Forest fun: Muir Woods' shade attracts crowds on hot holiday weekend
MUIR WOODS NATIONAL MONUMENT -- Away from Bay Area beaches, many people headed to the woods for a cool escape from Saturday's sweltering heat.
Muir Woods National Monument is packed on most weekends and, on this warm July 4 holiday weekend, park rangers said it was extra busy with a lot more foot traffic.
Among the thousands of visitors was the Jones family from Berkeley -- dad Kevin, mom Lily and their two kids -- bonding over a hiking adventure.
"It was warming up in Berkeley when we left," Lily said.
"The fog was starting to burn off so might as well get out into the shade," Kevin added.
They traded temperatures in the 80s in Berkeley for the cooler 70s in Mill Valley.
"Sunny, not too hot. Cool in the shade. It's kind of all you can ask for. You don't need air conditioning out here. It's just perfect," Kevin said.
Some families came from inland communities that saw triple-digit temperatures.
Park rangers said people planning to drive to Muir Woods need to buy a parking reservation. All the popular time slots leading up to July 4 are sold out so the best bet, they said, is public transit or take a shuttle.
