Just 15 miles north of Walnut Creek, the John Muir residence sits in a pastoral patch of farmland in bustling, modern Martinez. Though Muir wrote of sauntering the High Sierra with a sack of tea and bread, it may be a shock for those familiar with the iconic Sierra Club founder’s ascetic weather-beaten appearance that the house (built by his father-in-law) is a model of Victorian Italianate refinement, with a tower cupola, a daintily upholstered parlor and splashes of white lace.
Muir's ‘scribble den’ has been left as it was during his life, with crumbled papers overflowing from wire wastebaskets and dried bread balls – his preferred snack – resting on the mantelpiece.
Acres of his fruit orchard still stand, and visitors can enjoy seasonal samples. The grounds include the 1849 Martinez Adobe , part of the rancho on which the house was built, and the oak-speckled hiking trails on nearby Mt Wanda .
