Click here to return to our Muir Woods Main Menu
Insiders Tip: Buy your parking pass well in advance of your trip, since they sell out early. Download your parking pass before going up the mountain to Muir Woods.
There is little no to cell phone or WiFi service at Muir Woods and in the Muir Woods parking lots, and when people can’t get their parking reservation to come up on their phones they are refused entry. Don’t make any plans that require you to call someone from there, to check your email or messages, or to use a website like Uber or Lyft.
Muir Woods Parking
(Scroll down for what to do when Muir Woods Parking is sold out)
Parking at Muir Woods is controlled by a reservation system. There are less than 300 spots in the lot, and when you make a reservation you’ll pick a day and time for your vehicle to arrive. You cannot drive to the park and get a reservation on site — they can only be purchased online in advance.
You must arrive within that window, and parking attendants will direct you to an open spot. You can remain at Muir Woods as long as you want, up until closing time for the park.
Please scroll down for a link to the Muir Woods parking reservation system.
For visitors with disabilities, when you make your parking reservation you can reserve a disabled spot in the lot.
Electric vehicles will have access to two spots that have charging stations, with an additional fee. If no charging is necessary then they can park in any standard slot.
Fees for parking reservations at Muir Woods are:
Cars (including electric vehicles that that don’t need a charging station): $8.00
Electric cars that need a charging station: $11.00
Vehicles for disabled visitor spots: $8:00
There is no RV or oversized vehicle parking at Muir Woods.
Using the New Muir Woods Parking Reservation System
Click here to go to the Muir Woods reservations website. Go to the upper right hand corner of the page, click on the date to display a calendar of potential visit dates, click on the desired date and then click on the “Reserve Now” button.
Insiders Tip: The new website has some flaws that can make you think no reservations are available on a given day when there are lots of free seats and parking places. We give you step by step instructions on how to avoid these problems under the heading “Using the New Muir Woods Reservations System” on our Muir Woods Tickets and Reservations page.
Reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance. You can cancel a reservation for a full refund up to 72 hours prior to the scheduled time of your visit.
Insiders Tip: On the order page you’ll need to:
- Choose what time you’ll want to arrive at Muir Woods and park on the selected day
- Enter how many spaces you want to reserve (it defaults to zero and you can reserve one or two spaces at a time) for the correct kind of vehicle before you’ll be allowed to…
- Go to the check-out page and use your credit card to pay the $8.00 or $11.00 per space reservation fee
Cool feature: A few days before your scheduled visit they’ll send you a reminder email with a copy of your bar code for your reservation, and they do so outside the 72-hour cancellation window so that if you have to change your plans you still can. The email comes from Ace Parking, the concessionaire that operates the site.
What to Do When Muir Woods Parking Sold Out
In 2018 a reservation system was put in place to control the crowds of over 2 million annual visitors, far more than the park could handle.
Under the new system there is no parking outside the Muir Woods lots. The shoulder areas along the narrow roadside are now “No Parking” areas, and those rules are enforced tightly by local authorities. Prior to this the roadsides around the park would be packed with parked vehicles, stretching literally for a mile outside the park gates.
Parking passes are very popular, and during busy travel times they sell out well in advance. If you can’t get a parking pass for your desired day, your choices are:
- On a weekend, you can take the Muir Woods Shuttle to the park. These reservations should also be made in advance.
- Take a taxi, Uber or Lyft ride. Just make sure to pre-arrange a pickup time, since there is no cell service at Muir Woods.
- Buy a commercial tour package that includes Muir Woods. These companies have buses that they use to bring visitors to the park and back down the mountain, and they have parking permits.
