John Muir National Historic Site

John Muir National Historic Site: Where Nature’s Poet Worked and Wrote

John Muir was the poet of the High Sierra, a beloved environmentalist, adventurer, author, and philosopher whose work helped to create Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. He was Mother Nature’s biggest advocate and was devoted to the preservation of the wilderness, particularly in California. Muir’s true home was in nature, in the mountains and in the forests that he fought to protect. But you can visit the house where this influential Scottish-American worked, wrote, and raised a family in Martinez at John Muir National Historic Site.

Built in 1883, Muir’s 14-room Italianate Victorian mansion is an impressive piece of architecture. Watch a short orientation film at the visitor center, and then explore the house on your own or with a docent-led tour. The site also includes Mount Wanda, a nearby preserve of oak forests, orchards, and grasslands that were once owned by the Muir family. Go for a nature walk or bring a picnic and relax. Contemplate the works and the words John Muir. "Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world."