Veterans Day 2026 at Muir Woods: Free Entry, $10 Parking, Ocean Overlook
On November 11, 2026 the $15 adult entrance fee at Muir Woods is waived for US citizens and residents, and anyone else still pays it. The $10 standard parking charge is not waived. Short November daylight sets the order, with the grove in the morning and the ocean overlook at sunset.
Muir Woods to Muir Beach Overlook
🌲 Morning in the old growth
Arrive inside the thirty minute window on your parking reservation, because the lot turns cars away without one. No cell service reaches the grove, so download the pass before you drive up. The $15 adult fee is waived only for US citizens and residents, and any other adult still pays it at the entrance. The boardwalk loop to Bridge 4 runs two miles and takes about ninety minutes. Gates open at eight and close around sunset, and on a clear morning light comes down through the canopy in long shafts.
🌊 The overlook above the Pacific
Leave the way you came and follow Muir Woods Road down the valley, where the name changes to Frank Valley Road. At Highway 1 turn right and north, and the signed pullout sits four miles from the lot. A staircase drops to a platform above the surf, with the Point Reyes peninsula on the horizon and concrete observation posts cut into the cliff. No ticket or reservation applies here. Bring a windproof layer, because the picnic table sits in ocean wind. The gate closes an hour after sunset.
🧾 Add up the day before you book
Count it once. Two adults on an ordinary Wednesday pay $30 in entrance fees plus $10 for standard parking. On November 11 the entrance fee drops to zero for US citizens and residents, who then pay only the $10 standard parking charge, while anyone else still pays $15 each. Medium vehicles pay $30 and large ones $45. Slots open ninety days ahead at nine in the morning Pacific time, and a limited batch drops three days out. The seasonal shuttle ended at the end of October, so driving is the practical option.
