Phleger Estate

Disappear into the mossy woods at the Phleger Estate.

Denis LeBlanc

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Trailhead

Situated on the northeastern flank of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Phleger Estate was once heavily logged for its redwood trees. Century-old stumps and steam powered sawmill remnants are still visible. Thankfully for nature lovers, so are the redwoods, which have grown back along the creeks and trails.

Trails at Phleger Estate

The trails at Phleger Estate combine for approximately 4.6 miles of moderately difficult out-and-back hiking under the cover of secondary growth redwoods. For access to the trails at Phleger, park in the lot near Huddart County Park, on the southern side of the estate. The trails here are well maintained and frequented by equestrian horse-friend types, but are also great for hikers. No dogs or bicycles are permitted at the Phleger Estate.

San Andreas Activity

The San Andreas fault line runs through Phleger Estate forming a rift valley of low-lying, marshy terrain along Union Creek. The area west of the fault is rising due to pressure built up along the fault, forming the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west. The mountains rose about three feet during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Gold-Digging

In 1848, when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, people from all over the states and indeed, the world, went gold-crazy. San Francisco's population ballooned from a few hundred to more than 30,000. The need for homes, hotels, businesses and other buildings helped fuel a lucrative logging industry, including Phleger Estate, then known as Mountain Meadow.

Private Estate to National Park

Herman Phleger, a respected San Francisco lawyer and his wife Mary Elena Phleger, bought the large country house above west Union Creek in 1931. They were early supporters of the Save-the-Redwoods League, and in 1994, Mary Phleger sold the estate to the Peninsula Open Space Trust. The land was then turned over to the National Park Service.