Muir woods or Yosemite?
 

If I have to decide between Yosemite and Muir woods. Which one should I pick? I will stay in SF for just three days and I'm forced to choose just one. Help please.

There is no comparison. Total apples and oranges. Muir Woods is small, often very crowded park that will give you a glimpse of what the Redwood Forests farther north are like.

Yosemeite National Park is a unique/awe inspiring destination.

But --if you are that rushed, would you even have time to visit YNP? It really isn't a day trip sort of place.

What time of year? Are you driving? Weather can make a difference getting to YNP.

Yosemite!

However, if the trip to Muir Woods or Yosemite is included within the three days you are in San Francisco, go to Muir Woods rather than try to see Yosemite in too little time.

Good day trips from San Francisco include Muir Wood, Napa and Sonoma Valley, and Point Reyes National Seashore.

Also, consider the loop that goes on Highway 1 through Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz returning to San Francisco via Big Basis Redwood State Park--or vise versa.

HTTY

Yosemite. Yosemite. Yosemite.

The only exception would be if you either didn't have enough time to go to Yosemite or it's during the winter and there's a huge storm.

They are incomparable. Yosemite is a high-priority destination, but you really don't have time to go there. It's about 4 - 5 hrs from SF and deserves 2 nights spent there. If you are in SF for only 3 days, it would be fairly easy to to get to Muir Woods. If you've been to SF before and don't want to spend any time there, then you could head for Yosemite instead.

If you end up going to muir woods, be careful if using gps. Our gps took us to the visitor center which was also called Muir Woods, we ended up losing time.

We liked Muir Woods, and all four of us thought Yosemite was nice but very overrated (in comparison to other parks and scenic places). So if you can't make it, no worries :D

Yosemite is absolutely one of my very favorite places. If you have 2-4 days then Yosemite for sure. If you have half a day then Muir Woods. Muir Woods has decent trees and rainforest feel to it, but it doesn't begin to compare with Yosemite or even the Redwoods further north.

I vote the same as the others. Yosemite! But if not time to really enjoy then Muir Woods.

"<i>Yosemite was nice but very overrated . . . </i>"

OMG!!!

No comparison is possible. As has been said apples and roast beef. IF you have time other than your 3 days, go to Yosemite. If you only have 3 days for the entire SF area, go to Muir Woods.

I'm a native Californian, live in Northern California and have been to Yosemite many times. But, I'm with Elyse_Dorm. I think Yosemite is overrated. My hubby thinks I'm crazy. But, each to his own.

Lots of places outside of San Francisco that do not take as much time to visit. I love Muir Woods and Point Reyes. Have fun and don't stress if you do not have the time to visit Yosemite.

I'm with the large majority who prefer Yosemite, but I'm having trouble getting my head around any itinerary that makes Yosemite and Muir Woods and either/or. Yosemite is a pretty long drive from San Francisco (at least 4 hours). It's not a day-trip by my definition, and I'm not sure it can even be done in a day round-trip. And if the OP is going in November or December, I'm not sure it should even be attempted by an inexperienced driver.

For those reasons (not because I don't think Yosemite is heads and tails above Muir Woods in almost every way), I'd say the OP should go to Muir Woods.

If Yosemite is attempted, then the OP needs to be on the road no later than 6am to allow for at least the majority of a day in the park. You can't really see or do much of anything in that amount of time, but the truth is that most people spend only 4 or 5 hours in any national park before moving on. So while I'm not particularly happy about my recommendation, it's the one I'm making, and I'll stick to it.

Everyone thinks of Muir Woods as "small". It really isn't. There are all-day hikes like the one that will take one to the ocean, to Muir Beach. It's also possible to hike to Mt Tam or down to the GGNRA.

When driving, put in "Muir Woods National Monument" in your gps.

Muir Woods has plenty to offer. You will not be disappointed. If you like hiking or not, there are easy trails and difficult trails.

Muir Woods is coastal woods.

Yosemite is high mountain - totally different environment. You will need more days than you have to truly enjoy Yosemite, as the others have pointed out. Furthermore, the drive to/from the Bay Area to Yosemite can be a nightmare.

Well if one of the tallest waterfalls on the planet, some of the biggest trees on the planet, half a dome stuck in the sky, a view from glacier point, a tunnel view of the valley, Bridal Veil Falls, El Capitan, the hiking, the wildlife.

Well if none of that gets ya and you think its overrated- I just don't know what to say to that.

I would choose Muir Woods (or another redwood park in the area - there are several). It doesn't seem like you have enough time for Yosemite. Come back another time and go to Yosemite then :)

I like Yosemite, but I do understand what people are saying about it being overrated. As a native Californian who can take a weekend and go to any number of wonderful places pretty much any time I want, I find myself thinking Yosemite is overrated at times. Mostly because it is pretty crowded and I like fewer people around me when I am in the woods. Plus it seems that everybody is always going on and on about Yosemite and sometimes I think "Enough already." BUT, if I were from someplace that didn't have an excess of natural beauty, then I am sure I would feel entirely different about Yosemite.

<<<half a dome stuck in the sky>>>

speaking of which, did anyone see the 60 Minutes piece last night on the guy who climbs Half Dome (and many other places) without safety equipment?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/...20114487.shtml

Yosemite - if you have at least one full day.

If pressed for time, John Muir - and please come back to enjoy Yosemite.

Go ahead and consider it overrated. Familiarity breeds contempt. It is one of the treasures of our country. Hard to believe. Of course, the falls are only a trickle by now, but it is just an incredible place.

Yosemite is fantastic – most people find it awe-inspiring. But you need to give it the time it needs and the drive there and back will eat up at least 8 hours. So if your whole 3 days is Muir Woods or Yosemite go for it, if not Muir Woods is a wonderful place of its own. I take visiting friends there all the time. Throw in a bit of Highway One up the coast from Stinson Beach. It is a whole different world from San Francisco and you can still get home for dinner (or stop at the Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley like I do for a lodge type setting and old style dining.)

Gretchen: Perhaps you are correct. As a child we would visit Yosemite and stay in Camp Curry. I loved those visits. I can still hear "Hello Camp Curry! Let the fire fall begin." Now it is so crowded. While beautiful, hiking up to Vernal Falls with a "conga" line of hikers is not my idea for an awe- inspiring adventure.