6 John Muir Tributes and Landmarks

Legendary John Muir was a pioneer and advocate for wilderness preservation. Due to his prolific contributions to earth and society, various landmarks have been named after Muir. Born April 21, 1838, modern day citizens remember this founding-father through the annual Earth Day celebration. In case you did not catch any correlation, here are some famous sites or landmarks named in his honor.

Mount Muir 
Mount Muir is a peak located in the Sierra Nevada’s, California. The magnificent peak is elevated at 14,018 feet. It also has a climb prominence of 298 feet. The east side of the peak is located in the John Muir Wilderness region and is viewable from the Mount Whitney Trail. The John Muir Trail meanders amongst the western peak near the summit and ends on the summit of Mount Whitney.

Muir Woods National Monument
Located north of San Francisco, this monument is part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area. This monument is a park that protects 554 acres of land, of which near half are old-growth Coast Redwood forests. Muir Woods is adjacent to the Pacific ocean and sometimes experiences a thick, marine layer that covers the tops of the giant sequoias. Easy to difficult hiking trails are available throughout the park.

Muir Beach
Muir beach is located 16.5 miles northwest of San Francisco, and approximately two miles away from the entrance of Muir Woods National  Monument. The one thousand foot beach consists of thick, course sand and boulders near the perimeter of the shoreline. This quiet, serene beach creates perfect opportunities for solitude or person-less photographs.

Camp Muir
This is no normal, family-fun camp. This is a camp for serious climbers and mountaineers, since it’s located 10,800 feet in elevation on the slope of Mount Rainier between Muir snowfield and Cowlitz glacier. This single-story shelter houses climbers for a brief night before the full summit. From Camp Muir there are seven approaches, graded between II-III, to summit the peak.

John Muir National Historic Site
The magnificent house of naturalist and writer, John Muir, and surrounding 325 acres of grassland and oak woodlands is a national site located in Martinez, California. The 14-room Victorian mansion was built in 1883 and Muir accomplished some of the most significant achievements in writing in his “scribble den.”

Muir Glacier
The valley glacier is located in Glacier Bay National Park and covers 11 miles of ground. This glacier has significantly retreated since 1780. Between 1941 to 2004 the glacier retreated more than 7 miles and thinned over 2,625 feet. Ocean water “took its place” in the valley.