To see or not to see?
 

Two couples visiting San Francisco, Tahoe, Yosemite, Kings Caynon/Sequoia, Monterey, Santa Cruz in June. Is it worth the time and money to visit the following: Muir Woods, Ponderosa Ranch, Truckee, A paddlewheel boat cruise on Lake Tahoe, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Hearst Castle, The Mystery Spot, 17 Mile drive. Has anyone eaten at the Shadowbrook in Capitola. Thank you for your help.

I can speak about two of your destinations: Muir Woods and the Hearst Castle should definitely be on your A list!

IMO <BR>San Francisco, yes! <BR>Lake Tahoe, Yes, <BR>Yosemite, Yes, <BR>Monterey, Yes <BR>Hearst Castle, yes <BR>Montery bay aquarium, yes... <BR>Now Ponderosa Ranch is just kind of a tourist trap unless you are really REALLY into the old Bonanza TV show and kitchy things. <BR>Muir Woods is nice but with imited time I would pick EITHER Yosemite or Sequoia over that. I have been to the Mystery Spot, but I think I recall hearing that it's kind of a tourist trap as well.

All my life I wanted to go to Sequoia. When I finally took the trip I accidentally added some time in Yosemite. Having experienced both, were I to do it again, I would skip Seqouia. Mariposa Grove in Yosemite is equally spectacular and in my humble opinion, the trip to Sequoia takes too much time and adds very little to the quality of the trip. On the other hand, Muir Woods is not far at all from San Francisco and is worth the short trip there.

If you go to Muir Woods, consider traveling a bit farther to visit Point Reyes. The beaches and the lighthouse are spectacular. The park also has the Earthquake Trail, where you can walk along the rupture caused by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Top 3 for me: Yosemite, Monterey Bay Acquarium, & Hearst Castle. Muir Woods would be very secondary to Yosemite.

I would rate Yosemite highest, despite the mobs of people there at most times, and I too was rather disappointed in King's Canyon/Sequoia by comparison. 17 Mile Drive didn't do a lot for me either -- driving Big Sur was far more spectacular. The Monteray aquarium is pretty good if you haven't seen a lot of others similar. I think Tahoe is beautiful, but not sure that I'd bother with the paddleboat tour, just go to Garwoods, sit outside and have a "wet woody" and enjoy the spectacular scenery. Truckee is a quaint, but now very busy little village filled with shops and some pretty good restaurants. Hearst castle is pretty interesting. And yes,I've eaten at Shadowbrook. It's fun because you take the funicular up to it, but we thought the food was only so-so and the service was really pretty poor. In all honesty, however, it was a big prom night, so not sure we experienced the restaurant the way we would normally. No one was in a very good mood with all those high school kids there, not drinking, ordering cheap, and being generally loud and obnoxious.