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Los Trancos Woods & Vista Verde, Portola Valley (unincorporated San Mateo County) Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Unincorporated hillside streets south of Portola Valley: a 1920s summer-cottage tract on small lots along Los Trancos Creek, and the acre-plus Vista Verde lots laid out above it from 1959.
Los Trancos Woods & Vista Verde by the numbers
los trancos woods & vista verde by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Los Trancos Woods & Vista Verde (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in los trancos woods & vista verde · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Los Trancos Woods & Vista Verde
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Los Trancos Woods & Vista Verde from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
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Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (Los Trancos Woods & Vista Verde (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Los Trancos Woods & Vista Verde came to be
Coal Mine Ridge, to the northwest, is named for a 19th-century search for coal that ended when a landslide buried the mine in 1890. Lower Los Trancos Woods came in the 1920s as a community of summer cottages on very small lots served by septic tanks, as local reporting described it in 2005. The Town archive keeps a Los Trancos Woods Tract 1 map and a promotional brochure of cottage styles from those years, and photographs of one of the last early cottages, taken before a planned demolition.
The Los Trancos County Water District formed in 1954 to improve water service to part of Los Trancos Woods, and annexations between 1962 and 1972 brought in all of Los Trancos Woods and Vista Verde. In April 2005 the district sold its system, about 20 miles of pipe, six pump stations and six tanks, to California Water Service. Instead of simply dissolving, the district was replaced on October 1, 2015, by the Los Trancos County Maintenance District, governed by the Board of Supervisors and funded by a share of the property tax collected within it.
Vista Verde is the newer, higher part. A 2002 history in the Town archive says its partners laid out the first unit in 1959 and began selling lots in September 1960: 23 lots, every one over an acre, on Joaquin Road and Old Spanish Trail (first named Murieta Way). Roads for Vista Verde II were being cut in 1963. The same account says the name was chosen for the green view toward the hills that became Palo Alto's Foothills park.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Los Trancos Road climbs south from Alpine Road past Blue Oaks and becomes the main street of lower Los Trancos Woods, near Los Trancos Creek. Los Trancos Circle, Lake Road, El Nido Road, El Rey Road, Foxwood Road, Chiquita Court, Carmel Way and Bonita Road branch off it. Lots are small, mostly a fifth to half an acre, and county zoning maps put most of them in the R-1/S-83 district. Houses range from enlarged cottages to full rebuilds.
Ramona Road runs south from lower Los Trancos Woods toward Vista Verde, where the lots open up: Vista Verde Way, Old Spanish Trail, Joaquin Road, Las Piedras Street, Ciervos Street and Deer Path Drive, with lots mostly between one and two acres and a few much larger. County zoning maps put most of Vista Verde in the R-E/S-11 district. A small lake and an undeveloped parcel on Lake Road have been held under a conservation easement since the old water district dissolved.
Everything here is unincorporated San Mateo County. County Planning and Building handles permits, the county maintains the public right of way (gutters, mowing, tree trimming), the Woodside Fire Protection District provides fire service, and Cal Water supplies water. The maintenance district adds enhanced fire safety through a Woodside Fire contract, storm drain and road improvements, and land stewardship across about 335 acres, with a seven-member community advisory committee appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Its storm drain system runs through both county right of way and private property, guided by a 2013 Storm Drainage Master Plan.
streets in los trancos woods & vista verde
- Los Trancos Road
- Los Trancos Circle
- Lake Road
- El Nido Road
- El Rey Road
- Foxwood Road
- Carmel Way
- Bonita Road
- Ramona Road
- Vista Verde Way
- Old Spanish Trail
- Joaquin Road
- Las Piedras Street
- Ciervos Street
- Deer Path Drive
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Los Trancos Woods & Vista Verde
- park
Coal Mine Ridge Nature Preserve
The 235-acre northwestern part of the Coal Mine Ridge open space, between Los Trancos and Corte Madera creeks, with Town-maintained trails including the Old Spanish Trail. No dogs or bikes inside the preserve.
- trail
Upper Alpine Road and Coal Creek
Past Vista Verde, Alpine Road has been closed to cars since 1979 and now serves as a trail to Skyline Boulevard through Midpen's Coal Creek Open Space Preserve, about 500 acres along Skyline and Alpine Road.
- landmark
Lake Road lake
A small lake and undeveloped parcel on Lake Road, managed by the county and Midpen under a conservation easement; Woodside Fire supports volunteer work days there to remove invasive plants.
- shopping
Alpine and Portola corner
Roberts Market (4420 Alpine Road) is about 2 miles straight-line down Los Trancos Road.
- landmark
Corte Madera School
The Portola Valley School District's Corte Madera School (grades 4-8) is at 4575 Alpine Road, about 1.8 miles straight-line.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Unlike Ladera, Los Trancos Woods and Vista Verde are in the Portola Valley School District, and both are in the Sequoia Union High School District (Census school-district maps; every home parcel checked). The district's Corte Madera School (grades 4-8) is about 1.8 miles straight-line at 4575 Alpine Road, and Ormondale School (TK/K-3) about 2.7 miles. Attendance boundaries can change, so check the exact address with each district.
Portola Valley School District guide · Sequoia Union guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- On street maps there are two ways out: Los Trancos Road north to Alpine Road in the Town, and, from the Vista Verde side, upper Alpine Road down toward the Town. Beyond Vista Verde, Alpine Road is a car-free trail.
- I-280: the Page Mill Road interchange is about 3.7 miles and the Alpine Road interchange about 4.5 miles straight-line.
- Caltrain: Palo Alto station about 7.0 miles and Menlo Park about 7.6 miles straight-line.
- Transit is thin: the Sequoia Union High School District lists SamTrans school-day routes 86 and 87 for Portola Valley. Check SamTrans for current routes.
- On foot: Coal Mine Ridge trails and the upper Alpine Road trail toward Skyline Boulevard are close by.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Los Trancos Woods & Vista Verde: what we check
Buying here
- County, not Town: San Mateo County Planning and Building issues permits here, under R-1/S-83 zoning on most of lower Los Trancos Woods and R-E/S-11 on most of Vista Verde. Pull the county permit history, since many cottage-era houses have been enlarged.
- Sewer or septic: in 2005, 136 lots in lower Los Trancos Woods annexed to the West Bay Sanitary District and 60 owners formed an assessment district so the sanitary district could build sewer mains. County district maps still show nearly all homes here outside the district boundary, so confirm whether the house is connected, on septic or eligible to connect, get county septic records, and ask about any connection or reimbursement obligations.
- Fire: county maps place these lots in the State Responsibility Area for wildfire; check the current state fire hazard map for the address. The maintenance district funds a Woodside Fire program that reimburses half the cost of pre-approved home-hardening and defensible-space work, up to an annual cap, plus home inspections, chipper days and roadside fuel work.
- Geology and drainage: on county maps, about 184 of the 260 homes sit inside the state's Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone and about 234 in mapped landslide zones. Get geotechnical reports, look for drainage easements on the title report, and ask the county whether a storm drain project is planned on your street.
- Roads and access: lanes are narrow and steep, and there are only two routes out. Check parking, turnaround space and whether your road section is county-maintained or private.
Selling here
- Have septic or sewer-connection records ready, including any assessment or reimbursement paperwork.
- Gather county permits for past additions, decks and retaining walls; buyers will compare them with what is built.
- Document defensible-space and home-hardening work, including any maintenance-district reimbursements and inspection reports.
- Note drainage improvements and easements on the lot; storm water is a known issue the district is still funding.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Los Trancos Woods & Vista Verde questions, answered
Is Los Trancos Woods part of the Town of Portola Valley?
No. Los Trancos Woods and Vista Verde are unincorporated San Mateo County with Portola Valley 94028 addresses. The county handles planning, zoning and permits, and the Board of Supervisors governs the local maintenance district.
What is the Los Trancos County Maintenance District?
A county-governed district formed October 1, 2015, to replace the old Los Trancos County Water District. Funded by a share of local property tax, it pays for enhanced fire safety through Woodside Fire, storm drain and road improvements, and land stewardship in Los Trancos Woods, Vista Verde and five Oak Forest Court parcels inside the Town.
Which school district serves Los Trancos Woods and Vista Verde?
The Portola Valley School District and the Sequoia Union High School District, per Census district maps. Confirm the specific address with each district.
Are homes on sewer or septic?
It depends on the lot. Sewer mains were brought into lower Los Trancos Woods after 136 lots annexed to the West Bay Sanitary District in 2005; elsewhere, expect septic. Ask for records for the specific house.
Who provides water?
California Water Service, since the Los Trancos County Water District sold its system in April 2005.
How do Los Trancos Woods and Vista Verde differ?
Lower Los Trancos Woods dates from the 1920s cottage era, with lots of about a third of an acre along the creek. Vista Verde was laid out from 1959 on the hillside above, with lots mostly over an acre.
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Eric, Janelle and the Boyenga Team have sold more than 2,520 Silicon Valley homes, $2.6+ billion in all, since 1996. Get a value, a plan, or a straight answer about a street.
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