Project Description

Redwood Creek flows from its headwaters on Mount Tamalpais, through the old-growth redwood forest of Muir Woods National Monument, and ends at the mouth of the Pacific Ocean at Muir Beach in southern Marin County, California—just 25 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The current restoration project is located at the mouth of the Redwood Creek Watershed at Muir Beach, which is recognized for its local and regional importance.

The 46-acre project site is the most disturbed area of the Redwood Creek Watershed, due to more than a century of landscape modifications for agriculture, recreation, and construction. Previous land use has affected the project site-once an expansive network of wetlands, lagoon, and dunes-by reducing the capacity of the creek, filling the creek bed with sediment, and altering fish habitat in the tidal lagoon. This restoration project—a partnership between the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy—will restore the natural function of the creek, wetlands, and intermittent tidal lagoon, and allow water to flow to the ocean.

2010 Actions

Construction of 650 linear feet of the new creek alignment and three side channels that will be completely connected to the main channel in a couple of years, once native plants are established and the area has stabilized.
Installation of a new 4-feet-wide culvert under the levee road to connect the new side channels, allowing water to drain and fish to move back and forth.
Removal of gravel, which will be used to create coho spawning habitat in the new channel, from about 1,200 linear feet of existing creek.
Removal of non-native Monterey cypress and Monterey pine trees at the lower end of the Green Gulch pasture to make room for a California red-legged frog pond and to create large woody debris for the new channel. All large trees that are removed will be used to create log structures in the new creek channel for salmon habitat.
Realignment of a portion of the Coastal Trail, removing and restoring the trail's steep leg, and re-contouring the natural hill slope.

Future Actions

Additional wetland and creek restoration.
Creation of additional ponds for California red-legged frogs.
Permanent parking lot reconfiguration.
Construction of a new Pacific Way Bridge and adjacent, multi-use, and accessible trail.
Installation of new bathroom and other visitor amenities near the existing parking lot.
Control of two acres of noxious, non-native Harding grass, uphill of the Middle Green Gulch Trail.

Closures/Detours

Closures are necessary to complete improvements to the emergency access road and for the Redwood Creek and wetland restoration activities at Muir Beach. Temporary closures will occur between July 15-October 31. Click here to view the closure and project schedule map.