WEEKLY

WALKER

By Tom Davids

"Hike to the Kings Mountain Fair"

Crystal Springs Trail: Huddart County Park

"It is better to wear out one's shoes than one's sheets." Genoese Proverb

Directions: Through the town of Woodside to Kings Mountain Road. Continue about three miles to Huddart Park on your right.

Grade: Moderate, well-graded trail, with a 1,200-foot elevation gain

Distance: About nine miles round trip

Time: Figure four hours plus time at the fair.

Special Conditions: Watch for poison oak at trailside. Trails are open to hikers and equestrians this time of year. Huddart County Park is part of the San Mateo County Park System (650) 363-4021.

The legendary Kings Mountain Fair is held each year over Labor Day weekend at the volunteer fire department headquarters on Skyline Boulevard. It is considered to be one of the best art fairs on the Peninsula with a rich mixture of local delicacies and crafts alongside regional, state, and national exhibitors.

We usually indulge in buying a few jars of local jams, a toy or two for the grandchildren, a piece of jewelry or art for Veralyn, and another walking stick for me. But to make the day complete, we encourage you to stay off Skyline Boulevard (there's enough traffic there already) and to hike to Huddart Park to the fair.

The Crystal Springs Trail from the lower portions of Huddart Park to Skyline involves about a 1,200-foot elevation gain, but the route is well graded, the plant life varied, and the scenery spectacular. You'll be shopping at the fair before you know it. One benefit of this hike that the walk back requires a judicious selection of the merchandise we buy. That's why a walking stick always seems about right.

We recommend starting this hike from the large meadow area in Huddart Park. After passing through the entry station (day use fee is $4 per car), turn left at the first intersection, then bear right to the base of the meadow picnic area. Park near the rest rooms, and find the Crystal Springs trailhead (also marked for the Phlegler Estate), which follows a gradual downslope for 0.7 mile to the junction with Richards Road. The trail crosses McGarvey Gulch Creek on a rustic wooden bridge and begins its ascent to Skyline Boulevard and the Kings Mountain Fair.

Huddart Park is part of a 12,454-acre rancho granted by the governor of Spanish California to John Coppinger during the 1850s. While California's God Rush was booming, the demand for lumber to build San Francisco resulted in extensive logging operations in the rancho area. Near the present borders of the park, five sawmills operated between 1853 and 1860. Richards' sawmill, built in 1853, operated just outside the present park boundary west of Skyline Boulevard. From this mill, Richards Road led down the mountain. Wagons loaded with lumber and drawn by teams of oxen traveled down the road toward the Redwood City embarcadero from which the lumber was barged to San Francisco. Today, Richards Road Trail follows the route of this old route.

As the hike continues, be sure to stay on the marked Crystal Springs Trail (and off the intersecting trails), but take time to observe the different plant communities. At the lower elevations, along the streams and in the gullies, the majestic coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) provide a cool, well-shaded environment. As you gain altitude, the redwoods give way to Douglas fir on the drier slopes and upper canyons. The area around the intersection with Dean Trail is sunny and hot, with plant growth to match. Oak, madrone, and California laurel trees share space with shrubs such as manzanita, chaparral, and chamise, forming a thick, almost impenetrable mass of brush.

As the Crystal Springs Trail approaches Skyline Boulevard, there is a junction with Skyline Trail to the left and Richards Road Trail to the right. Take Richards Road Trail another one-quarter mile to Skyline Boulevard, and continue on the trail, which parallels the road to the fair.

When your time at the fair is over, simply retrace your steps, through the children's craft area to Richard Road; then continue east to Skyline Trail, right to Crystal Springs Trail, and back. Along the way you will intersect with the Dean Trail, which you may hike as an alternate route. Just stay on the Dean Trail until it reaches the meadow where you parked.