Parks as Classrooms – Muir Woods National Monument

Parks as Classrooms – Muir Woods National Monument includes historic inquiry, environmental science, and inquiry-based park programs that connect classroom preparation, a national park field session, and classroom assessments. Students may also take part in a self-guided inquiry-based journey that uses a teacher-led program with materials and activities curated and provided by the park’s education team, including the self-guided program “Rings, Ripples and Echoes,” where students navigate through the Redwood Creek Watershed of Muir Woods.

• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Self-guided programs are available Monday through Friday.
• Price: Muir Woods collects entrance fees for visitors that are 16 years of age and older. Children 15 years of age and under may enter for free.

Educational Opportunities at Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s Parks As Classrooms uses the Understanding by Design framework and incorporates California Common Core Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies. Inquiry-based park programs can be timed to introduce concepts, reinforce understanding, or support culminating projects within a teaching unit, and teachers receive program curriculum and supporting materials. Ranger-led programs include “Into the Redwood Forest” for grades 3–4 and “Forests for the Future” for grades 11–12, though applications for these two ranger-led programs are not being accepted for the 2025–2026 school year. Self-guided programs are available Monday through Friday for educational groups that qualify for the Academic Fee Waiver, with a maximum of 20 vehicles per group and two complimentary chaperones per group included in the academic fee waiver. Only buses under 30 feet may take Muir Woods Road between Panoramic Highway and the Muir Woods National Monument entrance, buses over 30 feet but smaller than 35 feet may enter via Highway 1 using Muir Woods Road from the west, and no vehicles longer than 35 feet are allowed, with groups asked to carpool with at least 2–3 people per vehicle and to submit a written justification for any request to exceed the 20-vehicle limit.

Last updated March 14, 2026.