The Woodside area's Phleger Estate, with its forest of second-growth redwoods, oaks, and firs, marks the southernmost end of the Golden Gate National Parks. Century-old redwood stumps and remnants of steam mills are scattered throughout this tranquil park, evidence of the Bay Area's once-lively 19th century logging industry. The Estate's 1,232 acres alternate between gulches, threaded with seasonal creeks, and steep hillsides that rise up to dramatic ridgetops. Bobcats, coyotes, golden eagles, black-tailed deer, steelhead trout, and beavers once thrived in this redwood forest ecosystem.
Herman Phleger, a respected San Francisco lawyer, and his wife, Mary Elena Phleger, bought the large country house above West Union Creek (then known as Mountain Meadow) in 1931. The Phlegers became enamored with the trees that surrounded their home, and were early supporters of the Save the Redwoods League. In 1994, Mary Phleger sold the estate to the Peninsula Open Space Trust, which then turned it over to National Park Service management. The house is a private residence, but as you walk the park trails, you will catch a glimpse of its outbuildings in the distance.
Huddart County Park was named for wealthy lumberman James Huddart, who, upon his death in 1935, deeded 900 acres of his redwood forest to the county for a park. The park, which borders the southern side of the Phleger Estate, provides parking and access to estate trails. When entering through the Huddart County Park parking lot, the entrance fee is waived if you tell the attendant that you're visiting Phleger Estate.
The Logging Industry
Not long after gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848, San Francisco experienced a population boom. There was an urgent need for homes, hotels, businesses, and other structures, and this demand fueled a lucrative logging industry both north and south of the city. Many of the first towns along the Peninsula sprang up around logging camps and mills, and their names, such as Redwood City and Palo Alto (meaning "tall tree"), reflected these origins. Early logging practices were arduous: lumberjacks felled each massive redwood by hand, a process that could take up to eight days; the wood was then hauled by oxen teams to a nearby mill or the Redwood City port, where it was barged to San Francisco.
Throughout the Phleger Estate land are unusually tall redwood stumps (with wide girths) dating back to these early logging days. The stumps are often circled by other redwoods growing in a formation known as a "fairy ring." These sprouts, genetic clones of the parent tree, grow from the stump's established root system.
Steam Mills
Union Creek, which wends along the estate's eastern edge, once powered more than a dozen mills. The steam mill operations were seasonal, as the creek, which gushed during the wet winter months, dried up in the summertime. From 1852 to 1855, entrepreneur Willard Whipple logged the area, and traces of his Upper Mill and Lower Mill remain.
Maps and Information
For a map, driving directions and satellite views of this park from Google™ Maps, click here.
Address: Skyline Blvd., Woodside, CA 94062
Phone: (415) 561-4323
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If you enjoy Phleger Estate
- Hike Oakwood Valley for another peaceful walk through the woods
- Visit Mori Point to further explore intriguing cultural history in San Mateo County
- Volunteer at Redwood Creek Nursery to grow native plants in a serene setting
- Support our conservation mission of keeping these cherished parks for all forever
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