Muir Woods Shuttle

+easier than self-​drive and finding parking at Muir Woods
+nice staff & drivers
–long wait time (especially returning from park)
–not free, but reasonable ($ 5/​person roundtrip)
We took the shuttle on Sunday Labor Day weekend 2015 around 3pm, so we expected it to be crowded. On the way to Muir Woods, there are flashing signs on the highway directing you to the shuttle stop at exit 445B. It is a park-​n-​ride lot at Pohono St. and there were enough empty parking spaces. We lined up by the underpass, opposite the port-​a-​potties which we were glad were there.
About 70 people waiting. We had to wait about 30 minutes. Ride to Muir Woods took around 30 minutes, so we were at the park entrance around 4pm. The last shuttle to return is 7:15pm, so we lined up around 5:45pm because the line to get back is really long and the wait time was around just over an hour and we didn’t want to be stranded at the park. Shuttle cost is $ 5 roundtrip per person; pay when you get to the park entrance by cash or credit card and keep your receipt to get on the return bus. Make sure you get on the return shuttle to Pohono (bus 66), and not to Sausalito Ferry (bus 66F) if you parked at the park-​n-​ride at Pohono St.
There was a supervisor coordinating the buses and managing the queue at Muir Woods. He was hustling around and doing as best he could to make things efficient. He seemed to have a distinctive light Indian accent so I thought I recognized his voice over the bus radio also during the ride. So I felt like there was some teamwork going on between the lines and bus drivers. I felt like the service was pretty good and organized well, but the waiting time can be long as multiple full buses pass by. The alternative is to try to drive to the park, but the lot is always full and parking along the roadway by the park is also hard to find during the weekends and holidays. Also, although the ride is not too long, the road is winding and traffic was slow coming back down the mountain. It’s hard to say whether it’s more comfortable to self-​drive or have a professional take you up and down the winding road.
The shuttle service has been running since 2005 and it seems like they are continually trying to improve capacity and organization to serve the ever growing number of visitors. The shuttle only runs weekends and holidays from April to October, and weekdays during the summer peak season.
. See
for details on when the peak seasons are and how they are trying to improve service.
TIP: The Muir Woods entrance fee is $ 7 per person (soon to go up to $ 10), but an annual pass is $ 20 and you can take 3 other people with you. So the annual pass is a better deal if you have 3 or 4 people, even if you only go once.
TIP: Avoid Muir Woods on the crowded weekends, or drive up to the park a little later near the evening before closing time when its easier to park nearer the entrance.

The signs off the 101S to Muir Wood Shuttle lead you to a park and ride lot — which is fine, but then you have to cross the street, walk under the overpass (uneven sidewalks so be careful, I totally tripped and wiped out) to the actual shuttle parking lot. Needless to say, we moved our car since we had a nice early start. Parking lot is in the Shoreline Office Center — there are blue signs all over indicating that this is the right parking area. This is for the Pohono stop.
We got there at 8:15am. There was one other family waiting and they said the shuttle was supposed to be there around 9:05am. We waited… And watched people trickle in. But closer to 9am the parking lot was full and everyone was milling around one side of the lot. Getting a little concerned, I tried to find out online where the shuttle picked up… And how big was the shuttle?! One review said 22 seats! What?! There was no way, with all these people, there would be any order once the shuttle arrived. Not wanting to get pushed aside and miss the the shuttle, I wandered around and saw another family waiting at the other end of the lot. Then a white van drove up behind me and EVERYONE started running. Fortunately, I made it to the «line» and was able to secure a spot for my family as well as for the one family that was waiting in the lot before us.
So where is the line supposed to start? By the overpass. If you are in the lot, facing the overpass, there are porta potties to the left. I gather we were the first shuttle pick up because the guy in the white van set out cones and shouted out directions — so this probably made it easier for those who arrived later. $ 5/​adult. Children 15 and under ride free. Shuttle probably carried 50ppl — no standing allowed. Not everyone got on. You don’t pay until you get to the park. Keep your receipt as it is your ticket back. We wondered if all this was worth it but once you drive up and see the chaos, you will be so glad you did. And they drop you off right at the entrance :). This is why I give it 4 stars. But if we had a late start, and wound up waiting hours, watching several shuttles go by, I probably would give less than 4 stars. So, lesson of the day — go early!

Disorganized and has long lines. Also at the beginning, I wasn’t told where the line started and ended up having to wait an extra hour for the next bus when the bus filled up. The shuttle didn’t nearly follow the schedule. Since buses filled up, I ended my trip wayyyy early to make sure I got on and was kinda stressed about it the whole time. Not worth your time if it’s during peak hours/​season. I took the ferry from Sausalito and it took over three hours each way from the SF ferry building to Muir Woods.

Used this shuttle service in a whim when visiting Muir Woods and was pleasantly surprised. Not only did I not have to worry about parking but the driver navigated the windy roads for me
Price now is $ 5 per person which is worth the hassle but with the amount of people using the service a bit high. Also the windy roads in a bus left me a bit road sick.
Recommend to anyone going during peak times

I chose Muir Woods as our destination for the day and had no idea the parking lot at the top would be full. I take it if I want princess parking I would have to leave at the crack of dawn to get it. That’s not happening.
Have no fear, the Muir Woods Shuttle appeared. Along with the freeway signs that say the parking lot at the top is full, they also kindly direct you with numerous signs to where the shuttle picks up. I found the signage helpful and the location convenient being right off the highway. A few facts that will help if you decide on the shuttle:
-$ 5 per person for the roundtrip fare
–You pay at the top with the entrance fee to the park. Keep the receipt; it will be your ticket back on the bus
–30 minute drive each way
–Busses run every 10 – 15 minutes
It’s worth the $ 5 to get dropped off right at the entrance of the park and brought right back to your car when you’re ready to leave. On the day we choose to go to the park people were parking 3+ miles away from the entrance to the park and walking. In fact, when we were leaving a woman and child were seeking assistance from our bus drive because they couldn’t find dad and the other child who went to go park the car — they must have gotten lost on their three mile trek to the park (see, they should’ve taken the shuttle).
The shuttle drivers are knowledgeable and do a great job of navigating the treacherous twisty roads. If you get nauseous on bumpy rides you may want to bring something to take the edge off. I don’t get sick and even I had some minor issues with nausea during the drive back to our car. I would rather take the bus than try to make the drive myself, saves on anxiety and parking frustration. I would gladly take the shuttle again.

Round trip on Dec 29, with driver John was GREAT! Very good driving AND patience. I really enjoyed the trips and would take this shuttle to/​from Sausalito rather than drive the car. Much more relaxing and not problem parking; especially with John.

$ 5 round trip fare. I gotta say it is a bit disorganized schedule wise. You park at the Shuttle Center off hwy 101 and then get in line for the shuttle. The ride to the Visitor Center from prkg lot was just over half an hour. You pay for the shuttle at the visitor center and be sure to keep receipt as that is ur ticket to ride the shuttle back. They tell u shuttles come every 10mins, but it is a lie, we waited for over 40mins to get our shuttle back. The ride back took just under 30mins. People cut the line and the shuttle wranglers are indifferent and/​or oblivious to who has been waiting in line the longest, so call those out who try and line jump!
Worth not having to deal with the mess that is parking at the park and it is a nice and scenic drive there.

Great service. Very convenient so you don’t have to deal with parking at muir woods.

Maybe they’ve changed management, because our experience was all positive. $ 5 for a roundtrip tortuous drive between Sausalito ferry terminal and Muir Woods — you can’t beat that. We caught the second last shuttle to the woods on a Sunday, at 3pm, which might explain the lack of crowds. It’s about 50 minutes each way, and I can’t imagine driving or biking these roads myself unless I was really experienced with curves and hills. Not to mention, the parked cars stretched out at least a mile from the entrance.
The drivers are professional, punctual, and gave all the information you need. They’re used to tourists, but not jaded or rude at all.
This is definitely THE low-​stress way to go to Muir Woods!

5 stars just because if I had to drive those roads on my own, Lord knows there’d have been a news story about my rental car splintering into a million pieces as it landed at the bottom of those mountains.
That had to be one of the scariest rides of my life!!! Turns and winding roads with no guardrails! I’m nauseous just thinking about it. In fact, I was very nauseous on the ride there and back. So my only suggestion would be vomit bags at every seat. ;) (Disclaimer: I’m born & raised in Miami — flatlands. All this mountain stuff is not in my nature!)
Bring EXACT change and be prepared to wait in long lines to get there and come back from there.

Plan ahead for your trip to Muir Woods and DEFINITELY take the shuttle if you are planning on going on a weekend during peak times.
$ 3 pp roundtrip, no change given — don’t be bougie, this isn’t a town car or a taxicab in a metropolitan area, it’s a public bus, and one that, in my experience, does its job pretty well when I went a couple Saturdays ago. Drops you off at the entrance to the park and makes trips every half an hour. Plush, clean seats. On time. And, echoing Josephine L’s review, seriously the ONLY logical mode of transportation to the woods, because of their limited parking space. Don’t be that one (of many) stubborn driver who waits in a line of cars for hours on end, or ends up parking along the road miles away. It’s THREE dollars, it’s free otherwise, it’s simple, no frills and no fuss.

If I could, I would give this shuttle 10 stars, if only to offset the other reviews that give a, frankly, unreasonable and unfair 1-​star rating to this shuttle.
It’s $ 3 round trip, it saves you the headache of finding parking in that very limited parking lot by the park entrance, and it only takes about 20 – 25 minutes from the Pohono Street Park & Ride pick-​up spot, where you can get FREE parking. What’s not to like? I think that’s pretty damn awesome.
The shuttle doesn’t need to give you change or take credit cards; I have never heard of a public bus in this country that gives change or takes credit cards, so all the complaints about the shuttle not giving change/​taking cards are just ridiculous. Have you never taken a bus before?
Also, I found the bus staff to be quite nice and friendly, and the ride was just fine and at a safe speed. The seats are super clean and soft, and I approved of the choice of music on the ride (Mariah! Holla!). We didn’t even have to wait for the bus. If you Google the schedule, you’ll find that it comes every half an hour, on the hour and half hour, and indeed our shuttle was prompt both to and from the park. There were no long lines, and everything was orderly. Now, I can see how things could get kinda crazy on a holiday weekend, but maybe y’all could avoid super long waits by showing up 10 – 15 minutes before the pick-​up time during busy weekends.
Anyway, the shuttle is awesome and convenient, the pricing is VERY cheap and fair, and it’s a great service. 10 stars (well, really, I’m gonna give it 5 stars from me, the other 5 stars are purely to pull up the star-​average, which is just absurdly low).

Come on now, let’s not be babies. What did you expect for $ 3 round trip? Silk sheets and free champagne?
Muir Woods Shuttle is the only logical mode of transportation if you plan on visiting the woods after 8am. The park’s parking lot is tiny and demand definitely exceeds supply, so your best bet when it comes to getting to the woods is to take the shuttle.
Yeah, the company clearly does the bare minimum they have to to get by. Yes, they don’t give you any money back if you don’t have exact change. But if you were able to discover the existence of this shuttle online in the first place, surely you must have seen the part about «exact change only». It’s very clearly stated on the webpage. So it’s your own fault for not thinking ahead to break that $ 20.
As for the complaints about getting sick on the ride. Again, seriously? If you did even a modicum of research on Muir Woods, you would know that the park is high up on a mountain. It follows then that mountain roads are windy and there will be a lot of curving as you ride uphill and downhill. If these kinds of roads make you sick, then plan ahead and bring Dramamine. I didn’t think the drivers were going particularly fast on either trip, especially when you factor in the considerable windiness and the fact that they need to drive at a certain speed so as not to impede traffic on the one-​lane-​for-​each-​way road that doesn’t allow passes.
All that said, the attitude of the shuttle staff sucks. They clearly hate their jobs. They’re also big on power-​tripping and love to make people wait an excessively long time to board the bus even when the driver and bus are right there with nothing to do. But again, for 3 bucks, what more could you expect?

Wow… after reading these reviews I was scared for my life to take this shuttle but these reviewers might have lost their mind… or they might be procrastinators who wait until 2pm to go to a National Forest that attracts hundreds of tourists a day…
We arrived at 10:30 am to take the shuttle. There was no wait to get on the bus. Yes, the cash thing is a little ridiculous. They are definitely pocketing a crap load of money… so bring EXACT CHANGE.
The ride up was fine. It seems like the bus driver is driving fast but he really isn’t. I am a baby when it comes to heights and not driving (control freak) but this really wasn’t as bad as the other reviewers made it sound.
The most important thing: parking at Muir Woods is near impossible… Unless you are a horrible parent who makes their young children walk along the ride next to cars on an uphill narrow road. That is not the right option! Take the shuttle, it’s $ 3 a person and well worth it.

First trip to Muir woods i drove in early and had to find parking. Second time i got here late with some family, and i didnt want the kids to have to walk on the street down where you can always find parking but a trek up, and its narrow with cars moving along. Luckily There were no long lines. We got on the first shuttle that arrived. This was around 11am.
First, they dont give change, or accept cards. This makes absolutely no sense. You owe 16, you give them a 20, you get a 4 dollar token for next time. WTF. There taking all the damn cash and ones.
The worker was clueless, the line was kinda a mess, and he decides to tell us after that children under 5 are free. We had enough cash for 15, but home dude tells us after we buy the tickets, nice! Granted there was brochures he should have suggested to take first, not after. Everyone just wants to make sure they get on the damn shuttle.
The ride is rough. ITs a bus moving through a narrow road so i dont blame them, but our driver was moving a little too fast, making us sick.
BLAH!

This is a horrible company and I don’t use that word lightly. As the other reviewers have noted, you have to deal with long lines and wait times. But those are only the tip of the iceberg. Our driver going up drove like a madman up the single-​lane, twisty road that takes you to Muir Woods. I almost puked from this ride. On the way down there were two different lines at the shuttle stop, with signs indicating they were going to different locations. Most of the passengers (myself included) were tourists who were unaware there were multiple stops (no signs, no information of any kind provided where the shuttle picks you up at the bottom). So no one knew where to stand, and of course there were no employees around to answer questions — we finally asked a park ranger. When the shuttle (eventually) showed up, the driver said he had no idea where he was going. It was the end of the day and presumably he’d driven the same route multiple times by this point, so this was difficult to swallow. After staring at us blankly as we tried to elicit information from him, he finally remembered he dropped people off at two locations. Okay, great. Why they wanted us to form two lines, we’ll never know. But moving on, the next challenge followed the first in rapid succession when a group of six tourists, tired of waiting in line for so long, asked him if they could cram into the shuttle and stand the whole way down. This prompted a lengthy discussion between our wunderkind chauffeur and whoever was manning the radio. After 15 or so minutes of this:
«It’s not recommended… I guess they could… lemme ask so-and-so…you know, it’s not recommended… how many are there? Are you sure they want to stand?»
he finally allowed them on. Then he turned on the radio and blasted it at full volume while driving only slightly less maniacally than his colleague had earlier in the day. When we arrived at the base parking lot, there were no representatives from the company to greet us.
I highly recommend either braving the parking situation at Muir Woods (yes, you have to park a mile away and yes you have to risk your life walking along the narrow road but it’s still more appealing then ever getting onto one of the Muir Woods shuttles again), or taking one of the touring buses.

Because there was no parking at Muir Woods we had to take the shuttle. We spent 3.5 hours out. 1 hour waiting for the shuttle, 15 minutes on the shuttle, 1 hour actually hiking, running back to the shuttle before the last one leaves only to see a crowd of other people who had already been waiting hours to get on, waiting 1 hour for that, and another 15 mins on the bus. On top of that, the shuttle cost $ 3 per person. How’s that for a slap on the wrist?

I was not impressed at all. We stood in line for almost an hour to pick up the shuttle, and waited for another hour at the park to take it back. The driver was rude going to the park. On the ride back, the shuttle didn’t even drop off where we parked and picked up the shuttle earlier… Definitely not good when you are touring with seniors with mobility restrictions. As nice as Muir Woods is, if the shuttle is the only option to get there, don’t do it. It was a huge waste of valuable vacation time.

I echo the previous reviewer’s statements. Granted, we visited during Labor Day weekend, however, we waited approximately 1 hour for the shuttle and the process was EXTREMELY inefficient — definitely over 100 people waiting for the shuttle, and the employees still fumbled around trying to count us out onto the shuttle that held ~ 40 people. On the way back — same thing. Unfortunately, the shuttle was still probably better than driving — people parked probably ¾ mile away from the park, haphazardly along the winding road.
Can’t a more efficient process be developed? Can shuttles run more frequently than every 20 min? There must be a better way…

good signage from the freeway. plenty of parking. porta potty in the parking lot.
however, long lines (100+ people). buses that have a capacity of 40 people coming every 20 minutes. sometimes, there are still people in the shuttle getting dropped off at the 2^nd parking lot on the way back from muir woods, so the capacity drops. you do the math.