San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Visited: June 2014

Nearby city: San Francisco, CA

The elongated peninsula and large bay in the middle of the California coast is one of the greatest natural harbors in the world. The City of San Francisco (known as Yerba Buena until 1847) has long been one of the most important trading ports in the Pacific. 

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park celebrates this history of the seafaring city. San Francisco is a great city to visit. Easily the most beautiful urban center in the country. There are so many great things for tourists to do here (Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Ghiradelli Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, etc.) but make sure to spend some time at this NPS site.

It consists of a fun museum, and a fleet of six historic ships along a pier for you to tour and explore. Make your first stop at the informative museum. You can learn all about the history of the port and maritime industry of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Now head down to the pier.

There are six boats that you can tour (by yourself or with a Ranger) along the pier. The first is C.A. Thayer, a schooner built in 1895. It was used to haul lumber.

Next up is the side wheel paddle steamboat, the Eureka, built in 1890. It served as a ferry between San Francisco and Tiburon, to the North in Marin County. We couldn't go on the boat due to restoration work, but it was moored along the pier. It is the largest existing wooden ship in the world.

There is also Eppleton Hall, a paddlewheel tugboat built in 1914. 

Next up is the 1907 steam tug, the Hercules.

kitchen

engine

The highlight of the Park, is a beautiful square rigged sailing ship, the Balclutha, built in 1886.

There's also great views of the Bay and the harbor.

The Golden Gate Bridge and the almost always present fog

the pier of the National Historic Site

the Balclutha

There is a sixth ship, but there was restoration work being done on the boat at the time of our visit and it was not moored along the pier. It is a scow schooner called Alma, built in 1891.

San Francisco Maritime National Historic Site is a great site to complement any stay in the Bay Area. More info here: https://www.nps.gov/safr/index.htm

Muir Woods National Monument

Visited: June 2014

Nearby city: San Francisco, CA

"Here in this grove of enduring redwoods, preserved for posterity, members of the United Nations Conference on International Organization met on May 19, 1945, to honor the memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, thirty-first President of the United States, chief architect of the United Nations, and apostle of lasting peace for all mankind"

-memorial plaque in Cathedral Grove, Muir Woods

A beautiful and pristine forest of old growth coast redwood lies just north of San Francisco, one of the last stands remaining in the Bay Area. The groves of these towering giants create a welcome natural respite from the sprawling metropolis. Created in 1908, and named for the influential naturalist and environmentalist John Muir, Muir Woods National Monument is a perfect complement to the beautiful urban area of San Francisco.

Due to its popularity and proximity to a major population center, starting in 2018, the monument now requires advance reservations for all vehicles and shuttle riders. This makes sense, when we visited we had to park way beyond the visitors center along the highway for a long walk into the monument. There is very limited parking, so taking the shuttle is probably the best way to visit. The monument is a now a part of the larger Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is a day use area only. Stop by the Visitor's Center and take a pleasant stroll through these mighty trees. There is one loop trail in the monument, you can either take the loop for a half hour hike or up to an hour and half hike, it's up to you. There are also trails that start at the monument and extend up to the top of Mt. Tamalpais.

The loop trail is very pleasant and easy. It goes right through the grove of coastal redwoods.

There is a nice exhibit and display to learn about dendrochronology (the study of dating by tree rings). These impressive trees can live up to 2,000 years old.

We were lucky to have a fog free day at the Monument. The sunlight shining through these massive trees is very pleasant. The trail continues...

The highlight of Muir Woods is the Cathedral Grove. Near the end of World War II, with the Allied Victory apparent, FDR and delegates from 51 other nations were set to meet in San Francisco to organize and create the United Nations. Unfortunately, FDR passed away on April 12, 1945, a mere two weeks before the conference was scheduled to start. Despite the pall cast by this great loss, the Conference proceeded as scheduled and on the first day, delegates from all these nations met in this grove to hold a memorial honoring the legacy of the recently passed President. It is a very special place.

On our way back to the Visitor Center, we saw a deer and her young.

Muir Woods is an excellent place to visit on any trip to San Francisco. More info here: https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm