Muir Woods vs. Big Basin Redwoods State Park
 

For viewing redwoods -- is Muir Woods, or Big Basin Redwoods State Park the better choice? Regarding accessibility, viewing, etc.

On a day during our trip -- I have us going to Alcatrez, then driving out of SF through San Jose to visit San Juan Bautista Mission, then over to Point Lobos, before staying the night at Carmel.

But if I move Alcatrez back into our SF stay; I could then drive down to Big Basin (via Calif. 1), then over to San Juan Bautista Mission, and so on.

This means I would then cut out Muir Woods on the way into SF.

I think you need a sesion with your map. You can do Big Basin on the way back from San Juan Bautista, very easily.

If you prefer Muir Woods, given your itinerary you will have to drive north...and it doesn't seem to fit your itinerary.....maps are needed.

Either way you are looking at a packed itinerary. Each of these places needs a couple hours to visit. It would be a shame to rush through.

I think you are including too much. I love San Juan Bautista, but I'd probably cut out that stop.

You write as if Alcatraz is a driving location. It is an island, so it would be better to place it in your SF stay.

The question is: why do you want to go to San Juan Bautista? Is it the mission?

If so, there are plenty of missions other than San Juan Bautista Mission. You could go to Carmel Mission if you are staying in Carmel. In San Francisco there is Mission Delores

For a better introduction to redwoods, there's nothing to beat the wheelchair friendly circuit route at Muir Woods. If you want to go for a more extensive hike, there are some pretty strenuous hikes in Muir Woods too. One leads all the way to the ocean, but I wouldn't suggest doing this unless you are willing to dedicate an entire day to hiking.

I'm with J_Correa on this one: skip San Juan Bautista since you have such limited time.

Have fun and welcome to California! :)

It does kind of matter why she is going to San Juan Bautista. If she has kids, that mission is probably the best around because of the supporting buildings open around it that give a sense of what life was like back then. Also, you can really see the San Andreas fault from there, it's quite dramatic, so if she is interested in earthquakes it is worth it. Personally, I think it's worth a stop given that she will be driving practically right by it anyway.

I think SJB is great too - for all the reasons Monica mentioned. Sometimes though, our plans can be a little too ambitious. Also, depending on her route, the OP may or may not go down Hwy 101. If she goes to Big Basin, then it wouldn't make sense to go back over the hill on the way to Carmel.

I think it really comes down to prioritizing precious vacation time and deciding how much is too much.