Thornewood
Open Space Preserve,
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District,
San Mateo County
In brief:
1.2 mile out and back through old grounds of an estate.
Getting there:
From Interstate 280 in San Mateo County, exit CA 84 (exit 25). Drive west about
4.6 miles to the preserve entrance on the left side of the road (look for brick
gates; the preserve sign is inside those gates). Proceed about 0.2 mile down the
narrow road, to the parking lot on the right side of the road.
Trailhead details:
Parking for about 12 cars in a lot. There is one designated handicapped parking
spot, and trail may be wheelchair accessible (with assistance). No entrance or
parking fees. No toilet facilities or drinking water. Maps available at the information
signboard. There is no direct public transportation to this preserve.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, pay phone, stores, and restaurants back on CA 84 in Woodside. No
camping in the preserve.
Rules:
The trail is open to equestrians and hikers. Dogs are permitted, on leash only.
Preserve is open from dawn to 1/2 hour after dusk.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 1.2 mile out and back hike is easy. The trailhead elevation
is around 960 feet. The trail drops gradually to about 850 feet.
The Official Story:
MROSD's
Thornewood page
MROSD office 650-691-1200
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Map
from MROSD (download pdf).
• 
Peninsula Tales
and Trails, by David Weintraub (order
this book from Amazon.com) has an overview of the preserve, descriptions of
hikes, and simple maps.
• Trail Map of the Central Peninsula, by the Trail Center (order
this map from Amazon.com) is useful.
• Jean Rusmore's Peninsula Trails has a simple map and preserve description
(order
this book from Amazon.com).
• Tom Taber's The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Book has a simple map
and preserve description (order
this book from Amazon.com).
Thornewood
in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to the featured hike.
• View 30 photos a June 2000
hike
• View photos from a July 2001 hike
Thornewood is a 
small
preserve perfect for a lunchtime stroll, hike with small kids, or dogwalk. With
MROSD's purchase of adjacent land near Old La Honda Road, the trail system may
grow in the future, but for now the only trail is a 0.6 mile (one way) path.
With a variety of plant life, something is bound
to be blooming or fruiting no matter what time of year you visit. Wildflowers
linger until summer, and then buckeyes and poison oak put on their foliage shows.
Later in autumn, black oaks and big-leaf maples contribute some drama of their
own.
Departing from a private road that accesses the
old 1920s estate (closed to the public during private restoration; check with
MROSD), the trail (nameless as far as I know) winds through a variety of plants
and trees on the way to Schilling Lake. Initially you may see madrone and black
oak, with California coffeeberry, honeysuckle, and broom in the understory. The
narrow trail looses elevation 
on
a short series of switchbacks, and travels through a mixture of Douglas fir, California
bay, buckeye, blue elderberry, manzanita, hazelnut, coyote brush, toyon, pitcher
sage, monkeyflower, chamise, ceanothus, and poison oak. Breaks in the foliage
afford views to the west (including a backyard or two). I saw quail, jays, and
hummingbirds on a hike in June 2000, as well as deer prints in the dirt trail
surface. At 0.49 mile, the trail turns left at a "trail" signpost, and
joins an old road for the remainder of the journey.
As the trail descends gently toward Schilling Lake,
look for bigleaf maple, tanoak, thimbleberry, and redwood. Two unsigned dirt roads
depart to the right at 0.59 mile; continue to the left. Finally, the trees and
shrubs thin a bit, permitting a closer look at Schilling Lake. There's a bench
on the right which makes a good lunch location. Just past the bench, at 0.63 mile,
the official trail ends at an unsigned gate (there is a narrow but obvious trail
that continues downhill). Retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
Total distance: 1.26 miles
Last hiked: Monday, July 30, 2001
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
small
preserve perfect for a lunchtime stroll, hike with small kids, or dogwalk. With
MROSD's purchase of adjacent land near Old La Honda Road, the trail system may
grow in the future, but for now the only trail is a 0.6 mile (one way) path. 
on
a short series of switchbacks, and travels through a mixture of Douglas fir, California
bay, buckeye, blue elderberry, manzanita, hazelnut, coyote brush, toyon, pitcher
sage, monkeyflower, chamise, ceanothus, and poison oak. Breaks in the foliage
afford views to the west (including a backyard or two). I saw quail, jays, and
hummingbirds on a hike in June 2000, as well as deer prints in the dirt trail
surface. At 0.49 mile, the trail turns left at a "trail" signpost, and
joins an old road for the remainder of the journey.