Every Trail Tells a Story
Phleger Estate
A redwood-and-creek retreat in the heart of upscale Woodside
Walk a section of the San Andreas Fault under cathedral trees
Thanks to the Phleger family, preserved forest now open to all
Woodsy Woodside, one of the Bay Area’s priciest and most rustic residential areas, has a park that seems very much in keeping with its neighborhood. You half expect a gated entry or valet parking for the Phleger Estate.
Prominent San Francisco attorney Herman Phleger, who helped shape the postwar United Nations and served as counsel at Nuremberg, owned this land of steep canyons and redwoods back when it was considered remote. In the 1930s, Phleger commuted into San Francisco over winding country roads, proving that even high-powered lawyers would endure long drives for a personal slice of forest.
Today, Interstate 280 makes Woodside accessible to commuters in Teslas and Porsches, yet the Phleger Estate itself feels timeless, a preserved island of quiet. Thanks to the Phleger heirs, who sold the 1,227-acre property for far less than market value, this corner of the Santa Cruz Mountains became the southernmost unit of Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1995.
The vibe is different here than in other parts of the GGNRA. There’s no grand ocean overlook or crashing surf-just the hushed beauty of redwoods, the gurgle of West Union Creek, and the surprise of banana slugs inching across the path. The estate’s lower trails are family-friendly, but Lonely Trail (aptly named) rockets uphill nearly 1,000 feet to Skyline Boulevard, a reminder that these ridges were carved more for horses than for hikers.
Fog nurtures dense redwood groves in the ravines while the drier ridges host oak and madrone. Union Creek, traced by the Miramonte Trail, runs right along the San Andreas Fault. In fact, hikers literally walk on the line where the Pacific and North American plates grind past each other. It’s a walk on the wild side of Woodside-geologically and socially.
The hike into Phleger Estate begins from Huddart County Park. From Highway 280 in Woodside, take the Highway 84 (Woodside Road) exit and head west through Woodside for 1.7 miles to Kings Mountain Road. Turn right and travel 1.5 miles to Huddart County Park (entry fee). Park in the first lot, just past the entrance station.
The wide path lined by a split-rail fence winds through redwood and madrone as it skirts the Zwierlein Picnic Area. In 0.2 mile, join Crystal Spring Trail, sticking with this well-signed path as it passes several junctions before meeting Richards Road. Bear left and ascend briefly to Miramonte Trail, the entry to Phleger Estate.
Follow fern lined Miramonte Trail as it parallels Union Creek, watching for deer and the inevitable banana slug. At the dedication site, a tall sign topped with an iron horse-and-rider recalls the 1995 transfer of the estate into public hands. The trail continues beside the bubbling creek before climbing briefly above it, then heads west to a T-junction with Mt. Redondo and Raymundo Trails.
Turn right on Raymundo Trail, then loop onto Mt. Redondo Trail. Skip the calf-burning Lonely Trail, which charges 1,000 feet uphill, and instead enjoy the gentler circuit through shaded woodland before rejoining Miramonte Trail. Retrace your steps back to the trailhead.