Bike ... Hike ... Skate
Sundays on Canada Road, Belmont, CA

For a fabulous Sunday bicycle ride which all skill levels can enjoy try lovely Canada Road in Belmont, CA. It is very convenient and has beautiful scenery, easy rolling hills, & little or no car traffic. This is a treat for all bikers -- beginners (even families with very small children on Sundays), intermediates, or as a starting segment for advanced cyclists.

On Sundays, from 9 am-3 pm, Canada Road is blocked off to cars for over 2 miles between Hwy 92 and Filoli. You can park at either end, at Canada Rd/Hwy 92 or at Canada Rd/Edgewood Rd. During the week auto traffic is almost always light making it a good ride most any time.

Below are stopping points, pictures, and comments about what you will see when you bike south on Canada Road from Hwy 92 to Woodside Road.

Hwy 92/Canada Road

You can park your car near the north end of Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir where Canada Rd intersects Hwy 92. On Sundays you will see many other bikers' cars already parked and signs that block Canada Road to auto traffic. Heading south you will quickly feel as if you are in a Swedish countryside with no freeways in sight ... only a lake on one side and rolling hills on the other.

The smooth asphalt roadway is is also a nice place to in-line skate or you can hike adjacent dirt trails located several feet off the road towards the lake.

Pulgas Water Temple

After about 2.2 miles make a quick stop to visit the Pulgas Water Temple. There are toilets and water here so it's a good end destination for small children who can't ride further. The temple was erected in 1934 as a monument and end point of the 160 mile Hetchy Hetchy Aqueduct that still provides water for the City of San Francisco and Peninsula customers. Until 2004 you could actually see the water rushing under the water temple but now it is diverted to a nearby water treatment plant.

The temple sits within a 23,000 acre watershed which is why the area remains so natural and beautiful. This watershed is a Fish & Game reserve with one of the highest concentrations of rare, endangered species of flora and fauna in the Bay area

Filoli

Filoli, at 86 Canada Road, Woodside, a half mile south of the Pulgas Water Temple, is a national historical monument. It was designed in 1915 by California architect Willis Polk and is still one of the most beautiful estates in all of California. You may have already seen the main house on "Dynasty," a TV series where it was used as the Carrington Mansion. The grounds consists of 16 acres of the most impressive formal gardens we've seen all included in the 654 acre private estate.

From Canada Road you can only see the entrance gate and it does cost $15/adult to get inside. However, Fililo is worth a separate visit by car just to see the formal gardens, especially in spring, and to check out the mansion.

Edgewood Road Exit off Hwy 280

You can get to Filoli via car by driving north on Canada Rd from the Hwy 280/Edgewood Road exit. On Sundays, immediately north of Filoli is where auto traffic is stopped for bikers.

Heading further south on Canada Road to Woodside Road the scenery is very nice though not so amazingly beautiful. The terrain is similar but Hwy 280 is now often visible and no more lakes are to be seen. There are sidewalks & horseback riding trails but usually no hiking trails unless you take the Crystal Springs hiking trailhead a few hundred yards south of Edgewood Road.

Woodside Bakery

A good end destination for your Sunday 7 mile bike trek is Woodside Bakery, 3052 Woodside Rd, Woodside, CA. It is not bad and being the only game in town is a favorite with the many weekend bikers who buzz around Woodside. By the way, the professional Amgen biking tour rode by the Bakery while going through Woodside this year.

If you are a more serious biker you might extend your ride by enjoying the quiet forested streets in Woodside, heading on up to Skyline Drive via Woodside Rd (Hwy 84), or taking a round trip to Stanford via Whiskey Hill Rd - Sand Hill Rd and back via Alpine Rd - Portola Rd - Mountain Home Rd.


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