Muir-Strentzel-Hanna Cemetery

I'll start out my blog with an entry about the final resting place of John Muir, the father of environmentalism, the man responsible for the existence of America's national parks and the founder of the Sierra Club.

The Muir-Strentzel-Hanna Cemetery is kept under something of a shroud of secrecy. It's a tiny family cemetery in a wooded grove in an open field. The field is tucked within a residential neighborhood in the outskirts of Martinez, California. The cemetery lies on what is now property of the US National Park Service, and though it's perfectly legal to visit it, the Park Service remains secretive about its location, not wishing busloads of tourists to disturb the quiet neighborhood.

Last year, after gathering spotty clues about its whereabouts on the Web, I decided to go find it for myself. Despite poor directions, with the advice of a kindly neighbor and a little trial and error, I managed to find it. At first I was wandering around the wrong end of the field, because one of the websites said I go to a large white eucalyptus tree (supposedly planted by Muir himself). It's an impressive tree, but it led me away from the cemetery and almost into someone else's back yard!

The cemetery


Here are the graves of the man himself and his wife Louie.


There are just over a dozen burials here, mostly his wife's family.

Getting There

The cemetery is approximately one mile south of the visitor center for the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez.

Drive along Alhambra Valley Road until you reach Sheridan Lane. (This is a residential area with little appreciable parking, so you may want to park in the parking lot of the school at Gilbert Lane, and walk from there.)

From Alhambra Valley Road, walk along Sheridan Lane. At the end of the block, you'll see a gravel drive to your right. (See it on Google Street View.)

Proceed along this gravel drive, and soon to the left you'll see the following scene:



Cross the chain with the "no parking" sign on it, and keep walking forward. Keep looking ahead and to the right, until you see the cemetery in the grove of trees:



Smack dab in the center of the photo above, you can see the prominent stone memorial in the cemetery. Cut across the field and you're there.

NOTE: Given that you have to pass through a residential neighborhood to get here, please be quiet, respectful and discreet when visiting. Do not trespass on private property. Stick to the public streets and accesses.

On Find A Grave

Muir-Strentzel-Hanna Cemetery