Overview
My daughter (14) and I flew in for a special daddy-daughter trip to see a play in SFO and experience the city. We had a great time, and Thomas was a superb tour guide. Overall the tour was an excellent choice because we didn't have to deal with traffic, maps, parking, tolls or other nuisances that come with day trips. The tour made the experience very relaxing and enjoyable. We were able to focus on enjoying our time in the woods and around town instead of planning. Would 100% do this again!
The Details
The tour began with our pickup near Union Square. The bus was clean and updated. The people on board were polite and respectful (no weird bachelor parties or scout troops for example). The bus drove from Union Square to the second pickup spot at Fisherman's Wharf. After some instructions from the tour company we were underway. The bus driver, a very nice Irish gentleman, gave callouts along the drive that made the passage more interesting. We had short unplanned (but much appreciated) stops at the Palace of Fine Arts and the Golden Gate Bridge lookout. Each stop was about 10-15 minutes and just right to experience the sights.
From Golden Gate Bridge it was another 20-30 minute drive to Muir Woods. The bus ride, though going through very winding roads, was relaxing and enjoyable to take in the sights. Thomas' narrations were witty and fun.
On arrival at the Woods, we presented the admission tickets we received at the stop at the Wharf and entered. We were limited to 90 minutes, which was the saddest part of the tour- we could have used an extra hour to take in the serenity and beauty of the place. The grove is of course perfectly maintained (with the exception of government-issued restrooms). My daughter was hungry, so we visited the cafe. This was our biggest mistake as rookies- we got a sandwich and hot dog, but the process cost us about 30 minutes. In hindsight we should have packed granola bars or snacks to that we could enjoy every minute in the woods.
We left the cafe and walked the boardwalk. The boardwalk is completely flat, so if you have people in your party who can't (or don't enjoy) hikes, the walk is very easy and goes about a mile deep. We decided to go up the Canopy Trail, which is much more of a hike with steeper routes and narrower trails through the redwood canopies. Absolutely gorgeous hike with many peaceful moments to take in the experience.
We had to turn back on the Canopy Trail as it went too far for us to complete on our hike, so we descended to the boardwalk and got ourselves to Cathedral Grove. The sign instructs visitors to "enter quietly", and most guests obliged the guidance and showed proper reverence for the occasion. After photos and videos in the groves and a few minutes to listen to the babbling brook, we were out of time. We raced back to the bus and headed out.
The last leg of the visit included a ride back through the winding roads and a stop at the Sausalito marina. There are shops and restaurants there, my daughter and I got ice cream at a fun little place (the blue cookie monster ice cream was our favorite). At the marina guests had the option to ride the ferry back to SFO, or take the bus back. Sadly, though we paid for the ferry ride we didn't get to use it. The rides were at either 2:20pm, which we missed, or 4:45pm (times change based on time of year and weekday/ weekend, so check the schedule). Had we waited until 4:45 we would have missed our flight, so we took the bus back to town. Since we were the only passengers that didn't take the ferry, Thomas gave us a dropoff at our hotel.
In summary, this tour was worth every dollar. The whole experience was low stress, very enjoyable, informative, and fun. I would recommend it for visitors and locals to SFO as the Muir woods requires reservations and parking is extremely limited and roads are busy.