Student Perspectives: This blog series was written by San Francisco State University students for the Recreational Use of Parks and Protected Areas course in 2016. The goal of the blog assignment was to show how student support of redwood parks can create new ways to foster equal access to nature by diverse communities. For this assignment, each student visited a local redwood park and wrote about their experience. Enjoy!
There are Plenty of Woods to go Around
by Brandon L. Chiu
Redwood forests consist of the most amazing old-growth forests in all of California, and possibly even the United States. These places are spread out all along the coast of Northern California and many have stunning, tall-standing trees that have been around for centuries.
At one time, these large immaculate redwoods covered most of Northern California, but now only a select few have been able to preserve their beauty for the current and future generations. With this in mind, I feel that everyone should be able to bask in the beauty of the natural settings and immerse themselves in redwood forests.
Muir Woods National Monument is one of the most popular redwood forests in Northern California. It is a tourist destination and many locals from all around the Bay Area come to see this tremendous park. One reason why this park is great for everyone is because it is fairly flat and it has wide decks so that even those who may be disabled or in a wheelchair can experience being amongst the great trees. Another reason why this national monument is great is because if an individual wants to get away from all the crowded areas, they could just take one of the hiking trails farther up from the visitor center and enjoy a more serene atmosphere.
Since this park exists for all to see, I decided to bring my uncle from Hong Kong up to Muir Woods while he was here visiting. It was a great experience for both him and my family because there are almost no natural spaces to go to in Hong Kong. Visiting the redwood forests is great and everyone should be able to see these trees.
Muir Woods and many redwood forests are open to everyone. If you’re worried that overcrowding of the park will be detrimental to your overall experience visit the redwoods when the park is least congested (external link).
