Half Moon Bay is a pleasant town if you happen to be in the area, but it's not a "destination" in and of itself.

The roads from 280 to Big Basin are twisty, but well-paved and easy to drive on.

The best route to BB is to start from Santa Cruz then take hwy 9 then hwy 236. It is about an 1hr 40 min round trip driving time. IMO, it's not worth the extra driving time if you have already seen Muir Woods.

Half Moon Bay is a pleasant town if you happen to be in the area, but it's not a "destination" in and of itself.

I agree somewhat, but I don't think Half Moon Bay does: http://www.half-moon-bay.ca.us/

In any event, the drive on Highway 1 through Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz is as beautiful as any stretch of Highway I and we always look forward to it (stopping at Starbucks in HMB).

HTTY

I'd personally go to Big Basin from inland and then continue over to the coast from there. Down the Peninsula from SF on 280 then through Saratoga to the park. It would take maybe 1hr 45 mins from downtown SF.

As I said in another thread, "If you just want to see large Coast Redwoods stop at Butano State Park just off US101"
http://www.everytrail.com/destination/butano-state-park
Another cheap place to stay south of SFO is at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse HI Hostel near Pescadero.

"that is only a 12 mile detour each way'

FYI --SF to Muir Woods is about a one hour drive each way.

Oh - I just took a look at your other thread. Muir Woods makes NO sense at all before turning around and heading south -- or if you are going to visit one of the other parks south of SF. That '12 miles' will add hours to your day.

Big Basin really is more impressive and is not that hard to reach down 280.

Just make sure you are following a Map. Fodors Book gives wrong directions and so does google maps and most GPS. They all direct you to the area right on the coast(which is a part of BB, just not the part where the trees are).

If you get to Muir Woods at 8 you say the tours go at 9. I personally would just take a hike/walk thru it "on my own" when I arrived. Yes, you get some additional info with the tours, but then it is at their pace and I like to be by myself when hiking rather than with a group of people. Take a picnic lunch and make a day of it at either place instead of 2 hours at both.

I would probably skip one of them and give the one that you do go to the additional time. I've been to both and liked them about equally the same. Big Basin is nice and has larger trees. Muir Woods is a bit more of a rain foresty feel to it. Each park has one main short trail(kinda the one that everyone does) and the days we were at the parks both were semi-crowded. The longer trails wouldn't be nearly as crowded. Big Basin has plenty of trails to choose from. Muir Woods has fewer.

Guess the OP is stuck on going to both Muir Woods and Big Basin. No other suggestions will do.

So, be prepared for long, winding roads to both parks. They're not easy to get to - unlike Pfeiffer Big Sur or even Butano. Be prepared to spend more time on the road getting to these parks than enjoying the parks themselves.

Is Point Lobos anywhere in your plans? I can't remember.

"Guess the OP is stuck on going to both Muir Woods and Big Basin. No other suggestions will do."

I sure hope that isn't the case. One or the other - (Big Basin is the bigger / better / less crowded option, but Muir Woods is good too) - trying to do both doesn't make sense in such a short/hectic visit.

Thanks guys bit NO NO NO I am not stuck on one plan or the other yet! I can only pick one place between those two!
We have a lot to see in 2 days (Sun, Mon) on the coast and I am just trying to ascertain the most time-efficient route. Some say save time and go to Big Basin but it seems Muir Woods would be a 2 hr detour at most and Big Basin would be a 4 hour detour off of our route SF to Monterey Bay area. I am just making sure which one would waste more driving time and if we went inland to Big Basin is it worth missing the first part of the coast. That's all. I am just getting as much driving time info as I can about veering off to BB. (I had originally thought Big Basin was closer to the coast highway.)
Spirobulldog: no we not walk Muir with a tour! I meant we would get there early enough to get a head start on the mass of people and be a mile ahead of them so we could enjoy it more.
Thanks for your help everyone. I really appreciate it.

sorry easytraveler... yes we are aiming to see Big Sur, Point Lobos, down to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park the next day, Monday. I have to just start figuring out time allotted at each. We want to hit as many natural areas as we can on this part of the coast. I don't have my map right this second but I hoped we could get that far before going to bed Monday night. I think I will have to cross off the aquarium in Monterey in favor of natural parks. We have been to 5 really good ones, my kids are 13-16, and something has to get squeezed out.

Anyone who wants to see large Coast Redwoods without detouring to Muir Woods or hours extra to Big Basin, check out Butano State Park which is accessable off Rt. 1.
How to get there: 23 miles south of Half Moon Bay turn left off Rt. 1 onto Gazagos Road. The end of the road (follow signs) is 3.4 miles. There is a new trail there which goes past a Candelabra tree.

I just realized that your other post is about Yosemite. Frankly, I would skip BB and Muir Woods and just spend more time in Yosemite. Then just concentrate on the coast going south. Kayaking in Elkhorn Slough would be good. Point Lobos is good option.

richmond: sorry if I sounded short. We're just trying to work with your wishes and ideas.

Given your time limitations and given that there are so many state/national parks with coastal redwoods, may I suggest once again that you don't drive for hours just to get to one of these parks? This means eliminating Big Basin and Muir Woods. Muir Woods makes sense if you plan to be north of San Francisco. Big Basin makes sense if you have a lot of time - plenty of people go camping in Big Basin because there is so much to explore.

Butano is beautiful and is off Highway 1, Pfeiffer Big Sur is right off of Highway 1 and has a terrific ranger station within about five minutes after you pull off the highway. You can get a trail map and see their displays. You can even opt to stay in one of their cabins and be among the redwood trees overnight.

My suggestion: either Butano or Pfeiffer Big Sur (hike to Feiffer Falls) for hiking, then definitely Point Lobos for more hiking and to view the "lobos" that you will hear barking in the distance. Lastly Julia Pfeiffer Burns for the waterfall. There are inland trails at JPB, but you're better off spending your time on the Pfeiffer Big Sur trails.

Probably the best "wilderness" park on your route is Limekiln. You have to, e.g., have on waterproof shoes/boots because there are no manmade bridges over the small creeks and you'll have to "walk across the waters".

A couple of notes of warning: we were up at Castle Rock last week and saw the poison oak starting to pop up in a number of places. Wear long sleeves and long pants, sturdy shoes. Learn to identify poison oak, which is usually shiny, three-leafed and can be very green. Carry hand sanitizer (or anything with alcohol) and wipe on skin area if you think you may have touched some. The point is to get the poisonous oil off you as soon as possible.

http://walking.about.com/od/medfirstaid/ss/poisonoakivy.htm

Wear a hat if you're afraid that one of those big fat banana slugs might want to land on your head!

http://tinyurl.com/6vowmh2

Tomfuller, I am checking out Butano and Henry Cowell as you and others suggested. It is always sad to cross a place off of our list. If we were there a whole week on the coast I wouldn't have to get so much detailed info on travel times because we would have time to spare.
We have reservations in Yosemite Tues, Wed, Thurs night so no changing those plans now of course
My boys would love to see banana slugs!

Henry Cowell would be my choice - I was reading through this thread, post after post wondering why no one was mentioning it, then it got brought up Henry Cowell is great and a lot closer to your route than Big Basin. It has the really large trees that you are looking for. Big Basin is wonderful, but for such a short visit, I don't think it would be worth it to you to take the time to drive to Big Basin. And I do love Butano - it is one of my favorite parks - but the forest is second growth, so no (or very few) really large trees.

I would drive down Hwy 1 to see the ocean views, then when you get to Santa Cruz, take Hwy 9 about 7 miles to Henry Cowell. After the visit, come back down to Santa Cruz and continue on with your plans. You mentioned your kids - next to Henry Cowell is Roaring Camp railroad, which runs excursion trains through the woods. It is a fun time and a great way to see the forest, esspecially if your kids are at that age where they are into trains.

Hit post too soon - wanted to comment on Limekiln. I think Limekiln is an excellent idea for hikes in Big Sur. There are a couple easy, relatively short hikes there that go back up in the canyon, through the forest, along the creeks - very pretty, and you get instant satisfaction - no long treks needed. And there is also a small beach at Limekiln.

You probably won't want to mention to your kids that the local lore is: if you pick up a banana slug and touch it to your tongue, you will get a mild electric shock. Also the school mascot of the university of california in Santa Cruz is the banana slug.

We all licked banana slugs in 6th grade science camp at Camp Hammer No shocks, but no one got sick either. Banana slugs are actually very clean creatures.

INTERESTING NOTE ABOUT BIG BASIN:
We love Jimmy Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock so I looked up locations where the movie Vertigo (1958) was filmed. (It also stars Kim Novak.)
Scenes were filmed in Big Basin and on highway 9 en route. They called it Muir Woods in the movie. It is a good way to get a peak at the park and the highway. This great website shows photos from the movie and current day look of those shots..
http://reelsf.com/vertigo-communing-with-the-redwoods