The Woodside Store

The Woodside Store is easy to miss: a modest wooden building set back from the corner where Tripp Road meets Kings Mountain Road, at the foot of the hills west of Woodside. Step inside and you are in a country store restored to about 1880. It began as the supply post for the shingle makers, sawmill hands and lumberjacks who cut the Peninsula's redwoods during and after the gold rush. Over the years it also served as a post office, a stagecoach stop, a bank and even a dentist's office.

The store is a San Mateo County park run by the San Mateo County Historical Association, the same group behind the county History Museum in Redwood City. Entry is free. Our Woodside village guide covers the town center a mile away. This page focuses on the store itself, with hours and events from the association's Woodside Store page, checked on November 2, 2026.

History: redwoods, shingles and Dr. Tripp

The gold rush of 1848 sent thousands of men to California. Most found no gold on the Peninsula. A few found something else: the giant redwoods in the hills west of the bay, which could be cut into lumber and shingles for a fast-growing San Francisco. Among those early arrivals were Robert O. Tripp, Mathias Parkhurst and a partner named Ellis, who set out from San Francisco to make redwood shingles.

By 1851 Ellis had moved on. Sawmills multiplied in the canyons and the woods filled with shingle makers and lumberjacks who needed food, tools and supplies. Parkhurst bought a 127-acre parcel of the old Rancho Cañada Raymundo. On it, he and Tripp built a store to supply the woodsmen. When that first building burned, they replaced it in 1854 with the structure that stands today. Parkhurst died in 1863. Tripp and his family kept the store going until his death in 1909.

Robert O. Tripp

Tripp was born in 1816 and trained as a dentist in Massachusetts before heading west. In Woodside he wore many hats: storekeeper, shingle maker, vintner, postmaster and even a San Francisco supervisor. He and his wife, Emeline, had one daughter. He also offered dental services at the store, one of the stranger sidelines of any general store in the county.

The store as a town center

For decades the Woodside Store was the closest thing the area had to a town. It served as a stagecoach stop, a post office and a lending library. It also acted as a bank, since it held the only armored safe in the district. Neighbors came to pick up mail, trade news and settle accounts. Many of the objects on display reflect those uses.

From store to museum

The County of San Mateo bought the store in 1940. The state registered it as a historical landmark in 1949; it is California Historical Landmark No. 93. The building was restored to its 1880s appearance in 1994. Our page on historic landmarks lists the official sites closer to Palo Alto.

Hours and admission for 2026

Admission is free. Parking is in the store's own lot and the association asks visitors not to park on the street. The store is staffed by volunteers, so call 650.851.7615 before a holiday visit. Group and school visits run through the association's school program.

What to see

The association says the store has been restored to its 1880s appearance and that the artifacts on display reflect the many jobs it did. Look for these themes as you go around:

• The general store. What it was like to go shopping in San Mateo County in 1880, which is how the association pitches a visit.
• The post office. The store was the area's mail stop for years, with Tripp as postmaster.
• Dr. Tripp the dentist. Few general stores doubled as dental offices. Kids tend to remember this part.
• The safe. The armored safe that made the store the district's bank.
• The logging story. Shingles, sawmills and the redwood trade that built San Francisco.

A full look takes 30 to 45 minutes. Volunteers on duty can answer questions and often point out details you would miss on your own.

Getting there from Palo Alto

The store is about 20 minutes by car from downtown Palo Alto. Take Sand Hill Road or Interstate 280 to Woodside Road (Highway 84) and head west through Woodside village. Turn right on Kings Mountain Road. The store sits at the junction with Tripp Road, about a mile up. No public transit serves it.

The road is a classic cycling route. Riders from Palo Alto often loop through Woodside on weekends. Kings Mountain Road climbs steeply past the store toward Skyline Boulevard. Our Cañada Road ride covers a flatter route north of town. If you plan to continue over the hill on Highway 84 toward La Honda, note that the road between La Honda and Woodside has resurfacing work with one-way traffic control through the winter of 2026 to 2027.

Tips for visiting with kids

• Keep it short. The store is small. Combine it with a walk in Huddart Park, a little higher up Kings Mountain Road, for a half day. San Mateo County charges $6 per vehicle for day use.
• Ask about the safe and the dentistry. Volunteers enjoy telling these stories.
• Come in May. Old Woodside Store Day is the best time for children (details below).
• Mind the road. Kings Mountain Road has narrow shoulders and fast cyclists, so hold small hands near the lot.

Food nearby

There is no food at the store. The village center a mile down the hill has the closest options, all confirmed on their own websites in early November 2026:

• Buck's of Woodside at 3062 Woodside Road serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Its site lists 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday. On Friday and Saturday it stays open until 9:30 p.m.
• Robert's Market on Woodside Road is the village grocery and deli, handy for picnic supplies.
• Alice's Restaurant at 17288 Skyline Boulevard, at the top of the hill where Highway 84 meets Skyline, is a longtime stop for riders and drivers. Its site lists 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Our Woodside food guide covers the Village Pub and other choices.

Events

Old Woodside Store Day is held each year on the first Sunday in May. The 2026 edition ran on May 3 from noon to 4 p.m. and was free. Activities included shingle making, a two-man saw, rope twining, doll making, games and seed-spitting contests, with live bluegrass all afternoon. Event parking was at Woodside Elementary School, 3195 Woodside Road, with a shuttle to the store. Expect the 2027 date to follow the same pattern, on Sunday, May 2, but confirm on the association's event page in spring.

The historical association also points visitors to the Methuselah Tree on Skyline Boulevard, a huge old redwood it describes as nearly 2,000 years old. It makes a short detour on the drive up. For a fuller day, Filoli sits a few minutes north of the village and Wunderlich Park has longer trails through the same logged and regrown forest.

Frequently asked questions