El Corte de Madera (Skeggs)
Woodside (San Mateo Coast Range) · near Woodside / Redwood City · SF Bay Area
Mountain Biking
At a glance
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Trail miles
- 36+ miles of trail · Extensive redwood singletrack network
- Elevation
- Rolling redwood-forest terrain in the Santa Cruz Mountains · ~1,500ft of climbing on longer loops
- Best season
- Year-round (best in dry months; muddy and sometimes closed after rain)
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Mountain Biking detail
- Ride types
- xc · all-mountain
- Signature trails
- Fir Trail / Tafoni Loop · Resolution / Methuselah
- Ebike
- No
- Ebike note
- Midpeninsula Open Space e-bike rules apply — Class 1 e-bikes have limited access; check current signage.
- Intl tip
- Skeggs is on Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35), a stunning ridgeline drive. Nearby Alice's Restaurant is the classic post-ride (and motorcyclist) hangout. Combine with a coastal descent toward Half Moon Bay or a redwood hike at nearby Purisima Creek.
The guide
El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve — 'Skeggs' to locals — is the crown jewel of San Francisco Peninsula singletrack: …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to El Corte de Madera (Skeggs) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.418, -122.314