Huddart County Park

Huddart Park in Woodside, California is a great park of open spaces that I know very well. when I was a teenager, my friends and I would ride our horses there several times a week. There were many social gatherings there, and to this day my husb and I love to hike Richards Road and other parts. For those who like more private picnic experiences, visit the lower lawn.

As a Florida gal, getting up this mountain freaked me the f — - out! We were on a big tour bus, and I was certain at times we were either going to:
1. Plummet to our certain death.
2. Push another car off the cliff to their deaths.
But, after closing my eyes for most of the trip up, we finally made it. A nice, open grassy field, volleyball court, some fun games set up and tons of gorgeous trees and sunshine.
There is a small bathroom facility available «when nature calls.» LOL.
While I wasn’t adventurous as some of my colleagues that went on long hikes and almost didn’t make it back, my lazy self just basked in the sun, which seemed even hotter on a nice warm day, I guess due to being on top of the mountain. (Anything with an incline is considered a mountain when you live in Florida.)
As I said, I am lazy, but do love nature, and this was a very peaceful and nice park for a day out of the office.

I do not do well cooped up all day; I’m a girl who needs fresh air, a reminder that I’ve got an able body, and to bask in God’s glorious creation. So, to be able to have spent a day in Huddart Park after multiple days of flying and in-​office time? It was exactly what my soul needed.
As others mentioned, the drive up the mountain to get to the park in and of itself is quite the adventure. Especially in a big bus. We basically defied death slowly chugging along those narrow roads and sharp curves. Beautiful views, though, on the drive — I’m a girl who is always taken with mountains and views from higher altitudes, since that isn’t something I see frequently where I live. Lots of little personal vineyards it seemed, too. If I suddenly become rich and famous, I might tuck away here and do the same thing. Peaceful. Quiet. Nature. Malbec.
The Park itself has picnic tables, and a big open space that was ideal to lounge in the sun in; friends played volleyball and corn hole (we had brought) nearby. Sadly, it wasn’t as green as I think it usually is (is there a way we can send CA our ME snow to help? Let’s figure this out!).
Went for a little hike with some friends through the tall redwoods — my first time ever seeing a redwood, by the way! — and evergreens (an interesting note: because of the thick flora, the noise from our rowdy coworkers dissipated entirely just a quarter mile or so onto the trail). We got lost. I admit this was mostly our fault, but it would have been nice if the trail had been marked just a bit better, too. Nothing doubling-​back couldn’t fix. Anyway, I know there’s over a 20-​mile trail network here, and I could have easily seen myself lacing up and running a few through the woods!
Beautiful spot, if I lived in the Bay area, I could see myself frequenting it!

Heavy tree cover makes this just-​off-​the-​280 park a great choice for hiking on a hot day.
There are also picnic tables and grassy fields at the large parking area.

This is a great hike for people but dogs are not allowed here-​not sure why this is listed as a dog-​friendly park.

Beautiful and so many trails you can easily come back time and time over for a new exploration. They have camping here too which is awesome but the only drawback is that the air is smoke filled and doesn’t have that crisp hiking air that I look forward to. Worth the drive.

This is a great place to tone your buns. Inclines go up pretty short into the walk, mostly shaded and worth the climb up to see the view of the bay.

4 Stars for a gorgeous park with trails that make you want to push yourself just to delve deeper into the natural setting!
I’m a fan of hiking (of the fairly light variety) and found myself on an impromptu hike with some coworkers at a work retreat at Huddart Park. Right away as you enter on a trip you realize you’re in for something special. The trees are incredibly tall and shade the majority of the trails, which is great since you’ll be hot from exertion!
I’d say it is a pretty moderate hike but I would still say you need to have a healthy respect for the terrain. Overall we must have hiked for an hour and we got back feeling invigorated by the incredible scenery and clean air.
One note I’d make is that the signs aren’t the most clear, so be sure to take a map. It would be great if they updated the signage because there were a few times, even with a map, that we had a hard time figuring out where we were.
Overall, Huddart Park is a great spot for hiking and apparently for horses as well (that’s my not to subtle reference to the «land mines» on the trails)!

«The great outdoors with a bit of a trek from downtown San Francisco to get there». Oh what fun CMs’ from around the globe had fun bussin’ to, then runnin’ the grounds of Huddart County Park. As long as you don’t step on horse poop or get lost during your hike here, you will do just fine! The grounds are vast and plenty of room to stretch your legs. It was definitely one heck of a trek from SF Financial District (about an hour or so) that consisted of interstate driving and a lot of narrow, windy hills up to the park. Of all the years I lived in the Bay Area, this was another part I have have never been to. It’s too bad that California has a water shortage from the oh so sad drought because this place would be ultra beautiful if it had more of a splash of water every so often. There were food trucks that met us up there, so we were able to have our own personal oasis we called CM Land for a couple hours. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so it was nice to basque in the sun and frolic in the great outdoors. Heavily wooded areas shaded us from the sun during our hike, so it made that time more enjoyable. If you are looking for a staycation spot, definitely come here to get away from busy city life and just relish in the beauty of nature (minus the lush greenery).

Me ha parecido increíble este pedazo de bosque a una hora de San Francisco. Llegamos en autobús para celebrar un evento de empresa y cuando bajé mis ojos daban volteretas ¡menudo sitio! Parece mentira que esté tan cerca de la ciudad, y es que California es mucho más de lo que sale en las pelis americanas.
Tuve el placer de pasear un rato por la zona y estaba lleno de senderos bien señalizados y adecuados para andar con calzado deportivo. La sombra de los árboles, el sonido de los pájaros, las luces a través de las copas enormes y verdes le daban un aspecto bucólico digno de cuento. Un lugar mágico, bien cuidado, tranquilo y digno de visitar. Si vas para una semana a San Francisco ¡vale la pena!

One of the few redwood parks in about 30 – 45 min drive from San Jose. A lot of trails, parking, playing and picnic areas. Redwoods are not as tall as in Muir woods, but tall nevertheless. Not many trails have sunshine since the tall trees block the sun. Cool during summer.
Entrance fees of $ 6 per car is not bad for what we get in return. I recommend the Dean trail loop which is 5 miles with decent elevation. Good challenge even for expert level trail runners. But hiking difficulty for this trail can be rated as moderate.

Oh man, we took a bus down to Huddart County park and I had not eaten anything yet, and I might have been a bit hung over from the night before. The drive’s tight winding roads in a huge bus made me feel like I might throw up! But dang it was pretty! Once we arrived I felt relief and enjoyed the forested slopes and steep, cool canyons of Huddart Park.
It’s got barbecue pits, picnic benches, a playground (Sand Volleyball anyone), grassy meadows, and hiking and riding trails, Huddart Park makes a great place to have a picnic or explore a redwood forest very close to San Fran’s City Center.
Just make sure your not hung over for the ride down!

My company had a recent picnic at this park…
Let’s just say we’re a big company, and we took a few tour buses to wind our way to the Zwierlein Picnic Area. It’s about 35 – 40 minutes from the downtown area, and a nice way to escape from the hustle and bustle. It’s a beautiful drive there, but I have to warn you, once you enter the park you’re going to encounter some pretty steep roads along the way. I caution you to prepare yourself if you’re in a tour bus and you look over the edge as you’re heading to your destination. It’s a tight squeeze in a bus and it’s steeeeeep over the edge – kind of reminded me of the winding roads through Tuscany. Just don’t look down.
I loved feeling a bit lost and not knowing exactly where we were headed, but once we arrived to our big open area, it was a lovely breathe of fresh air… literally. There is a wide open area for playing games and then you’ll find some picnic tables, bathrooms, and trails… lots of trails.
We had three food trucks come onsite for our event, and an outdoor photo booth in the woods, but what I enjoyed most was the time I got to spend walking along the many trails in the forest. Yes, you’ll feel a little bit like you’re in a scene out of Hunger Games.
Here are some hiking tips for you:
* You will encounter lots of horse poop, so keep an eye where you step.
* Prepare to keep a close eye on where you’re headed. There are are a few different routes and not a ton of signage along the way. And, not all the signs tell you how long the trail actually is. We had to turn back, because we weren’t sure how far to keep going and were a bit worried we might get lost.
* Bring your camera, because the views are breathtaking. Miles of tall trees and nice wide walking paths.
* No mosquitoes – yay!
* Dusty paths and some are quite hilly, so you’re guaranteed a great work out.
It was a lovely afternoon, but I’m still wondering… what’s the Phleger Estate? I was so obsessed with heading there on the walking paths, but I get the feeling it’s not really a building and rather just an area that was taken over by the Phleger family.
Great for work outings or maybe a family reunion.

It is such a beautiful drive up to the park and the park is really nice. There’s a $ 6 parking fee, but it was definitely worth it. The park itself is so lush and green which was a really refreshing change to the yellow you see everywhere in South Bay. You could tell that some of the trails should have rivers flowing, but the drought has dried things up. Some of the areas had a trickle of water where there should be flowing with water.
Our group hadn’t done much planning for the hike and one of our friends led the way. We were taking parts of the Crystal Springs trail and it is supposed to be a relatively easy hike (it was), but I was overwhelmingly swept with fear that we would be trapped in the middle of the park lost, especially since we barely saw anyone hiking through. I think during our 2.5 hours we only saw two couples hiking. There was, however, quite a large trail of horse poop EVERYWHERE on the trail. Be especially careful when you round corners, there’s always poop! There are trails where horses aren’t allowed, so if you wanna avoid having to deal with seeing horse poop everywhere, just avoid those trails!

This is my go-​to park to condition a horse for an endurance ride — lots of variety in terms of trail width, footing, steepness and length. Particularly good in the summer months, as it’s shaded and stays fairly cool.
Trails in this park connect to the Phleger Estate, and via Skyline to Purisima and Wunderlich.
Note to hikers/​runners: PLEASE follow the park rules and give way to equestrians on these trails. And equestrians: don’t forget to SLOW DOWN when you’re passing hikers/​runners! Most people are very courteous, but there have been a couple of times on narrow/​single-​track trails up the steep hillsides when it’s been a bit ‘exciting’! Let’s all be mindful and stay safe :)

Huddart park is off 280 woodside exit, kind of a drive up the mountain but its worth it. My recent time here was my first and its an ideal hiking spot. Its perfectly chilly because the sun is hidden by redwoods and has a creek going through the valley.
We went on a monday, saw just a few people all day doing the skyline trail. Its not a loop so we flipped around at the top which is a bit more than 8 miles. Apparently you can hike to wunderlich from the peak (also a favorite in the rainier times of the year). Lots of ferns and other amazing greenery, banana slugs. Overall just beautiful place!

Nice open space for playing and pic-​nicking. There wasn’t much to do here for us. Nice place to have lunch and a quick walk around. It’s not really for those who have trouble with walking. Good exercise though if you want to hike or run the trails. Horse trails, too.

I’ve been coming here for different events basically all my life and I hadn’t been in a while until I went back this weekend. Such a fun place for families to spend warm days hiking and picnicking. My biggest concern as someone who has trouble reading maps, was how poorly some of the older signs are marked and lead to the wrong places, leaving to some confusion.

Running the trails of Huddart is particularly enjoyable for me because of the beautiful trees, shade, and cool climate. The trails are soft, lined with redwood needles and the hills are challenging. However, I do not enjoy the big piles of horse manure that the self-​entitled equestrians leave everywhere, and I wish they would at the very least carry a small rake to clear their steaming piles off the trails. This area is prime mountain lion habitat, btw, so use caution at dusk and dawn. I advise the unfamiliar to bring along a map of the area in their pocket. Cell phone coverage is unreliable.
Runners & hikers: There is free parking near the corner of Raymundo Dr & Runnymede Rd, 0.8 mi from the easternmost entrance of the park. Take the big dirt trail (it’s actually the southernmost segment of the Crystal Springs Trail) to the north of Raymundo up the hill, then it turns and puts you back onto Raymundo near Marva Oaks Dr. Enter Huddart at end of Raymundo. This is a good entrance to run or hike in the Phleger Estate as well.

on a ride from Palo alto to Skyline blvd, we stopped into Huddart Park — what a nice, quiet park. We only saw a few cars up there.
Plenty of BBQ n’ picnic areas and camping areas; it’s a huge park. This place is hardly known, what a find!
The ride from Huddart Park to Skyline blvd, is on KIngs Mountain Road, it’s a very tough climb, only for pain seekers.
Tip: do not attempt to go up here near evening, cuz when it gets dark, you will get lost on the roads.

Oh Huddart, sweet Huddart… How could you hide from me so long? Huddart and I have a love hate relationship.
I love the vast amount of tall, gorgeous Redwoods and Sequoia trees and hate the fact that whether I have a map or not, I always seem to get lost. (Bring water and food, and give yourself more time than you may expect if you are new to walking or trail running in this park.)
I love being in the park under the cool shade of the trees and hate being too cold on a warm, sunny, moderate temperature day. (Dress in layers.)
I love escaping the hustle and bustle of the roads that seem to be getting more clustered and overcrowded with traffic, yet hate that I can’t text on the way up the oh-​so moderate and narrowly paved, windy road. (Ha ha, I shouldn’t be texting while driving anyway, especially when there are cyclists along the road involved.)
I love that this park is so huge and spacious within the area yet hate that it’s not closer to my neighborhood. (There is a rare chance it’s within walking distance to you or your neighborhood too.)
I love that there are rangers patrolling and even at the booth near the entrance, yet hate that it costs $ 6.00/car to get in!
So in conclusion, this park is majestic and well worth the fees and the drive! Hope you enjoy and get the privilege of having as much love and hate, as I do for it as well!