The whippets on wheels rip through town at high noon weekdays. Every Sunday, four miles of Ca ada Road north of Woodside is closed to cars from 9 a.m. to mid-afternoon. Though there's a trail alongside the road, walkers and runners are more likely to prefer the loops in adjacent Edgewood Natural Preserve, and the horses hang out up the hill in Huddart County Park. Though Interstate 280 is always within earshot, this stretch of Ca ada has a pastoral feel. Except for the Filoli estate, the land on both sides is owned by the San Francisco water department and very limited access is allowed.
Deer are a fixture in the meadows, and bobcats and coyotes sometimes venture out in the daylight.
No reservations are needed for the Pulgas Water Temple, just north of Filoli, where Hetch Hetchy water spills into Crystal Springs Reservoir. It has toilets, a water faucet and a big lawn. Those aspiring to whippet status can create longer loops off either end of the car-free section. On the other end, south of Edgewood Road, Ca ada's bike lanes continue three flat miles to what passes for downtown Woodside. The houses of the industry titans in this neighborhood are hidden down long oak-lined driveways.