Muir Trail

TRAIL MAP: Muir Trail

The Muir Trail is named for John Muir (1838–1914). John Muir, also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks," was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States. Muir exalted wild nature over human culture and civilization, believing that all life was sacred. He described the natural world as "a conductor of divinity," and his writings often made nature synonymous with God and spoke about walking in "nature's cathedrals" and seeing holiness in the created world.

Muir preferred the word "saunter" instead of "hike." One version of the etymology of the word saunter goes back to when French pilgrims in the middle ages were going to the Holy Land. Some of these travelers were considered idle people who roved about the countryside and asking for charity, under the pretense of going "à la Sainte Terre" or to the Holy Land. Children who saw them would exclaim, "There goes a Sainte-Terrer," or a Saunterer—a Holy-Lander. Thoreau, in Walking, said "They who never go to the Holy Land in their walks, as they pretend, are indeed mere idlers and vagabonds; but they who do go there are saunterers in the good sense…" Others say the word derived from "sans terre," or without land or a home. This can be interpreted as having no particular home or as being at home everywhere. 

The Muir Trail runs through the woodland hills on the western side of the campus between the Bethabara Welcome Center gate and the Indiana Welcome Center gate. It is the longest single trail (one mile) in the system. It crosses other trails occasionally and it sometimes uses small sections of other trails. It has been rerouted several times because of tree falls. An old section of the trail can still be accessed using the Muir to Muir Connector.

EXIT POINTS. The Muir Trail has six exit points, each with an opportunity to exit the trail and make your walk shorter. The following exit points are described starting the trail at the northern entrance at the Moravian Way Access Point:

• Walk the trail until it intersects the Muir to Salem Village Connector. Walk the connector and exit at the Salem Village Access Point.

• Walk the trail until it crosses the Hillside Pond Loop. Turn right/south on the Hillside Pond Loop and exit at the Community Gardens Access Point.

• Walk the trail until it crosses the Buckalew Trail. Turn right/west on the Buckalew Trail and exiting at the Wachovia Village Access Point.

• Walk the trail until it intersects the Meadow Loop. Turn left/northwest on the Meadow Loop and then turn left on the Buckalew Trail service road, and exit at the Wachovia Village Access Point.

• Walk the trail until you reach the Babcock Bridge. Just after crossing the bridge, turn right/west onto the Woodlands Trail, which exits at The Woodlands Access Point.

• Walk the trail until it ends at the Babcock Healthcare Center Access Point.

Blazes. The Muir Trail is marked by white square blazes on trees along the path of the trail.

The Muir Trail is described more fully on the Inner Perimeter walk of Salemtowne page.

Note: The Muir Trail has been rerouted many times over the last few years due to massive tree falls.

The  130' tall tree that caused a reroute of the Muir Trail in the Summer of 2022