Phleger Estate(Golden Gate National Recreation Area)

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Phleger Estate entry sign

Description

Area Habitats
Mixed Woodland, Redwood Forest, Coniferous Forest

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The Phleger Estate is an unusual and little-known unit of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This means it is our local National Park! But the difficulty of accessing it - currently the entrances to Phleger Estate are all through Huddart County Park - and the existence of the many Open Space Preserves along Skyline with similar habitat, have conspired to maintain the obscurity of the Phleger Estate.

However, this unfamiliarity may not be justified. First, the access points through Huddart are themselves bird-rich and fairly easy to find; second, the trails are in excellent condition, used by hikers and equestrians only (meaning, no mountain bikers). Furthermore, the scenery is simply lovely throughout.

The Phleger Estate is heavily wooded, with few open areas and gradual-to-imperceptible changes of habitat. It is not the place to assemble a long bird list, but it is the place to unwind into the lushness of the Skyline world of redwoods, Douglas firs, and mixed woodlands, hoping to detect the more unusual species found in this elevated habitat: Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hermit Warbler, and Red Crossbill.

There are four trails in the Phleger Estate (a fifth, the extension of the Skyline Trail, is not yet open). These four are, from west to east, the Lonely Trail, Raymundo Trail, Mt. Redondo Trail, and Miramontes Trail. The Lonely Trail and Miramontes Trail connect directly to the trail system in Huddart County Park; Raymundo and Mt. Redondo form a north/south loop, respectively, around some deep creeks. The Lonely Trail (almost two miles in total length) is quite steep, especially in its first mile, as it descends over 800 feet from Skyline Drive. While it has probably earned its moniker due to the challenges it poses (especially uphill!), there are two benches placed along its meandering length.

The Raymundo and Mt. Redondo Trails form a 2.5 mile loop with each other. The Raymundo Trail follows the edges of Union Creek, while Mt. Redondo is just south of a tributary of Union Creek. Tracing its way along the ridges of canyons above the creeks, this loop has some of the best birding in the park.

The Miramontes Trail (1.4 miles total length) connects the Phleger Estate with the eastern edges of Huddart Park. This is the most-used portion of the Phleger Estate, and, at its beginning, includes a plaque celebrating the establishment of this unit of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the 1990s.

To borrow the language of Wikipedia, this article is a stub. In fact, it is an article in search of an intrepid birder/explorer who will hike the trails in this park and rewrite this description.

Look For These Birds

Great Blue Heron (flyover), White-tailed Kite (uncommon here), Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Band-tailed Pigeon, Anna's Hummingbird, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Acorn Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Hutton's Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Steller's Jay, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse (uncommon here, near border with Huddart Park), Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Bushtit, Brown Creeper, Pacific Wren, Bewick's Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Wrentit, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Varied Thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, California Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Red Crossbill

Rarities Seen Here

In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.

Pileated Woodpecker (2012)

Directions

Enter from Huddart Park for the lower portions (Miramontes Trail) of the Phleger Estate. The easiest access point from within Huddart is to park at the Zwierlein picnic area, and follow the trail signs to the Crystal Springs trail. Directions to Phleger are clearly indicated. There is a parking fee of $6 if you enter through Huddart.

The other points of access to this park are found along Skyline Boulevard. The King's Mountain Fire Station has a point of access to the Lonely Trail, just north of the fire station itself. A bit south of here, along the actual border between Huddart and Phleger Estate, at Huddart gate #15, is a pull-over area wide enough for one-two cars; the trailhead for the Lonely Trail can be accessed here. These access points along Skyline are without charge.

Interactive Map

Fees

There are no fees associated with the Phleger Estate per se, but if you park at Huddart Park, you pay the county park fee there (currently $6.00).

Hours

No hours are officially listed. To access the lower portions of the park, though, you need to enter through Huddart Park, which opens at 8:00 am.

Hazards

This is one of the more remote areas along the Skyline corridor, meaning that Mountain Lions are known to reside here (see link below for proof positive!). Poison oak is abundant, and ticks, as usual, are possible.

Facilities

No restrooms on site; all services available at Huddart County Park, including picnic tables. There are two benches along the Lonely Trail.

Accessibility

  Accessibility information is currently not available for this location.

Contact

The park office can be reached by phone at 415-561-4323

Links

• GGNRA Phleger Estate Pages
• Phleger Estate hiking assessment
• During the March 2014 Golden Gate National Recreation Area bioblitz, a Mountain Lion was detected on a remote motion-sensor camera. The Puma Project has placed these cameras throughout the Phleger Estate; do not disturb or play with them if you come across these cameras (the same warning holds true for Mountain Lions, by the way).  Look at the impressive cat on this iNaturalist entry.
• Wikipedia entry on Phleger Estate.
• The geography and history of West Union Creek can be explored from this Wikipedia article.

Avian Research Status

The Phleger Estate has an eBird hotspot, with 43 species represented, but a mere six quadrants have coverage! The more folks who visit and record their sightings for eBird, the more sense it will make to refer to this as a hotspot!

The Phleger Estate has better data in iNaturalist than it does in eBird.

Additional Photos

Lonely Trail Sign, December 2019 (Jennifer Rycenga)

Band-tailed Pigeon enjoying berries, December 2019 (Jennifer Rycenga)

Common Raven, December 2019 (Jennifer Rycenga)

This trailhead marker at the main parking lot for Huddart County Park points you in the direction of the Phleger Estate. Park at the Zwierlein Area for easiest access (just under a mile's hike from Zwierlein before you reach the boundary with Phleger Estate's Miramontes Trail. March 2009 (Jennifer Rycenga)

Trail junction of Miramontes, Raymundo, and Mt. Redondo Trails, Phleger Estate. December 2015 (Jennifer Rycenga)

The lower bench along the Lonely Trail. Phleger Estate, December 2015 (Jennifer Rycenga)

Acorn Woodpecker. Phleger Estate near King's Mountain Firestation. December 2015 (Jennifer Rycenga)

Mixed Woodlands along the Mt. Redondo Trail, Phleger Estate. December 2015 (Jennifer Rycenga)

A natural arch over the Miramontes Trail, Phleger Estate. December 2015 (Jennifer Rycenga)