund will be provided for shuttle, standard, ADA, and electric vehicle cancellations made at least 72 hours in advance of the reservation time. Cancellation of medium and large spaces will incur a $10 cancellation fee. Visitors making a cancellation less than 72 hours in advance will receive a full refund for any pre-purchased park entrance fees, and no refund for their parking or shuttle reservation. Visitors are encouraged to cancel a reservation if they know their plans have changed, as this provides the opportunity for others to visit the park.

No, you cannot resell your reservation to someone else. Parking and shuttle reservations are non-transferrable. Parking ambassadors conduct spot checks to ensure the name on the reservation and the visitor arriving match.

The system will limit a visitor from making more than six (6) parking reservations or ten (10) shuttle reservations for a given day. Additionally, a maximum of two (2) standard parking reservations may be purchased per transaction per day, and a maximum of ten (10) medium or large parking reservations may be purchased per transaction.

A parking reservation is for a specific time or window of arrival, not a specific parking space. Parking ambassadors will ensure there is available parking for all visitors with a reservation and will guide each vehicle to an available parking space. A parking manager will be on site during operating hours to assist with any questions.

The Muir Woods shuttle services the Larkspur Landing. More information on shuttle locations can be found on the Shuttle Information page.

No, the shuttle does not operate every day. The shuttle runs on weekends and holidays, from March through October. Additionally, the shuttle operates on weekdays during certain summer dates, from approximately mid-June to mid-August. You will only be able to make a shuttle reservation for a date and time when the shuttle is operating.

The Muir Woods shuttle runs at different frequencies depending on the time of year. A detailed schedule can be found on the Marin Transit website for the Route 66 and Route 66F buses. Visitors are strongly encouraged to not wait until the last shuttle that leaves Muir Woods. Visitors leaving by shuttle toward the end of park hours should anticipate extended wait times, particularly during the summer and holiday weekends.

Bikes are not allowed on or inside the Muir Woods shuttle. Bike riding is not allowed within Muir Woods, but bike racks are available outside the park entrance. Biking to Muir Woods is not advised for most visitors as the route is long, steep, and has no road shoulder or bike lanes.

No, however anyone who uses a mobility device or has difficulty climbing steps, will be accommodated via a seperate on-call ADA compliant van. Visitors may select an ADA shuttle reservation at the time of booking.

Visitors riding the shuttle are discouraged from leaving valuables in their cars and in plain sight in the shuttle parking lots. Neither the National Park Service nor its contractors provide security at the off-site Muir Woods shuttle parking lots.

In the last decade Muir Woods experienced a significant increase in visitation, growing to 1.1 million visitors in 2016. The reservation system limits the number of vehicles and shuttle reservations that are allowed to park at the Monument, ensuring less traffic congestion, decreased crowding, and thereby improving the visitor experience and safety.

ACE Parking Management, Inc., the concessioner providing Muir Woods parking and shuttle reservation services, participates in the Leave No Trace program with the shared goal to sustain healthy, vibrant natural lands for all people to enjoy, now and into the future. ACE Parking has successfully met the goal of being a zero waste operation. Please do your part and PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT.

Yes! But first, do you have a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) with Golden Gate National Recreation Area? All commercial operators need a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) to operate in the park. Commercial operators can download the CUA application through the GGNRA website or email goga_business@nps.gov. If you do not have access to the internet, please call 415-561-4948 and an application will be mailed to you. Like everyone else, commercial tour operators and transportation companies must make a parking reservation based on vehicle size.

Similar programs are in use at Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii, where a reservation must be made to park between 3 am and 7 am for sunrise viewing, and at Yosemite National Park, California, where visitors have the option to reserve a parking spot on four peak weekends. Zion National Park and Acadia National Park are also considering similar parking/arrival reservation systems.

Several projects are underway or in planning stages to improve trails, help endangered species, restore habitat, and support a better visitor arrival experience. More information about these projects can be found on nps.gov

Yes, park pass holders are required to make parking reservations. Entrance fee and parking/shuttle reservation charges are discrete and different charges. Park passes admit the cardholder and 3 adults traveling with them into the park. Cardholders will be asked to show their photo ID along with their park pass. If you would like to purchase a park pass, you can do so at the Visitor Center.