The clear stream running the length of the canyon is Redwood Creek, and it’s more than scenery — it’s a living nursery. Endangered coho salmon and steelhead trout return here from the Pacific to spawn, one of the last wild runs anywhere near an American city.
The redwoods and the creek keep each other alive: the trees shade the water cool, and the winter floods and fog feed the trees. In the rainy season you may actually see salmon in the pools below the footbridges.
Coho once ran up nearly every creek on this coast; today Redwood Creek is one of the few streams still holding a wild population, which is why the whole canyon is managed so carefully.
The fog that pours over Mount Tamalpais on summer afternoons drips off the redwood needles and waters the forest even in the dry months — the trees can pull a huge share of their moisture straight out of the air.
Pro tip: Visit after the first big winter rains (roughly December–February) for the best chance of spotting spawning salmon from the bridges — the forest is greenest and least crowded then, too.
- • Don’t enter the creek or disturb the gravel beds — they’re salmon spawning habitat.
- • Winter is prime time to see fish; summer runs low and clear.
- • The quiet-zone request in Cathedral Grove helps protect this habitat.
- Are there salmon in Muir Woods?
- Yes — Redwood Creek is a spawning stream for endangered coho salmon and steelhead trout. Your best chance to see them is from the footbridges after the first heavy winter rains, roughly December through February.
