A Woodside Fall With a New Stop on Skyline and the Season Down on the Valley Floor

As of October 5, every driver reaching the junction of Skyline Boulevard and La Honda Road has to come to a full stop. Before that, the State Route 35 shield at Four Corners carried a "cross traffic does not stop" plaque, so Skyline traffic passed through Alice's Restaurant's corner without stopping. Caltrans calls the new all-way stop part of a project expected to run through spring 2027.

That stop sign is the clearest marker of a pattern for this fall. Through December, the routes up to the ridge are slower or closed for part of the day. Almost every dated event between now and January sits on the valley floor, along Sandhill Road, Woodside Road and Cañada Road.

What changed on the roads up the hill

The Four Corners stop is one of several changes that affect getting from the Village to Skyline and the open space beyond it. As of today, October 7:

The Old La Honda work matters most on weekdays. The Town's alert, amended October 5, says the upper section closes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. while crews work and reopens after hours. More closure notices are expected as the work goes on, and Public Works takes questions at 650-851-6790. Midday drives up Old La Honda will run into the closure until December 11. Evenings and weekends are unaffected.

Some of the Four Corners work is already done. Caltrans scheduled red curbs at four locations, high-visibility ladder striping and yield lines at the north crosswalk, and "KEEP CLEAR" markings for completion in August 2026. The current phase, scheduled for September 2026 through April 2027, adds the all-way stop, new lane striping, upgraded warning signs and Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons at the pedestrian crossing on SR-35 just north of the intersection.

Why Four Corners got a stop sign

The Caltrans project page gives the reasons directly. Its safety reviews found that collision rates at Four Corners were higher than statewide averages for similar intersections, and that a significant number of reported collisions involved improper turns.

The weekend crowds help explain those numbers. The Almanac's August 21 report described the intersection on Sunday, August 16, packed with motorcycles and cars, some from as far away as Montana and North Carolina. The paper reported that weekend gatherings at Four Corners have grown to hundreds of people over roughly the past five years. The same story noted that there was a collision involving a cyclist in the area in July, less than a year after another collision involving a cyclist at Four Corners. A group of residents and riders has since pushed for stronger enforcement and lower speeds on the mountain highways.

Alice's Restaurant, at 17288 Skyline Blvd., is the landmark everyone uses for the intersection. It's open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Its owners have made their position on the crowds public. A sign outside reads "This is our community. No racing," and the co-owners told The Almanac that the restaurant discourages car meetups in its lots. The restaurant leases more than 65 parking spaces from Caltrans for its customers. Caltrans warns of reduced parking at various points along the project corridor through spring, so a Saturday breakfast at Alice's may involve a different parking hunt than it did this summer.

The season's dates sit along Sandhill and Woodside Road

At the bottom of the hill, the calendar is full, and it starts this weekend.

Woodside Day of the Horse runs October 10 and 11. It comes in a year when The Almanac reported local equestrians' estimate that Woodside's horse population has dropped from about 3,000 in the 1990s to about 300. Women in WHOA and other groups are working to keep the town's riding traditions going. The two days split this way:

1. Saturday, October 10. WHOA's Progressive Trail Ride runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on town trails, with a loop at Horse Park at Woodside, 3674 Sandhill Road. The after-party is from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Registration includes lunch and a free day stall. It costs $100 online until the 5 p.m. deadline on Friday, October 9, and $130 on the day of the ride.
2. Sunday, October 11. The free Family-fun Horse Fair runs from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Woodside Town Hall, 2955 Woodside Road. It has $5 pony rides, live music, a blacksmith demonstration, horse activities, a food truck and coffee.

None of it needs Skyline. The ride, the fair and the after-party all happen within the town's trail network and along Woodside Road.

The Town's Arts & Culture Committee comes next. Its Plein Air Show runs November 6 to 8, and a program titled "Jorge from Jasper Ridge" follows on December 4, according to the Town's September 2026 newsletter. The Committee posted a flyer for the Woodside Plein Air Art Show on October 4. Venue and hours are best confirmed there before you go.

Filoli covers the evenings from now into January

Filoli, at 86 Cañada Road, is a quick drive from the Village, and its seasonal programs fill the evenings for the next three months.

• Nightfall runs nightly through November 1, 5:30 to 10 p.m., with last entry at 8:30. It's closed tomorrow, October 8. This year adds a miniature railway with eight trains on 1,000 feet of track.
• Fall Wreath Party has sessions October 9 from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m., and October 10 from 10 a.m. to noon. The $160 price covers materials and same-day admission.
• Merry & Bright is the preview night on November 13, 6 to 10 p.m.
• Holiday Lights opens November 14 and runs through January 10, 2027, 4 to 10 p.m., with tickets from $45. Filoli promotes 28 miles of lights and a 210-foot light tunnel.

Between Nightfall ending on November 1 and Holiday Lights opening on November 14, the estate has a 12-day gap. That window lines up with the Plein Air Show. On the way to Filoli, drivers on Cañada Road pass the new synchronized blinking stop signs at Glenwood Avenue.

Daytime on Woodside Road

The valley floor also has places to go during the day. The Little Store, at 3340 Woodside Road, has carried a sign marking its standing since 1902. The Almanac's January 2026 profile reported that Aubriana Kasper and Gena Winter reopened it "in September" as a flower shop and café, after the building had been closed to the public for years. Chef Sierra Hazel, formerly of the two-Michelin-starred Birdsong in San Francisco, runs the kitchen. The menu leans seasonal, with pastries from Manresa Bread and coffee from Heart Roasters. In January The Almanac reported Wednesday through Sunday hours. The store's current online ordering listing shows 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day of the week.

Fall leaves bring one more change. Since July 1, 2026, Woodside has prohibited gas-powered leaf blowers for both private and commercial use. Privately owned parcels in the Special Conservation Planning or Open Space zones are exempt. This is the first leaf season under the rule, which matters for anyone setting up fall cleanup with a gardener.

From now through December 11, upper Old La Honda reopens to traffic after the crews leave at 5 p.m. The changes at Four Corners will continue into spring 2027.

If you're planning work on a Woodside property this season and want to know how the roadwork, the new rules or the calendar affect access and timing, Warren Real Estate LLC can help. Request a confidential consultation, and we'll walk through what applies to your parcel and your schedule.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.