Which are the Best Redwoods and Hot Springs Near San Francisco?
We will be traveling between San Francisco and LA in February. We’d like to see the redwoods and have heard good things about both Muir Woods and Henry Cowell State Park. Does anyone have an opinion on which is better. Also we’d like to go to some hot springs – as natural as possible (not just a pool in a spa) but since we are a family with one son, one daughter and one mom they need to be coed so that we can bathe together. Any ideas for this? Thanks.
5 Responses
william m
29 Jan 2010
You asked soR
29 Jan 2010
Muir Woods is small. I was surprised at how small it is. I haven’t gone to Henry Crowell State Park but if you are in Northern CA, why not go to Redwood National Park or Redwood State Park (State Park is in Humboldt and National Park is in Eureka)? I went to Redwood State Park and it was beautiful, small but Redwood National Park may be much better. I love the smell of Redwoods. Avenue of the Giants is also in Humboldt.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=425
http://www.nps.gov/redw/
http://www.totalescape.com/active/leisure/hotspr/prim.html
laura seeks the
29 Jan 2010
There are no hot springs here unless you include Serratoga pool spa. Muir wood is beautiful and ok, but the drive on Hwy 1after you leave Muir Woods is more beautiful. The hot springs are many hours away from San Francisco.
The MIghty Sparr
01 Feb 2010
The best redwood parks in California (and, therefore, the US) are Redwood National Park, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Big Basin Redwoods State Park and Humboldt Redwood State Park. Redwood National and Prairie Creek are about a 5 hour drive from San Francisco, so I think your best bet, in terms of convenience and quality of the trees (read: height) would be to go to Big Basin, which is only an hour+ from San Francisco. The park is gorgeous year round, with hikes ranging from half an hour to 6 hoursl
The MIghty Sparr
01 Feb 2010
…Also, the closest hot springs are probably in Lassen Volcanic National Park, which is 5 hours northeast from San Francisco. Most of the thermal pools are way too hot to swim in, but Drakesbad Guest Ranch has a pool heated naturally by the hot springs so you’re always assured that it is safe.
Learn more at http://www.themightysparrow.com.
Big Basin has lots of Redwoods and is in the hills just north of Santa Cruz. It is a bigger park than Henry Cowell and is likely to be less crowded.
http://www.bigbasin.org/
I don’t know of any "natural" hot springs unless you go way out of your way….sorry….