On Sundays, Cañada Road stops being a road at the Filoli entrance. From there to Highway 92, a 3.8-mile stretch closes to cars every Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for walkers, runners, cyclists and skaters. The road from Edgewood Road up to the Filoli entrance stays open to traffic.

That entrance sits at 86 Cañada Road, and since Saturday, November 14, it has also been the way into Holidays at Filoli, which runs through January 10, 2027. For the next eight weeks the same gate marks the start of the county's car-free Sunday road and serves as the front door to the estate's most crowded season. The two don't collide, because their hours line up end to end almost exactly. The exceptions are the two holiday weekends. On those Sundays the car-free road is canceled and the whole road carries cars again.

One Gate, Two Schedules

On most Sundays this season, the day splits cleanly at that entrance. North of the gate, Bicycle Sunday runs 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. South of it, Filoli's Holidays Daytime opens to visitors at 10:00 a.m. and closes in mid-afternoon, and members can book early admission at 9:00 a.m. Daytime visitors come up from Edgewood Road on the open stretch, so a car headed to Thistlewyck Village never needs the closed part of the road.

Then the handoff happens. Bicycle Sunday ends at 3:00 p.m., and Holiday Lights opens at 4:00 p.m. and runs until 10:00 p.m., with last entry at 8:00 p.m. The evening crowd arrives after the car-free hours are over.

That tidy schedule depends on the county running Bicycle Sunday, and this year it won't on two of the season's busiest Sundays.

The Two Sundays the Road Doesn't Close

San Mateo County Parks announced in October that Bicycle Sunday is canceled on holiday weekends because of staffing shortages. The 2026 cancellations are Sunday, November 29, Thanksgiving weekend, and Sunday, December 27, Christmas weekend. The county's notice asks cyclists and motorists to share the road.

Both dates fall inside Filoli's holiday season, and neither is a day Filoli is closed. Filoli shuts down for the season's three holiday dates, November 26, December 24 and December 25, and is open on both canceled Sundays. Filoli also says weekends, holidays and busy seasons may sell out, and it asks every guest to arrive within the one-hour check-in window they booked. On those two Sundays, a cyclist riding the full length of Cañada Road shares the pavement all day with drivers trying to make a timed entry.

The county also notes that Bicycle Sunday can be canceled for weather, conditions or staffing, and it gives the Parks District Office number, (650) 851-1210, for updates. For any Sunday between now and January 10, that number is the quickest way to find out which version of the road you'll get.

What's New Inside the Gate

Part of the reason this season draws crowds is that Filoli expanded it. The estate calls the 2026 Holiday Lights bigger and brighter: displays across 16 acres, 28 miles of lights, new blooms and orbs, decorated firs, and a 210-foot light tunnel. Tickets start at $45, members get 20 percent off, and Circle members get in free.

The new daytime attraction is the Filoli Family Farm, set inside Thistlewyck Village under the redwoods. It has miniature cows, goats, sheep, and a mother donkey with her baby. The farm comes with Holidays Daytime admission, which starts at $40 and is free for members. Food and drinks are sold at the Quail Cafe and the Chalets.

The farm and Thistlewyck Village have a shorter run than the rest of the season. Both close on January 3, a week before the House, Garden and Holiday Lights finish on January 10. Holiday Lights also has one dark evening in the middle of its run, Saturday, December 12. Lights run November 14 through December 11, then resume December 13 and continue to January 10.

The Parking Lots Along Cañada Road

Parking is where the two crowds could run into each other, and the county has already drawn that line. Its Bicycle Sunday page tells participants not to use the parking lot or restrooms at Filoli. Bicycle Sunday parking is on Edgewood and Cañada roads and to the north at Highway 92. Filoli's lot is for Filoli guests. The estate lists free parking in its Main Lot, with possible overflow lots, and uses the Main Lot for rideshare drop-off and pickup.

The rest of the corridor has its own rules, and they're stricter on weekends and holidays.

• Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve opens at 8:00 a.m. every day of the year, holidays included. Closing time changes with the season. The county lists it as the nearest restroom stop for Bicycle Sunday, about 1.2 miles away. Its Clarkia Trailhead is off Cañada Road about half a mile south of the Edgewood and Cañada intersection, with limited roadside parking.
• Pulgas Water Temple opens its grounds and parking lot from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. On Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays the lot is closed, and hikers and cyclists can use the pedestrian gate from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The temple is the other restroom stop the county names for Bicycle Sunday. Its Saturday weddings run only April through October, so they won't close the grounds this season.

Under SFPUC's rules, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day are treated like weekends at the temple: the gate is open to people on foot or bike, and the lot is closed to cars.

The Season's Dates, in Order

Here is the rest of the season along this stretch of Woodside, counting from publication day, Thursday, November 19.

1. Sunday, November 22. Last day to order from Roberts Market's 2026 Thanksgiving menu. Orders must be picked up by 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25. The menu includes a $260 organic turkey dinner that serves up to eight and a 9-inch Beckmann's pumpkin pie for $28.99.
2. Thursday, November 26. Thanksgiving. Roberts Market at 3015 Woodside Road, normally open 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily, is closed, and so is Holidays at Filoli.
3. Friday, November 27. Skyline Ranch Christmas Tree Farm, at 22246 Skyline Blvd. in La Honda, opens for the season the day after Thanksgiving. Opening day starts at 8:00 a.m., and the farm asks visitors to call for daily hours after that. Choose-and-cut trees cost $90, any size.
4. Sunday, November 29. No Bicycle Sunday. Cañada Road is open to cars all day.
5. Saturday, December 12. Holiday Lights is closed for the evening.
6. Thursday and Friday, December 24 and 25. Holidays at Filoli is closed. Roberts Market is closed on Christmas Day.
7. Sunday, December 27. No Bicycle Sunday for the second time this season.
8. Sunday, January 3. Last day for Thistlewyck Village and the Family Farm.
9. Sunday, January 10. Final day of Holidays Daytime and Holiday Lights.

After January 10, the Filoli entrance goes back to marking where the Sunday road closes, and Cañada Road returns to its usual schedule.

Over the years I've watched Cañada Road go through plenty of holiday seasons, and I'm always glad to talk about what's happening along this part of Woodside, whether you're planning a Sunday ride or thinking about the road's place in your own plans. Find me through Stephanie Nash, and let's connect.