Expert: Ernest Tufft - 12/16/2007

Question
QUESTION: One more thing- are the redwoods north of SF (Muir Woods) comparable to the ones south of SF (Big Sur)?

ANSWER: Hi Danielle,
The answer to that question is both yes and no.  Muir Woods is a tiny preserve of old growth redwoods in Marin County, where most redwoods were cut down to make way for pastureland.  Their are also small groves of old growth trees in Big Basin, in the Santa Cruz mountains south of San Francisco, but most of the Santa Cruz mountain range south of San Francisco is not first growth.  Big Sur also has virgin forests, but that's not the only type of tree seen there either.  The  variety of redwood found a Muir Woods could be different than in the Santa Cruz mountain area as well.  A popular variety for planting as an ornamental is the Soquel redwood, which is found native just south of San Cruz.  Hope this helps.

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QUESTION: You are a wealth of knowledge!  I should have been more clear in my question- We are trying to decide whether to spend a day north in Marin County or drive two and a half hours south to Big Sur.  What do you recommend for the best experience as well as seeing the redwoods?

Answer
Muir Woods is certainly very popular with tourists visiting San Francisco, and for good reason.  The stand of old growth redwoods has a number of important features with tourist friendly access.  For this reason, locals complain that Muir Woods is too touristy, as tour buses do come and go from the parking lot there.  Big Sur could be a good stop along the coastal highway coming north, but driving south from the Bay Area might be more tiresome than pleasant, particularly in winter, for a day trip.  Actually, the largest contiguous stand of redwood south of San Franciso is in the less visited Big Basin State Park, within the Santa Cruz mountains.  A little further away than Muir Woods, Big Basin is still an easy day trip relative to Big Sur and unlike Muir Woods the visitor will experience meditative hiking trails and serence cathedral solitude, a quality for which the Redwood forests are perhaps most striking.  The secret here to not only dodge the tour buses, but also find the opportunity to visit the quaint hamlets along Hwy 9 in the Santa Cruz mountains.  Saratoga, which is on the way between freeway and Hwy 9, is the home of Stanford Univ. and has plenty of upscale restaurants in a small town atmosphere to rival what Marin County has to offer.  Santa Cruz, at the other end of hwy 9, is a beach city with year round arcade and boardwalk.  It's important to note also that the coastal redwoods and the sequoias found in groves within the Sierra mountains are quite different trees.  If it were not winter, I might recommend driving up highway 4 to Calaveras Big Trees State Park (see website).  This is one of several remaining groves of the world's biggest trees in terms of girth, and this particular grove is less touristy, than for example, the Maripose Grove in Yosemite.   Check the California State Park website for Big Basin and Calaveras Big Trees for more information.  Hope this helps.