John Muir: A Glorious Journey
A 20-minute introductory film shown on demand throughout the day at John Muir National Historic Site, Martinez, California. Covers the story of Muir's life, with special emphasis on his life in Martinez, and his efforts for Yosemite National Park and Hetch Hetchy. Unavailable for purchase, this film is highly recommended for viewing on site at the John Muir National Historic Site and on You Tube:
- John Muir: A Glorious Journey: Official NPS website (22 min)
- John Muir: A Glorious Journey: Complete film on YouTube
Life and Letters of John Muir: Video interview introductions of 2023 centennial edition
Videos discussing the 100th anniversary edition of The Life and Letters of John Muir published in 2022 and 2023 in print, ebook, and audiobook format by Crazy Wisdom Publishing. Volume 1 Introduction and Preface by Michael Conti and Stephen Hatch. Volume 2 Introduction by Mike Wurtz and Epilogue by Harold W. Wood, Jr.
The Great Peacemakers: John Muir
Art and Verse by Steve Simon. Music by Kevin MacLeod.
A video of the creation of a painting of John Muir painted by Steve Simon. Narrated by Simon and featuring a biographical poem the artist wrote of Muir. Available on YouTube or directly from Steve Simon's website containing additional artwork and full written text of the poem.
A Portrait of John Muir as a Young Man
by the Sierra Club's 2010 Outdoors Youth Ambassador, Evan Geary
As part of the Sierra Club's Best Internship on Earth program, Evan created this entertaining video featuring John Muir historian Bonnie Gisel. Dr. Gisel gives a straightforward narration, while Evan and his animations "ham it up."
Bill Oliver: Songs of our Conservation Heritage
Meet eco-musician Bill Oliver and hear a set of his original songs of our Conservation Heritage - featuring John Muir, William O. Douglas, Dave Brower, with songs about Muir's Hetch Hetchy, and ending with his biggest hit, "Have to Have a Habitat." Recorded live on Zoom, as a virtual substitute for an in-person presentation at the Sierra Club's Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center in Yosemite National Park, September 3, 2020.
The Boyhood of John Muir
A Hott Production of Florentine Films. DVD. Produced by Diane Garey; Directed by Lawrence R. Holt; Screenplay by Ken Chowder. Starring Gerda Stevenson, Ken Drury, Joanne Bett, Colin Bruce, and introducing Gary Hollywood as the young John Muir. 78 min.., 1/2 in., Originally on VHS Videocassette, now available on DVD for purchase or classroom rental, 1997). Distributed by: Bullfrog Films, P.O. Box 19547, Oley, PA 19547.
"The Boyhood of John Muir" is a dramatic and compelling look at the early life of America's first great spokesman for wilderness. The film is divided into three parts. In the first part, the dramatic battle lines are drawn: the free-spirited boy John Muir is pitted against his well-intentioned but unforgiving father, and the joy of nature is John's escape from the pious solemnity of their rugged life on a Wisconsin farm in the 1850s. In the second part, John gets help in his struggle from both his mother and from an older neighbor called the Yankee -- help that helps him live with his father and learn the beautiful and just laws of the natural world. In the third part, John begins to make inventions, a skill that carries him away from the backbreaking labor of the farm; but a trick of fate shows him what he really cares about. At last he abandons mechanical science to pursue his overwhelming love of nature and God's creatures.
California's Gold: John Muir (#5005)
Streaming Video. Huell Howser Productions, 2003. Free streaming video available from Huell Howser California's Gold Archive from Chapman University.
Part of Huell Howser's "California's Gold" television series, this episode involves views and two interviews conducted outside on location in Yosemite National Park. The first brief interview is of Scott Gediman, National Park Service spokesman, who gives a concise summary of who John Muir was and his importance. The rest of the video is an interview of John Muir himself (embodied by actor Lee Stetson). Part of the interview is conducted in the middle of a meadow in Yosemite Valley, with views of the spectacular granite cliffs in all directions; the final portion is conducted at Glacier Point, as Muir explains the geological history of these glaciated mountains.
California's Golden Parks: Hetch Hetchy (#138)
Streaming Video. Huell Howser Productions, 2005. Free streaming video available from Huell Howser California's Gold Archive from Chapman University.
Part of Huell Howser's "California's Golden Parks" television series. Before it was dammed in the early 1900s, John Muir called it more beautiful than Yosemite Valley itself. And now, in a one-hour special, Huell travels to this historic and spectacular place to document its past and talk about its future.
California's Golden Parks: John Muir Home (#129)
Streaming Video. Free streaming video available from Huell Howser California's Gold Archive from Chapman University. Huell Howser Productions, 2004.
Part of Huell Howser's "California's Golden Parks" television series, this episode involves views and interviews conducted on location at John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, the Victorian residence in Martinez where the naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914. After a brief introductory interview of National Park Service spokesman Tad Shay and a visit to Muir's "scribble den," Huell interviews the woman, Faire Sax, who, with her husband Henry, was responsible for restoring and preserving this important site, and then placing it under the protection of the National Park Service. An inspiring example of the difference one or a few people can make!
Conservationist John Muir
Presented by Harold Wood. Introduced by Doug McConnell.
C-Span aired this presentation by Harold Wood on the legacy of John Muir made for the California Historical Society on November 13, 2014. A brief excerpt is included on a Facebook video of John Muir as the Father of Modern Ecology published by "Brut Nature."
The American Adventure: Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir
YouTube video by Mark Brieve from Epcot showing an excerpt from the show as presented on April 5, 2016.
This is a brief excerpt of the Audio-Animatronics stage show of American history, portraying the famous meeting of John Muir with President Theodore Roosevelt in Yosemite.
John Muir: An Animated Life
by pupils at Law, Messelburgh burgh, and Dunbar Primary Schools in East Lothian, Scotland.
A short animated film exploring the life of John Muir.
John Muir: Coming Home
Short film directed by Michael Coleman, 2016, Streaming video on Vimeo.com. 4:30 minutes. Director: Michael Coleman. Music by Dylan Roop and Steven de la Roche. Narrated by Nolan Mecham.
A brief series of John Muir quotes, set against a visual background of several places authentic to Muir's life including his home in Martinez, California, northeast of Oakland and Muir Woods National Monument just north of San Francisco, California. Muir's original writings and books shown in the film were shot at his home including the windmill that accompanies the 2,600-acre fruit orchard that surrounded his families property and John Muir's desk in the "Scribble Den".
John Muir: The Last Oasis
Michael Coleman's second film features more of John Muir's inspirational quotes. 2017, Streaming Video on Vimeo.com. 5:14 minutes.
Coleman's discovery - after he released his first film on John Muir - of the treasure trove of John Muir writings at the University of the Pacific - inspired the Bay Area filmmaker to make a sequel to his earlier film on Muir, "Coming Home." Many of the locations featured in the film are authentic to Muir's life including his home in Martinez, California, northeast of Oakland and Muir Woods National Monument just north of San Francisco, California. Muir's original writings and books were captured from the archives at University of Pacific Library in Stockton, CA which features the world's largest collection of Muir documents.
John Muir as the Father of Modern Ecology
Published by "Brut Nature" as of 21 May 2019, had over 430,000 views on Facebook. The clip of Harold Wood speaking about Muir at the beginning is taken from a full presentation on the C-SPAN website, which was a recording of a live presentation made in San Frnacisco at the California Historical Society honring the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.
John Muir Goes Camping with Theodore Roosevelt
Comedy Central's "Drunk History", Season 6, Episode 2
Actor Steve Berg narrates, while inebriated (or pretending to be), a very silly version of John Muir's camping trip with Theodore Roosevelt, Actor and comedian Thomas Middleditch played the role of John Muir. Host Derek Waters. Originally aired January 23, 2019. Warning: Explicit Language.
John Muir in the New World
A 90 minute Film Documentary - premieried on PBS television April 2011.
Preservationist, naturalist, author, explorer, activist, scientist, farmer, John Muir (4/21/1838 - 12/24/1914) was all these things and more. Nearly a century after his death, this Scottish American is remembered and revered as the father of the environmental movement and the founder of the Sierra Club, the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the United States. The PBS series American Masters premiered John Muir in the New World, on air nationally Monday, April 18, 2011. Explaining his impact then and now, this 90-minute documentary delves into Muir's life and influences with reenactments filmed in high definition throughout the majestic landscapes he visited: Wisconsin, Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada, the Alhambra Valley of California, and the glaciers of Alaska. Placing our nation's most important natural assets in a cultural and social context, John Muir in the New World is a timely reminder of America's unique and, ultimately, threatened ecosystems.
- DVD of "John Muir in the New World" now available on amazon.com.(off-site link)
- Producer's press release (July 18, 2007).
- Film Release Announcement and Preview (February 23, 2011)
- John Muir in the New World on Facebook
BBC One: The Last Explorers, John Muir
Episode 3 of 4. One Hour. First Broadcast: 08 Dec. 2011.
In this series, Neil Oliver follows in the footsteps of four Scottish explorers who planted ideas rather than flags - ideas that shaped the modern world we know today. This episode, set in the spectacular Yosemite Valley in California, is the story of the father of the modern conservation movement and one of the founders of America's National Park movement. John Muir was a 19th-century adventurer who explored the natural world and devoted his life and work to persuade others to see the sacred beauty of his discoveries.
John Muir at Trout Hollow
A docu-drama short film by about Muir's two years working at a sawmill at Trout Hollow, near Meaford, Ontario, Canada, on the Bighead River from 1864-66. While there have been many biographical films about Muir, this film is different in that it focuses on his time in Canada, before his fame as a writer, explorer and preservationist. Later, John Muir wrote a series of letters to his friends in the Meaford community in the years after his time there. Those letters, along with the memoirs of William Trout, one of Muir's closest friends during his time in the area, have formed the basis to her film. The writer, director, and producer is Amy Phelan. Among the cast is Brian Fray, who portrays a prominent role in the film, as the elder William Trout, reading from the Trout family history.
World Premiere: November 13, 2019 at 7pm at the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library, in Owen Sound, Canada, presented in partnership with the Scenic City Film Festival. Motion Picture Soundtrack by Daniela Pinto preview available on YouTube, SoundCloud, and available on Apple Music, Spotify, and other streaming services.
John Muir Was Not a Hiker
Video Interview of Harold Wood by the Irish Hiiker Podcast. November 30, 2023.
Lee Stetson: The Voice of John Muir
DVD or Blu-Ray. 90 minutes. Produced by Lee Terkelsen, Earth Images Video Productions, Visalia, California, 2010
The spirit and voice of John Muir is alive due to the artistry of actor Lee Stetson who has been portraying the famous naturalist in Yosemite and throughout the U.S. since 1983. This documentary not only covers Stetson's remarkable career, but shows how Muir's eloquent words, written a century ago, continue to inspire and influence our attitudes to nature today. In this film, you will be inspired by excerpts from Stetson's five stage plays, journey with Stetson as he traces Muir's roots in Scotland and Wisconsin farm fields, and be captivated by the majesty of Yosemite, seen through the spirit of John Muir. Join Stetson as he performs stage plays based on Muir each spring and summer season in the Yosemite Theater and frequently guides visitors on saunters throughout the Yosemite Valley. Stetson has also performed as Muir in countless other venues around the world.
A noted actor and historian, Stetson was the voice of John Muir in The National Parks: America's Best Idea,the acclaimed PBS documentary series by Ken Burns. Says Ken Burns about Lee Stetson, "Our good fortune in this project was meeting Lee Stetson, who knows more about John Muir than anyone else on earth. Hal Holbrook has been able to bring Mark Twain alive for us and does so magnificently. Lee Stetson does the same thing for John Muir. "As we got to know him... he [John Muir] ascended to the pantheon of the highest individuals in our country; I'm talking about the level of Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, and Thomas Jefferson, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Jackie Robinson -- people who have had a transformational effect on who we are." " The video includes a half-hour bonus feature of Stetson performing Muir's most famous story: Stickeen. Join Stetson portraying John Muir in the Yosemite Theater as he recounts the famous adventure Muir had with a tiny toy dog in a fierce storm on an Alaskan glacier.
The Most Important Camping Trip in U.S. History
Watch how MacGillivray Freeman Films will take moviegoers back in time to watch the camping trip that led to the creation of the U.S. National Parks.
MacGillivray Freeman IMAX Film National Parks Adventure takes moviegoers back in time to watch the camping trip that led to the rapid development of the National Parks. To bring this history to life, MacGillivray Freeman Films turned to actors Joe Wiegand and Lee Stetson. Wiegand is well known for his work as President Theodore Roosevelt, while Stetson has portrayed the character of John Muir in Yosemite National Park for more than 30 years, and was featured in the acclaimed Ken Burns series, The National Parks: America's Best Idea.
Narrated by Academy Award winner Robert Redford, "National Parks Adventure" takes audiences on the ultimate off-trail adventure into the nation's awe-inspiring great outdoors and untamed wilderness. Immersive IMAX 3D cinematography takes viewers soaring over red rock canyons, up craggy mountain peaks and into other-worldly realms found within America's most legendary outdoor playgrounds. Join world-class mountaineer Conrad Anker, adventure photographer Max Lowe and artist Rachel Pohl as they hike, climb and explore their way across America's majestic parks including Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Yosemite, and Arches in an action-packed celebration that will inspire the adventurer in us all, and highlight how important it is that we protect these treasured landscapes. Released in theaters around the world, on February 12, 2016 in select IMAX, IMAX 3D, and other giant-screen theaters.
Muir
A 4-minute film directed and produced by Chandler Ellison, Voice Actor: Kelly Lancaster, Effects Animator: Hallie Jenkins; Character animation: Emily Searman & Nicole La Croix, Animation Cleanup and Color: Sylvia Chambers, Halllie Jenkins Nicole LaCroix, Emily Spearman; Layout Artist: Chandler Ellison; 3D Camera: Hanna Rember; 3D Modeler Caitlin Byham, 3D Lighting: Amanda Dqueo, Motion Designers: Becka Riccio & Yukari Schrickel, Compositing: Chandler Ellison, Sound Design: Carson Rennekamp, Music Composed and Performed by Paul Hanrahan. 4 min. Produced at Savannah College of Art and Design - The University for Creative Careers. Copyright 2015 by Chandler Ellision.
This beautiful animated short film begins with Muir writing in his "scribble den" about the wilderness and our national parks; soon the view bores into his words, then burns through the parchment, to brighten into a variety of natural landscapes from various wilderness areas and many recognizable scenes in national parks, as the narrator reads excerpts from Muir's book "Our National Parks." This project was Ellison's senior graduating film project for her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design. Ellison not only directed and produced but was also responsible for all the design work, layout painting and compositing.
Muir
by Ian Timothy, 2014.
Timothy's first year film at Cal Arts School of Film /Video in the Experimental Animation program (BFA) - A short stop motion film exploring the writings and adventures of naturalist, author, and father of the National Parks, John Muir.
An excellent selection of Muir quotations, voiced with an expressive Scottish accent, in less than three minutes sums up Muir's life.
Film by Ian Timothy, Voice of John Muir: Brad Will, Music: Marianna Filipp, Puppet Costume: Lucia Tello.
The film "Muir" by Ian Timothy is available on Vimeo.com. Note that Ian Timothy appears to have changed his name to "Ian Boone."
See also: Claymation Sensation: Artist Animates John Muir by Maren Hunsberger (Sierra, Green Life, May-June 2014) Interview of film-maker Ian Timothy.
National Park Expansion and Almond Ranch Dedication
by John Muir Land Trust (YouTube) (1 hr. & 7 min.) (October 27, 2020)
Join Master of Ceremonies Doug McConnell and Executive Director Linus Eukel at the John Muir National Historic Site as the John Muir Land Trust (JMLT) donates West Hills Farm to the National Park Service and opens Almond Ranch for public use. By an act of Congress, John Muir Land Trust donated he 44-acre West Hills Farm property to the John Muir National Historic Site to help preserve trails and lands surrounding the longtime home of the man known as the Father of Our National Park Service. In 2019 JMLT purchased Almond Ranch, a 281-acre property that connects the John Muir National Historic Site to an expansive trail system and 18,000 acres of permanently protected open space. Learn about John Muir's legacy. Take a virtual tour of Almond Ranch & West Hills Farm. Hear testimonials and interviews with key partners and elected officials. Find out more about JMLT's 30-year history of saving land.
The National Parks: America's Best Idea
A film by Ken Burns. DVD, Blu-Ray, or iTunes. Directed by Ken Burns and written and co-produced by Dayton Duncan. Narrated by Peter Coyote. Muir quotes (and interviews) performed by Lee Stetson. Produced by Florentine Films and WETA Washington, DC. Released by PBS television in September, 2009.
Filmed over a six-year period, emphasizing the history of the national parks, the first two episodes of this superb six-part series feature John Muir, as follows:
Episode 1: Muir's Arrival in Yosemite
Episode 1: Muir's Return to Yosemite
Episode 2: Preservation vs. Conservation
Episode 2 Sidebar: Roosevelt and Muir
Episode 2 Sidebar: The Petrified Forest
Episode 2: Hetch Hetchy Dam
This film emphasizes how all our national parks were protected by people like John Muir who cared and made a difference. The film shows how the national parks are essentially democratic, preserving glorious landscapes for all citizens, rich or poor. Extensive texts, photos, video clips, and interactive features are available on the PBS National Parks: America's Best Idea website. Full episodes available with a PBS Passport. The PBS website also includes an extensive text, video, and photo biography of John Muir. Do not miss the 404-page companion book (also available as an audio book on CD or from iTunes).
Ode to Muir
by Teton Gravity. August 22, 2018.
Tells about a 40-mile foot-powered winter expedition deep into California's John Muir Wildernes by professional snowboarder, adventurer and founder of Protect Our Winters Jeremy Jones and two-time Olympian Elena Hight.
Spirit of Yosemite
The Spectacular Visitor Orientation Film at Yosemite National Park. Produced by Greystone Communications/The Yosemite Fund; Directed by David Vassar. John Muir is played by Ben Goger. Available in VHS or DVD from Yosemite Conservancy, 23 minutes, 2001.
This state of the art orientation film for Yosemite interweaves the beauty of Yosemite with the historical influences that helped to create it. The film includes stunning vistas of Yosemite Valley, the giant sequoias, Tuolumne Meadows, and the High Sierra, often notable for amazing time-lapse photography. Historical vignettes include depictions of Galen Clark's discovery of the Mariposa Grove, and John Muir exploring Yosemite and drawing a map to show the boundaries of his proposed Yosemite National Park.
The Special Edition DVD version includes over 30 minutes of additional material in the form of 3 new short films highlighting the beauty of Yosemite Valley, the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, and Tuolumne Meadows and the High Sierra. The DVD also provides 8 audio options and 5 different languages: English, Spanish, French, German, and Japanese. Options for stereo surround without narration and a director and producer commentary track also are included.
Sweet and Easy
by Kathy Muir
A music video of a song is on YouTube which includes images of John Muir in Yosemite, along with scenes of the Pacific Northwest depicted by Elizabeth Colborne's 1920's color woodcuts, and photographs (1924-1929) from the Seattle Camera Club, all "artists from a bygone era whose work continues to inspire and is included for the first time ever in a music video."
The Unruly Mystic: John Muir
2018 original; updated in 2021. Documentary. 1 hour 10 minutes.
This film focuses on the uniquely spiritual or mystical insights to be gained from of the remarkable life and writings of John Muir. John Muir was among the first to teach us that the gift of wild nature has unparalleled value for its spiritual nourishment, yet his message continues to be a primary inspiration today. Outstanding video photography of "nature's temples" are intertwined with perceptive interviews from people who are inspired by nature's beauty, and who were often inspired to encounter that beauty by John Muir. The filmmaker combines his own special sense of connectedness with nature - - something that goes beyond mere "outdoor recreation" -- with insights about Muir and the sacredness of nature from psychologists, authors, park rangers, and practitioners from varied spiritual traditions, as well as from everyday people. The film engagingly goes beyond just quoting Muir in the soundtrack (by a narrator with a Scottish accent), but provides the written words on screen to help the reader fully engage with Muir's message. As followers of Muir attest, today we recognize the necessity of not just passively enjoying nature, but for actively working to protect nature's treasures in order for everyone to experience them.
This movie was created by filmmaker Michael M. Conti, Crazy Wisdom Films. The Asheville, North Carolina Premiere as held April 29, 2018 & May 24, 2018. The Colorado Premiere was held; 7 p.m. May 24, 2018, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, Colorado. In 2021, additional footage was added to the film, including an interview Duncan Smeed, Chair of John Muir's Birthplace Charitable Trust in Dunbar, Scotland including a walk-through of the John Muir's Birthplace Museum in Dunbar. An extended interview of National Park Service Ranger Shelton Johnson in Yosemite was also added. .For more information: johnmuirmovie.com.
The Wilderness Mysticism of John Muir with Author and Educator Stephen Hatch
July 10, 2021
This presentation was broadcast live on Zoom and recorded on May 20, 2021. Not everyone realizes that John Muir was a great mystic who experienced union with the Divine through contact with the great wild areas of the West. In fact, his preservation efforts were motivated by a realization that -- because all creatures are rooted in a personal Divine Presence whose love permeates all things equally -- they too are sentient. For Muir, this sentience imbued even mountains, rocks, glaciers, rivers and 'spirit skies.' In this Powerpoint presentation, Stephen Hatch examines the various elements of Muir's spirituality of Nature and of the people who influenced him, including Emerson and Thoreau. Hatch's own stunning landscape photographs illustrate many of the major points.
Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner
2025
3 part limited series focuses on the story of John Muir and his epic 1903 camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt. The series travels from Glacier Point to El Capitan to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias to Yosemite Falls, with spectacular visuals of the iconic geology, flora, and fauna of present-day Yosemite. Interspersed with this, in the first part, is how Theodore Roosevelt grew up to love the wild, and aksed John Muir to lead him on a camping trip in Yosemite. Part two focuses on the life of John Muir, and how Muir showed the President the marvels of Yosemite and stimulated him to protect the wild places of Yosemite and the rest of America. The third part tells the sad story of the Native Americans in Yosemite, but ends with the good story of how Muir's journey with Roosevelt led to the president signing legislation that added Yosemite Valley to the National Park System, and using the Antiquities Act to create many national monuments from Devils Tower to Petrified Forest to the Grand Canyon. After the camping trip with John Muir, Roosevelt ultimately created 150 national forests, five national parks, and preserved 230 million acres of land. Premiered on Fox Nation streaming service.
Yosemite Through John Muir's Drawings by Mike Wurtz
August 6, 2020
Watch the recorded video of this LIVE Zoom presentation on August 6, 2020. Meet Mike Wurtz from the University of the Pacific and his new book John Muir's Grand Yosemite: Musings and Sketches which features locations where Muir made his drawings, pairing them with quotes and information. University of the Pacific is the Home of the John Muir Papers. This program was a"virtual presentation" from one of our regular summer presenters at the Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center.
Yosemite: The Storm of Beauty
DVD,1999) Produced, directed, and photographed by Jeffrey David Nicholas. Narrated, researched, and written by Lee Stetson based on the writings of John Muir. DVD, 1999.
This is a peaceful, relaxing, deliberately slow-moving video journey through Yosemite, including Tuolumne Meadows, the Giant Sequoias of the Mariposa Grove, and Yosemite Valley itself. It is an evocative film of Yosemite through the changing seasons. The sound track features Nature's sounds and New Age type music, with narration in John Muir's words by Lee Stetson. Many of Muir's best meditations on the beauties of nature are presented. The photography and Muir's words flow smoothly throughout this beautiful film.