Samuel P. Taylor redwoods
- Food
- Picnic, or a bite in Lagunitas
Crowd level: Quiet. Room to linger
Best season Weekdays, and any winter afternoon when you want trees without a plan. Summer weekends are pleasant and still easier than the famous redwood lot.
Drive 50 min
From downtown San Francisco through San Anselmo and Lagunitas, about 50 minutes in calm traffic. Sir Francis Drake can clog on summer afternoons.
Parking. Day-use lot by the creek. A state park fee applies. Redwood loops are obvious from the picnic area. Winter high water can close a trail. Read the board.
Samuel P. Taylor is a redwood creek in a fold of Marin, cooler than the city and emptier than the famous grove to the south. Creekside picnic tables, a short loop, and you are done. That modesty is the recommendation.
The short version
Samuel Penfield Taylor built an early paper mill on this creek in the 1850s, one of the first on the Pacific coast, and later a campground resort beside it. The mill is gone. The redwoods and the name stayed. You are in second-growth forest with a creek, not in a cathedral that requires a reservation.
Food nearby
Picnic, or a bite in Lagunitas
Pack a lunch. The park is tables and trees. Lagunitas has a small grocery energy, not a dining destination. Eat simply and do not drive back hungry and angry.
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