El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve
Near Woodside, San Mateo County, CA
- Size
- 2,702 acres Source
About El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve
El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve covers about 2,900 acres of steep, forested canyons on the Skyline ridge, with more than 34 miles of multiuse trails. It is one of Midpen's most popular preserves for mountain biking, but hikers and riders use it too. The name means "cutting wood": from the 1860s, eight sawmills along its creeks supplied redwood lumber for growing San Francisco, and selective logging continued until 1988, shortly after the preserve was created. Old logging roads are now trails, the canyons have regrown dense second-growth redwoods, and a few old-growth giants remain, including one near the Timberview and Giant Salamander trails about 50 feet around at the base. Stumps along the ridge still show springboard notches.
On the Tafoni Trail, an observation deck looks at tafoni, honeycomb sandstone formations that take centuries to form; please do not climb them. A short detour on the Fir Trail leads to a vista point over the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Pacific. The Resolution Trail memorializes San Mateo County's deadliest plane crash, when a DC-6 hit a ridge here in fog in 1953, killing all 19 aboard. The Oljon Trail, opened in 2019, is a segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.
Dogs are not allowed. The main lot (65 spaces, with horse-trailer parking) is on the west side of Skyline Boulevard 2.7 miles north of Highway 84, and the Skeggs Point lot across the road serves the Tafoni Trail.
Based on El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve official information, checked Oct 15, 2026.
Know before you go
El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve covers 2,702 acres near Woodside in San Mateo County. Closing follows the sun here: sunset at El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve is around 4:52 p.m. in mid-December, 7:15 p.m. in mid-March, 8:30 p.m. in mid-June, and 7:19 p.m. in mid-September. 12 named trails add up to about 26.3 miles inside the park; the longest is Methuselah Trail at 3.7 miles, and Methuselah Trail has the most up and down (about 1,869 feet). Mapped trails range from 756 to 2,411 feet in elevation. OpenStreetMap shows 4 parking areas, plus 1 restroom.
Facilities
- Picnic Area
- Restrooms
Facility details: OpenStreetMap, official park information
El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve at a glance
- PParking · 4
- WCRestrooms · 1
- TTrailheads · 2: Star Hill Road
- Named trails · 12
© OpenStreetMap · CPAD · About this map
Trails
| Trail | Mapped length | Elevation | Surface & uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methuselah Trail | 3.7 mi | 1,869 ft up & down1,348–2,282 ft | UnpavedBikesNo horsesHorses |
| El Corte de Madera Creek Trail | 3.1 mi | 1,412 ft up & down1,615–2,307 ft | UnpavedBikesHorses |
| Lawrence Creek Trail | 2.8 mi | 1,442 ft up & down941–2,021 ft | UnpavedBikesHorses |
| Gordon Mill Trail | 2.5 mi | 1,294 ft up & down1,056–2,160 ft | UnpavedBikesHorses |
| Timberview Trail | 2.3 mi | 1,344 ft up & down1,055–2,037 ft | UnpavedBikesHorses |
| Tafoni Trail | 2.1 mi | 835 ft up & down1,982–2,363 ft | UnpavedBikesHorsesNo bikesNo horses |
| Virginia Mill Trail | 2.1 mi | 1,114 ft up & down756–1,497 ft | UnpavedBikesHorses |
| Spring Board Trail | 1.7 mi | 836 ft up & down1,455–2,181 ft | UnpavedBikesHorses |
| Fir Trail | 1.6 mi | 913 ft up & down1,627–2,411 ft | UnpavedBikesHorses |
| Oljon Trail | 1.6 mi | 772 ft up & down1,941–2,160 ft | UnpavedBikesHorses |
| Sierra Morena Trail | 1.5 mi | 416 ft up & down2,093–2,371 ft | UnpavedBikesHorses |
| South Leaf Trail | 1.3 mi | 674 ft up & down1,489–1,737 ft | UnpavedBikesHorses |
Compared with nearby parks
Among the 16 other parks in this guide within 10 miles, El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve is number 3 of 17 by size at 2,702 acres. It has the most mapped trail mileage of the group (about 26.3 miles).
Closest places for what El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve doesn't list:
- Playground: Huddart Park (2.7 mi)
- Camping: Huddart Park (2.7 mi)
- Tennis Courts: Thornewood Open Space Preserve (3.5 mi)
Rules & reservations
Official park pageOpen a half-hour before sunrise until a half-hour after sunset.
Map & directions
Nearby parks
Straight-line distanceContinue exploring
San Mateo County parks Parks in WoodsideSources & verification
Last verified: Oct 15, 2026- California Protected Areas Database (CPAD) 2026aname, county, agency, access, acres
- Midpen preserve pageofficial_url, hours, hours_note, dogs, facilities.restrooms, description
- Midpen visitor FAQ (no entry or parking fees)fees
- OpenStreetMap facilities and trailsfacilities.picnic-area, trails
- U.S. Census Bureau place boundaries (nearest place)city
- OpenStreetMap: parking, restrooms, water, trailheads, trail lines, and bus stopsvisit
- Terrain Tiles elevation (USGS 3DEP), sampled every 20 m along OpenStreetMap trail linestrails.elevation
- Official park page (summarized in our words)narrative
- Official park page (introduction excerpt)intro