Muir Woods reopens for 1 week thanks to private donations during government shutdown

**Muir Woods Reopens Temporarily During Government Shutdown Thanks to Private Donations**

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) — While the ongoing government shutdown has forced the closure of many Bay Area attractions, visitors to the North Bay are pleasantly surprised to find Muir Woods National Monument temporarily reopened — all thanks to private donations.

Nature guides have returned to the ancient Redwood groves, sharing the wonders of Muir Woods with eager visitors. Volunteer John Maclennan expressed his enthusiasm: “It feels great, I’m glad people have heard about the opening and they came back.”

After being closed for most of October due to the government shutdown, the National Monument’s gates have reopened to the public. Laila Mohamed, visiting from Raleigh, North Carolina, shared her excitement:
“Oh, I love it. I was tripping all over my feet looking up — they’re so tall.”

Mohamed added that she had not expected to visit the iconic trees during her trip. “I’m really grateful. My mom went on a tour earlier this week, but they weren’t able to come in because it was closed. I fully expected we weren’t going, but then they said Muir Woods is open. I was so happy!”

The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy revealed that a group of park concessionaires and vendors raised enough funds to keep Muir Woods open with free admission through October 31.

Jerry Evola of *A Taste of San Francisco* tours noted, “This is the largest tour that we do as far as the numbers,” as he shuttled visitors into the redwood grove once again. He emphasized the importance of keeping parks open:
“If you have the opportunity to give people pleasure, education is always better than shutting something down.”

It’s not just Muir Woods that’s operating. Alcatraz tours continue to run during the shutdown thanks to a donation from the ferry operator, Hornblower Cruises. Leah Chopan from Dallas recounted her visit: “I went yesterday to Alcatraz, I even met a former inmate, Baker.”

Although about 80% of America’s 430 National Park sites remain open in some capacity, most are operating with minimal staff. Concerns about activities such as BASE jumping and illegal camping have led former park officials to call for full closures until the shutdown ends.

In a statement, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks said:
“Keeping parks open without adequate staff is in violation of the National Park Service’s founding mission and inconsistent with the laws passed by Congress. We recognize that closing parks is not an easy decision but it’s the responsible one.”

For now, at Muir Woods and Alcatraz, most rangers and volunteers remain on duty and are glad to be there. As Maclennan put it, “It’s all about the trees in here, not the birds, not animals — it’s about the trees.”
https://abc7news.com/post/muir-woods-marin-county-reopens-1-week-thanks-private-donations-during-government-shutdown/18068124/