Druid Heights

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of delving into the philosophical teachings of the celebrated writer and speaker, Alan Watts. You’ve probably encountered his inspiring talks online, as they’re widely available in the motivational speaker corner of YouTube. The specific channel I was engrossed in at the time was TrueMeaning, which is devoted entirely to sharing Alan Watts’ insightful messages.

Intrigued by the man, I promptly navigated to Wikipedia to learn more about him. To my surprise, I found that Alan Watts had passed away on Mount Tamalpais, the tallest peak in Marin County, right here in the vicinity of where I live. The specific location was a place known as Druid Heights. It soon became apparent that this was no ordinary town. According to Wikipedia, Druid Heights emerged as a bohemian community with its roots in the creative spirit of the renowned poet Elsa Gidlow. It served as a gathering place for numerous influential artists and visionaries during the San Francisco counterculture era. During the 1970s, the Federal government acquired the land, either through purchase or eminent domain, and integrated it into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This move resulted in the abandonment and subsequent deterioration of nearly all of the buildings, with only two structures remaining.

With a newfound sense of curiosity, I decided to embark on an adventure to explore this intriguing location. After a quick call to a friend, we set off. The specific address, 732 Camino del Canyon, is somewhat secluded, and you can’t drive directly to it. Instead, you need to park in a small lot situated on Muir Woods Rd, right by the entrance to Camino Del Canyon. From there, it’s roughly a 20-minute walk along the road to reach the destination. The thick tree cover in the area made it challenging to identify individual houses, so I had to rely on a map to navigate through the region.

it’s essential to note that there are a few privately owned sections within the vicinity, which are not part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. So, if you plan to visit, exercise caution to avoid trespassing on private property.

As we ventured closer to the area, our attention was drawn to a collapsed building perched atop a hill. It was concealed behind thick and overgrown vegetation, making it inaccessible from our current vantage point. Undeterred, we pressed on along the path until we stumbled upon an entrance leading up the hill.

Here are the photos we captured during our exploration of the area.