Found a hidden accessible trail at Muir Woods yesterday

I’ve been to Muir Woods a few times but never noticed the Hillside Trail before. It’s a paved path that loops around the main area and has way less crowds. Plus it’s actually wheelchair friendly with gentle slopes and good railings. I only saw like 3 other people on it in 45 minutes. The main boardwalk gets packed by 10am but this trail was empty. Has anyone else found quieter spots like this at state parks?

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evan2953mo ago

Hillside Trail being completely empty even when the main area is packed" - yeah that tracks with my experience at a lot of the bigger redwood parks. I found a similar spot at Henry Cowell last fall where there's this little loop called Fall Creek that barely gets any traffic. It's not paved but it's wide and flat enough for most folks to manage. The trick with these parks is that most people just follow the signs to the main grove and never venture off. Some of the best quiet spots I've found are actually on the outer edges of the parking lot where the trails aren't marked as well on the park maps.

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jamiekim3mo ago

Oh man, I totally used to be one of those people who just stuck to the main trail and thought that was the whole experience. You've really opened my eyes with this, I'm definitely gonna start poking around those lesser known paths next time.

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