After being initially closed for several weeks as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown, Muir Woods National Monument will remain temporarily open through Nov. 12.
The park was reopened on Oct. 23 after several companies associated with the park made donations to the National Park Service, and has seen its temporary reopening extended.
Due to anticipated rain and winds, Muir Woods will close for one day on Wednesday, Nov. 5, according to Faycal Bouaddallah, owner of tour company Must See Tours — one of the groups continuing to fund the park’s reopened operations during the shutdown.
“Since it’s financed with private money, [NPS is] thinking that it’s better to keep it closed that day — because if they bring staff that day and we cannot open the park, people won’t be able to come.” Bouaddallah said, noting that Muir Woods’ temporary reopening will be extended through Nov. 12 to account for this week’s one-day closure.
The NPS confirmed in an email to KQED last week that short-term donations like this one have been keeping some parks open during the shutdown “in several states.”
The park’s reopening through private funds is permitted by the NPS’s shutdown plan, and is the same funding model being used to keep Alcatraz Island open.
According to Bouaddallah, company ExplorUS — which operates the Muir Woods Trading Company and park cafe — teamed up with Must See Tours to offer the first round of funding which enabled the park to reopen on Oct. 23.
Bouaddallah said he reached out to other tour operators in the park, as well as other major Bay Area-based companies, to ask for help funding the costs of keeping Muir Woods open and staffed: now around $3,800 per day.
Ultimately, he said, his company and ExplorUS were the only ones willing to fund an extension of the reopening.
He also just published a GoFundMe page, which as of Tuesday has raised nearly $3,500: almost enough to fund one day of operations, “which is amazing,” he said.
During the shutdown, Bouddallah said he plans to redirect as many of the proceeds from his company’s tours as possible into donations to keep Muir Woods open — as well as money from special T-shirt and audio tour sales.
Bouddallah said he doesn’t expect to make up the money in the short-term, but after seven years operating in Muir Woods, and with federal workers needing the park to be open to get paid, he felt the need to step up and help out.
“For the books, it’s a total disaster,” he said. “We don’t make that money back at all. It was a way to give back.”
When Muir Woods was first reopened on Oct, 23, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy told KQED that in addition to the Muir Woods Trading Company and Must See Tours, “operational support” during the park would also be provided by ACE Parking.
When contacted for confirmation if the company was associated with the extension of Muir Woods’ reopening as well, a spokesperson for ACE told KQED they were “not at liberty to discuss the details,” and referred all comment to NPS, who did not reply.
The initial reopening was confirmed in a memo that Sally Golub, acting chief of business management at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, sent to companies operating in the park.
“We’re grateful to see Muir Woods remain open a little longer,” Christine Lehnertz, Conservancy president & CEO, told KQED by email on Oct. 31. “This moment speaks to the dedication of our partners and the deep care our community has for these places.”
“But it also reminds us that these are temporary solutions. Parks need lasting support to stay open and resilient for generations to come,” she said.
During this temporary reopening, the usual $15 entrance fee remains waived. Parking and shuttle reservations are once again required.
The visitor center will remain open during this extended period, along with the Muir Woods Trading Company, which manages the park’s gift shop and cafe. Rangers are on-site and providing programs, the memo said.
Lehnertz told KQED that the park is currently being staffed by interpretive rangers, reflecting a focus on the “visitor experience.”
Meanwhile, other NPS staff like park biologists and natural resource experts remain furloughed, so it’s still not possible to know the extent of any damage to the park during the shutdown, she said.
“It’s a little bit like having a monster under the bed,” said Lehnertz. “The monster’s not there until you look.”
Brian Huber, owner of San Francisco Jeep Tours, which operates trips to the park, said the park’s reopening had been in the works for the last several weeks.
While his company isn’t currently donating money to the Muir Woods reopening, Huber says he was part of a group of business owners that volunteered to provide funds toward the estimated $4,700 per day required to initially keep Muir Woods open.
During Muir Woods’ closure, Huber said his company redirected their Jeeps to Mill Valley and Mt. Tamalpais, while other companies with buses went to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve in Sonoma County, but “that’s a two-and-a-half-hour addition.”
“People come from all over the world to go to it, so we’re excited they can go again,” he said.
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