(1) Go first thing when it opens.
(2) Take 280N to 1 to avoid downtown - you'll go through Golden Gate Park and then over the GG Bridge. Yes, the GG Bridge is worth it. If it is clear (or even clear-ish, with gaps through fog) going up into the Marin Headlands for the views is worth the price of admission. Muir Woods isn't very far north of there.