Community Corner

Weekly Walker: Doesn't Salamander Flat Sound Like a Magical Place?

"Give me thy hand, stand up: Prithee, let's walk." —William Shakespeare

 

[Editor's Note: Watch for this column each Thursday on San Carlos Patch by San Carlos walking enthusiast Tom Davids! Below is this week's walk to Wunderlich County Park.]

By Tom Davids

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Two Short Loop Hikes at Wunderlich County Park

 Directions: Take Woodside Road west from Interstate Highway 280 and continue about two miles from the town of Woodside. Watch for the park entrance on the right between Bear Gulch and La Honda roads.

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Trail Map:  www.co.sanmateo.ca.us and search for Wunderlich County Park

Grade: Easy to moderate.

Distance: 1.5 miles for short loop, 3.2 miles for longer loop.

Time: One to two hours.

Special Conditions: No dogs allowed. Watch for poison oak at trail side. Portable toilet and water at parking lot. Park operated by San Mateo County.

First were the Costanoan Indians. Then the Portola Expedition, which camped in the valley in November 1769. Then John Copinger, who was granted the Canada de Raymundo Rancho in 1840 by Gov. Alvarado.

Then Charles Brown, who received from Copinger a deed for 2,880 acres in 1846. Then Simon Jones, who purchased 1,500 acres in 1872. Then James A. Folger II, who acquired the property from the son of Simon in 1902. Then Martin Wunderlich, a contractor, who purchased the property from the Folgers in 1956. And it was Wunderlich who in 1974 gave 942 acres to San Mateo County for use as park and open space.

And so over 200 years of recorded history, this land passed through the hands of five private owners. It was grazed, timbered, farmed, and grew grapes and fruit trees. Under Folger (the coffee family), its land became a family recreation area, and the waters of Alambique Creek were used to develop the first hydro-electrical power system in this part of California. 

Today, Wunderlich County Park has 25 miles of trail that transverse its 940 acres of steep forest, meadows, cool canyons, and running streams. And it belongs to us—hikers and equestrians—all of us who care to use it. Our collective thanks goes to Martin Wunderlich, whose generosity serves us, as well as countless generations to come.

This week's walk gives you a choice of two loops. Both start at the trailhead for Bear Gulch Trail and end at the trailhead for the Alambique Trail. The shorter hike is only 1.7 miles and can easily be hiked in one hour. The longer trail goes through Redwood Flat and Salamander Flat, covers 3.2 miles, and takes a couple of hours for the average hiker.

Begin either hike at the Wunderlich parking lot off Woodside Road (Highway 84) two miles southwest of the town of Woodside. Trail maps are usually available at the signboard near the drinking fountain and portable toilet. Start at the Bear Gulch trailhead, and walk around the restored stable. The impressive structure, now operated as a private equestrian facility, gives evidence of the high level of care afforded the horses and carriages that moved people around the hillside during the early 1900s. Many of the trails we walk today are old ranch roads that serviced the property and provided access to Skyline Boulevard.

Hiking uphill, you will pass over a bridge and through groves of live oak and pockets of redwood in the shaded, cool ravines. At the first junction, you can turn left and take the shorter loop trail or continue on to the upper loop. The shorter 1.7-mile loop trail is mostly level, moving in and out of a redwood ravine and then below a eucalyptus forest. Good views to the South Bay open before you and below an occasional glimpse of the Alambique Trail, which is your route back to the parking lot.

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