Just a Walk in the Park

Just a Walk in the Park

Stulsaft Park - Redwood City

"Before supper walk a little; after supper do the same." - Erasmus

Directions: From I-280, exit Woodside Road east to Alameda de las Pulgas. Turn left on Alameda and continue to Goodwin Avenue. Turn left on Goodwin and continue for two blocks to Mitchell Way. Park near this intersection. Stulsaft Park is located about 100 feet north of the intersection on Recreation Way.

Grade: Easy, a few hundred feet total.

Distance: One to three miles.

Special Conditions: Hours are sunrise to sunset. Dogs allowed on leash. Interesting creek diversion. Good for children. This park is operated by the Parks and Recreation Department of Redwood City (650-780-7247).

(Back by popular demand—Cities in the Peninsula have many opportunities for an open-space experience. The Eaton-Big Canyon Trail in San Carlos, the Ed Taylor Trail in Burlingame, Water Dog Lake in Belmont, Sugar Loaf in Belmont/San Mateo, and Bayfron Park in Menlo Park are a few of the most popular.

But our featured walk this week is Stulsaft Park in Redwood City. It has trails, picnic areas, and one of the finest children’s play areas around. It’s accessible from three sides.

Stulsaft Park is another one of those in-city open space areas that provide a reference point for a bit of exercise as well as rest and relaxation in our busy urban lives. Similar parks in other Peninsula cities include Big Canyon-Eaton Parks in San Carlos, Water Dog Lake Park in Belmont, and the Mills Canyon Nature Area in Millbrae. Each of these parks provides a getaway to thousands of locals who can easily walk to the parks on city streets and disappear into a quiet wooded area where they can listen to bird songs and the murmur of running streams.

Stulsaft Park is a bit different from the others mentioned in that its many picnic tables and barbecues attract crowds on warm summer weekends. Currently, the park's play fields and children's play area are being rebuilt, and this capital improvement should be finished by next summer.

You can access Stulsaft Park from three sides. The main entrance is off Goodwin Avenue, two blocks west of Alameda de las Pulgas. The children's play area (now under construction) is adjacent to Farm Hill Boulevard (3700 block), where a service road trail leads down into the canyon. The third entrance is off adjacent Silver Hill Road (1000 block). From there, the trail meanders behind private property and connects to the main entrance off Goodwin Avenue.

The Parks and Recreation Department of Redwood City operates this 43-acre park. The area was known as the J.B. Shroeder estate in the 1880s and was later acquired by Martin Stulsaft, who gave the property to Redwood City in 1951.

We started our walk at the entrance off Goodwin Avenue. Inside the gate is a large, level area that could be used for parking. Now the area is closed, and construction materials are scattered about. Straight ahead of the entrance is a path through a picnic area down to Stulsaft Creek. A path follows the creek along the near side between two washed-out bridges. You can cross to the other side and keep your feet dry with a good broad jump. We explored this shady area of bay and oak forest, then climbed back to the level "parking" area, and walked west on the service road. In a short distance, a trail goes uphill to the left and a ridgeline above. We continued straight to the next junction, where we turned right, crossed a bridge, and hiked uphill. The trail veers right and soon passes between chain-link fencing that protects areas that are part of the capital renovation program. To the left is a large, level playing field, and ahead is a beautiful children's play area still under construction. This is the section that fronts on Farm Hill Boulevard.

We reversed direction and walked back to the creek and turned right into the dark, moist canyon. Soon the trail leads through a large group picnic area complete with restrooms. A number of short trails lead from this area, but we continued straight and to a locked gate at private property. Then we climbed uphill and onto the sun-baked hillside. We turned right through a more open area of oak trees and soon exited the park at Silver Hill Road.

Throughout the open woodland area, you will see beautiful specimens of Toyon or Christmas berry shrub. This is the official shrub of the state of California. The shrub has large clusters of drooping white flowers in early summer that ripen into bright red berries in December.

Returning to the main trailhead, we passed through the first junction and on to a single picnic table with a flagpole alongside. We continued along this "high" trail, enjoying the sunshine. Soon we dropped back to the main trail and back to the gate.

This is the time of year to spend some time at Stulsaft. A running creek, red berries, moist canyon, and plenty of green grass. Visit soon.

Your comments and hiking suggestions are always welcome.

E-mail <tom@tomdavids.com>

Footnote: Check out the Weekly Walker Web site at www.weeklywalker.com.

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