Wunderlich Park, Woodside

Today we went with some friends to Wunderlich Park (here's a map), just outside the town of Woodside. A century ago the land was owned by James Folger, the founder of Folger's Coffee (like Levi Strauss, Folger had come to California during the gold rush, but made his money not by extracting wealth from the mines, but by extracting wealth from the miners).

via flickr

The park was a pretty big hit with the kids. We took a roughly two-mile hike that took us through coast redwoods, eucalyptus, and oak. (I'm a complete pushover for redwoods, especially when the paths-- like the one in Wunderlich-- has lots of switchbacks and curves.)

via flickr

The terrain is hilly, but not outrageous, and trails are pretty well-kept and -marked.

via flickr

Of course, most of the kids enjoyed themselves mainly because they had company (if there's one essential piece of equipment to keep kids happy on a hike, it's not water or snacks or good shoes, but other kids). But my son, who likes to complain about hikes, even enjoyed himself. I caught up with him walking by himself on the trail-- the girls had run ahead-- and he seemed self-contained and perfectly content. Which is unusual for a 6 year-old.

via flickr