The hook
A serpentine grassland that erupts into one of the Bay Area's best wildflower shows each spring, hidden between the freeways of Redwood City.
01Why it's worth it
Most of the year Edgewood is unremarkable, dry grass and oak. But it sits on serpentine soil, harsh, low-nutrient rock that most plants can't handle, which is exactly why it hosts an explosion of native wildflowers that get outcompeted everywhere else. For a few weeks in spring, roughly March into May, the hills go technicolor with poppies, lupine, tidytips, and rare serpentine specialists, and it becomes one of the best wildflower walks on the peninsula. The rest of the year it's a pleasant oak-and-grass loop with valley views. So this is a place you time: hit peak bloom and it's spectacular; show up in August and you'll wonder what the fuss was about.
02How to experience it
Start from the Edgewood Road or Sunset trailheads in Redwood City. Go in spring, ideally after a wet winter, for the flowers; the Serpentine and Sylvan loop is the classic. Weekday mornings dodge the bloom-season crowds, and docent wildflower walks run in season.