Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve

Bful trails that present amazing views of the bay. Hiked here today combining the Edgewood trail, the serpentine trail, the franciscan and the baywood glen trail. Due to the rains our afternoon hike was a bit challenged by a few slippery parts. However, the fresh green and the smell of the soil alongwith the sounds of a gurgling stream made up for those few hiccups. We spotted deer grazing and watched the sun set. Nothing complex about the trails if you pick up a map –you can figure out your own path and mix up the loops (both shaded and unshaded trails are available). No dogs allowed though.
We also took note of how clean the restrooms were and there are a few picnic tables just perfect for a family outing.

Great place for a walk in nature. It close enough to go there often and big enough to get in a good hike. The wildflowers are awesome in the spring.

Really beautiful hiking spot off of 280 and in Redwood City!
I come here almost every weekend and I love the many trails you can choose to explore as well as the best wildlife that can sometimes be spotted-​deer, snakes, wild turkeys.
It’s very serene and I like how safe it feels. Lots of people come here and parking can be rough after 9:30am so plan accordingly.

Great park with trail marks and directional help often.
It’s pretty small but does the trick for a nature walk or light hike.
A lot of it is shaded which is pretty awesome.

This is now one of my new-​found-​favorite local park to hike!!! IT’s easy to get to (park entrance is close to 280) and the trails are mostly shaded with lots of flowers!!! Most importantly it’s FREE to park and there are two very clean and modern restrooms by the nature center (main entry/​parking lot). The nature center itself is GREAT!!! Only wish I had more time to explore this little educational center!
The only downside is that the (main) parking lots are not that big… We arrived around 9:30 on a cloudy saturday morning and we almost couldn’t find a spot!
LOTS of poison oaks on the trees along the trails… so watch out!
Most of the trails are fairly easy… there were some climbing but not steep. The parking lot was at around 250 ft elevation and the highest spot is around 850 ft. Trails are mostly narros, so most of the time you have to hike/​walk in single file.
The views are nice… and yes, in some parts of the trails, you would hear and see traffic of highway 280. but parts of the trails are pretty secluded. Will certainly come back here again… BTW the park has lots of picnic areas too. and it looks like they aren’t very popular (most people come here to hike, not picnic).

I love that the trails are clearly marked at each fork in the path! From the parking lot, I took edgewood trail which connects quickly to sylvan, then right onto serpentine, right onto old stage, right onto edgewood trail and that brings you back to the parking lot. A nice 3 mile loop.

This is a great place for hiking, There’s a lot of great trails and its very scenic.
If you make your way all the way at the top you can pretty much see the whole bay.
I like the variety and the amount of trails.
The parking is great too and so far the weather has been great every time I’ve been here.
This is a great place for groups.
Its also a great place for making out too.
I saw zero mountain lions here.
I heard they’re around somewhere tho.
This place is very well kept up.
I love how clean this place is.
I’ve seen people running so I guess the trails aren’t just good for hiking but for running also.
Its right by the freeway too which is kinda convenient.

This place is stunning. I walked to the park, which is 3.5 miles from my home.
The walk was an adventure itself, as Edgewood park is located in the hills of Redwood City’s established homes. I bumped into a beautiful home for sale for 2,000,000, if anyone is in the market to buy, lol.
The park itself has several trails, sprinkled with local flowers, plants, lizards, and you guessed it– rattle snakes!
There are so many lizards you literally have to hop around them on the trail!
I opted for the Edgewood trail, a 1.9 mile trek uphill with plenty of shade and scenery. Clean bathrooms, a discovery exhibit, and a picnic area are also on site. On a Monday afternoon, there was plenty of parking available and no cost to enter the park.
All in all a great find in Emerald City.
Meow

SPOILER
If you’ve seen my previous hike reviews as much as I am for adventures and the art of getting lost, sometimes I am on a time constraint. As much as I enjoyed the experienced and time wandering in the wild, I REALLY needed to get where I needed to be. So these are the details for the main parking.
Directions:
It is a one way street so be sharp and look for a sign. Though the hours are limited, the front entrance with a gate that would only block the parking. The resident gate can be found on Live Oak and Edgewood.
Hiking Difficulty:
Easy
–The hike is not bad at all. It really is what you make of it. The trails can vary from open flat, forrest, hill, and a little mix of everything. There are places where you can take breaks and enjoy the beautiful scenery of wild animals, see the Bay’s ocean and SJ Skyline. If you’re really lucky you may see 49er legends Roger Craig or Jerry Rice!
Advice:
* Beware of wild animals. Fortunate not to run into snakes but did see some deer
* Bring some water
* Search for poles just in case you get lost
* Great place for everyone: athletes, oldies and baby mommas
* The famous park where 49er greats worked out!

Great little park — visited it last weekend for an impromptu long walk/​short hike. The docent at the nature center was very helpful in choosing a trail — since it was a very warm day, we wanted to be somewhat under the trees, but still enjoy the great views and wildflowers for which the park is known. Anyway, she helped us choose a nice 2.5 hour loop that was just perfect in terms of terrain, temperature and flora/​fauna. We saw deer, lizards, hawks and many other birds. Lots of very pretty wildflowers and the trails are well maintained. For a Saturday afternoon it wasn’t too crowded — we easily found street parking and trails were nice and quiet. Highly recommended!

Beautiful park and great views. It is good for all ages. I even saw a man pushing a stroller on one of the paths.

I love hiking here! It’s so beautiful. I love how you sometimes see deer as you hike. It’s overall a great workout with many trails so I can switch it up. They have done so many great upgrades that just make it great to hike there.

The is probably the closest place from my sister’s place which has decent trails to explore. Parking situation is really nice so no worries about beating people to get a spot. There is a visitor center but rarely is it open when we visited. I think maybe to cut cost which makes sense. It is already a well-​maintained park with nice trails. There is a map near the gate where you can pick up your own paper copy. We spent easily 1 – 2 hours here so expect the same. I came here 2x with family and no complaints:)

I’ve been to Edgewood Park many times, for hiking, trail running, and occasionally a haul-​in horseback ride. The park is bigger than I would have thought, trails are well-​maintained and mostly wide enough for two people to walk side by side. There are several different loops to choose from, so there are lots of choices of distance. The park is great for equestrians because there are no dogs or bikes allowed, but make sure to park your rig on the Cañada Road side and head in the back side — not a lot of room for a trailer in the main parking lot on Edgewood Road. Very pretty park!

Went with a friend and though it was a windy sunny day, it gets warm due to protected areas. Bring a light jacket if you get cold quickly. Rough trails, many that are lined with poison oak so beware! Signs near the center DO warn of poison oak, so be sure everyone knows of its appearance and location. This is the only trail I’ve been on to offer a boot scraper (clean your boots/​shoes of seeds etc). They advise this is more for those to clean their boots before they enter the trails, to prevent spread of invasive foreign plants. Not a bad idea to use after finishing your hike, and getting into your vehicle especially since the trails have so many poison oak and so close to the trail. Very informative visitor center and parking lots, plus bathrooms make it very nice. I think there should be more warning signs posted near the areas where poison oak is located, as it’s easy to forget if you spend some time hiking. Many runners coming up fast behind you so very very careful to stay on trail and avoiding the poison oak!
I saw while on the trails (aside from the colorful bright red poison oak): Western Fence Lizard, various unknown birds, Clay Mariposa Lily, Farewell-​To-​Spring, and June Centaury, along with a family of deer upon finishing the trails.
Only three stars due to the HUGE amount of trails within arm’s length of so much Poison Oak. Be very careful on the trails — I saw many runners and hikers with short sleeves and shorts on; I wonder if they would still wear that knowing they were inches away from poison oak?

There aren’t paved paths once you get onto the trails, but the paths present are well worn from runners, walkers, and pets alike. But keep in mind, it does get pretty dusty when dry and slippery (from mud) when wet. There is a fair amount of trees and foliage along the way which provides for nice shade, but at midday, it still can get pretty hot. At its highest point, you can make out the areas ranging from the San Mateo bridge and Dumbarton — its not the best vista point, but its not bad.
There is a tiny museum at the front, its pretty neat. They point out native plants and animals versus «aliens». They also have complete sets of restroom facilities… what does this mean? Flushing toilets and running sinks complete with soap. A real luxury for most hiking places, lol.

This place is easily my favorite hiking spot on the Peninsula.
Edgewood offers beautiful views of the bay and the ability to super-​customize your hike such that you can always 1) see something new and 2) easily adjust the length of your hike.
The trail offers a mix of shade and sun. I like to come here with friends to catch up: because the inclines aren’t dramatic, you’re never really out of breath and can gab away all hike long! Also, there are always lots of cute deer and bunny rabbits around (great instagram fodder).
In short, I think Edgewood is a great option if you’re either a beginner hiker or if you’re in the mood for a relatively easy hike with great views. I consider Edgewood comparable to the Stanford Dish in difficulty, but much shadier and more nature-​y. It’s also right off 280, so super easy to get to!
TIP: During berry season, you can pick blackberries and raspberries from the bushes along the trail :)

I cam here specifically to run/​walk hills. Reading the article about Jerry rice hill training here aroused my curisity. What a beautful park with no shortage of hills.
Beautiful views and great weather make this a great spot to train.
conveniently located off 280 so makes this an ideal location.
Pack a lunch.

3.5 Stars
The first few times, I hiked/​ran the trails of this park, I was cursing myself for not coming here often enough. Now, after many more hikes and numerous visits, I don’t find it as interesting. Call it short attention span, lackluster for the familiar or what, I just don’t get as excited as I used to, yet still have an appreciation for the value of this little escape from the hustle and bustle around.
It’s a fairly good sized park, but the trails for a long run, are somewhat limited and even if you run in between and cover all the trails, it’s the same thing over and over. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful park and I am grateful to have it nearby as an option, but, why go here… when there is something bigger and better right up the road…(Huddart!)
One of the longest routes is Edgewood trail to Serpentine Loop to Sylvan Loop which looped around twice, comes to close to 6.8 miles. Some parts of the trail are steep, heavily wooded, small and very rocky; while other parts through the Serpentine Loop are wide, spacious open fields, even– leveled and some reclining slopes. With steep inclines comes a transition from tons of work to little or none, with lots of pressure on the knees and joints, this causing me to not specifically favor this park.
On the other hand, the views are heart-​stirring, and mesmerizing with vantage points overlooking the peninsula and bay in one direction and all the way over to Crystal Springs reservoir, Highway 280, and beyond in the other; making it somewhat more appealing to return.
I still go here, as it’s convenient and close, but definitely have a couple new favorite hiking trails nearby as well!
Tips /​Notes:
~Don’t go when it’s rained recently, the trails get slippery with mud fast!
~You don’t have to pay any fee! It’s free!
~ Parking can be limited sometimes depending of the time of day, it’s also safe to park on Edgewood Road. :-)
~There is a little «nature museum”/ education center near the parking lot in regards to the plants and animals in the area, kids love it! It looks like they have limited hours though, only Wednesday mornings and weekends. It’s cute!
~Enjoy! And when you get bored… read through some of my other park reviews for more options. ;-D

I came here throughout the year and it’s my favorite spot on the peninsula.
This past March I happened to come by one weekend when the wild flowers were in full bloom. Most of them are small but gorgeous none the less. I had never seen so many different varieties, colors, shapes and sizes of wild flowers all in one place. They totally brightened up my day and I even came back the following weekend with my dSLR camera to try to catch some photos. Unfortunately some of the flowers I had seen the prior week were gone. I think early March, especially after a rain shower, would be the best time to see them. The staff working at the education/​visitor center is very helpful too in explaining about the wild flowers there, as are the wild flowers walk they hold during that time of the year.
Even during summer time, like today, I often find myself surprised by some beautiful flowers at an unexpected place. I saw these beautiful large pink lilies in the woodland area on Sylvan trail (see my photo), which I had never seen before:

I did my usual route: taking the Sylvan trail starting near the park entrance. After the one mile mark I take the right fork to get on the Serpentine trail and continue towards the «meadow» area where it’s more exposed with grassland on both sides and it goes towards 280 and then loops back to the Sylvan trail. That’s about a 4-​mile good workout. If you run the trails it’s even more intense and definitely beats working out on the boring machines at the gym.
What I like most about this park is that apart from the spring wild flower season, it never gets too busy. I mean there is steady amount of traffic on the trail on the weekends, but during non wild flower season I have never had trouble finding a parking spot at the parking lot when I come here around 10 am. And if I come in late afternoons there are plenty of parking and less traffic on the trails. And there is a bit of everything; you get lots of shaded area and some exposed area, (so be sure to wear a hat); you also get nice view of the bay along with view of freeway 280 and some homes on the hills. O.K., the view of the freeway may not be the selling point, but you get the idea. To me It’s a wild enough place to see wild animals, preferably deers not mountain lions, which I have never seen myself., yet not so remote that I would worry that if there is an emergency no one will be able to get to it to help me, plus the cell phone reception has always been great here.