In 2022, according to National Park Service data, 798,625 visitors came to Muir Woods National Monument. If they parked in the overflow lot seen in the photo they would have been just 1246 feet as the crow flies from Elsa Gidlow’s house at Druid Heights according to Google maps. I am sure almost none of those nearly 800k visitors knew it.
Yesterday I was asked what someone in the SF Bay Area as a resident or visitor could do to encourage the National Park Service to take action to restore the buildings at Druid Heights. I replied that paying a visit to Muir Woods Visitor Center and asking for information about Druid Heights and how to get to it would let the Park Service know where you and those who come with you stand on Druid Heights preservation.

While you are well within your rights to ask questions like those don’t forget that the staff person you are talking to is not a decision maker. They may even be a Park Service employee who would like to see DH preserved but can’t rock the boat without risking their job. Sadly word of such has come my way…..Venting any frustrations you feel on them is unfair as they don’t have a say.

Visiting Muir Woods used to be a free for all, meaning if the lots were full cars were often parked along the roadside.
You can hike to Muir Woods from elsewhere but from any of the possible starting points you will have a fairly long hike in front of you, and most routes would include a lot of up and a lot of down.
Parking is no longer allowed along the road outside the lots and to park in them you need a reservation.
An alternative is parking a few miles away and using the shuttle bus system. Again, both options require prior reservations, and depending when you plan to go you might need to make reservations well in advance of your visit.
Parking as of 6/27/23 is $9 per vehicle, the shuttle is $3.50 per person and entry to the park past the visitor center is $15.
If you do not want to go past the visitor center you have the option of hiking on the Dipsea Trail (see sign in the photo) that heads away from the overflow lot in two directions. Either would give you a view of the Muir Woods area, with 6 acres of its 554 being Druid Heights
For more specific transportation and parking info use the first link below. The second is for the Muir Woods official website.