See the Redwoods: Big Basin vs. Muir Woods
If you visit the West Coast, I recommend planning a visit to a redwood forest. The trees out here definitely aren't the same as the leafy greens on the East Coast! But, before you follow everyone's suggestions and book a trip to Muir Woods, I'd like to pose an unpopular opinion that Muir Woods is overrated.
Muir Woods is close to San Francisco, about 30 minutes without traffic. It is a tourist hotspot with an organized visitor center, toilet facilities, and call-ahead reserved parking.
There are several gravel pathways and wooden boardwalks that guide you through the forest. If you're staying on the path without diverting to a hiking trail, it is difficult to avoid other visitors. The trees are tall and beautiful, but that's about it.
Muir Woods
Muir Woods
If you want a magical, immersive, and truly impressive experience- go to Big Basin Redwoods State Park- California's first state park (even in 1902, early conservationists recognized this area as an important natural resource to protect!).
Traveling to Big Basin is a larger commitment; it is about 2 hours by car from San Francisco through a winding forest road, arriving at a small visitor center with a parking lot. Here, you can choose a path to hike. I appreciated that the shorter, flatter trail still passed by all of the park's "best hits." And by "best hits" I mean the mind-blowing, neck-cramping, older-than-you-can-imagine trees that populate this rather dense part of the park.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Two notable trees are Father and Mother of the Forest. Each has a diameter over 16'. Father of the Forest soars 250' into the sky and Mother of the Forest, although a bit shorter now, once reached 329'. If the sheer size of these trees didn't impress you, there are other trees that have survived wildfires and are hollowed from ground to sky. You can stand inside and look up to the tree's canopy! Other trees have gaps large enough to fit a person, so you can get up close and person to some of these timeless beauties. When looking back at photos, only those with people in them give a true sense of the scale of their magnificence.
Even to this day, after visiting both sites, I felt so much more exuberant when thinking of my visit to Big Basin. So, if you can get there: go!
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park