Blog Archives

Presidio BTB to BB

1/31/2013

On the way to the Batteries to Bluffs Trail via the Coastal Trail, there's the Golden Gate Overlook (first pic).

Upon reaching the BTB's east trailhead could see the usual skateboarders atop Battery Crosby way off in the distance. The nearby Pacific Overlook area along Lincoln is still being worked on and there's a trail detour but, as last time, the BTB (473 or so steps) was accessible (pics 2, 3).

There are around 130 steps to the BTB's View Point with the lone bench.

At around the 268th step, detoured down to Marshall's Beach, a secluded spot that can only be reached from the Batteries to Bluffs. The Marshall's trail is short and rocky with 45 or so steps (pics 4, 5).

Back up to continue to the west BTB trailhead and uphill to Lincoln. However, instead of crossing over to climb the Connector Trail (208) to Immigrant Point Overlook, stayed on the same side of Lincoln for the top of the Sand Ladder. There are at least 250 steps, always more or less covered with sand, down to Baker Beach. So walk this one and see what YOU get… Next 5 pix.

Sand-slogged a short distance over to the micro-Sand Ladder: 45 steps up (11th pic), for trails just above the beach. A green area with sandy trails and a bunch of picnic tables are scattered about (last pic) near the parking lot for beachgoers and Battery Chamberlin.

Uphill a short distance are two bus stops for the #29 Sunset.

A view from the Golden Gate Overlook

Batteries to Bluffs Trail

Batteries to Bluffs down the west side

Marshall's Beach Trail

Top of the Sand Ladder down from Lincoln

Sand Ladder

Sand Ladder up from Baker Beach

Sand Ladder down to Baker Beach

Micro-Sand Ladder up from Baker Beach, 45 steps

Baker Beach picnic area

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Superlongs on Telegraph Hill

1/30/2013

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For today's hike, Nob Hill's Joice was my starting stairway (67 steps, Pine partway to California).

Passing Romolo and Broadway at the corner of North Beach's Beat Museum, was disappointed to note that the colorful Chinese history mural is no more; it's been completely painted over.

From Broadway ascended the west Peter Macchiarini sidewalk stairway (supersteep Kearny dead-ends at Vallejo for cars at the top wall. 154 or so steps: first five pics).

On to the zigzaggy Vallejo garden steps (97 steps for the middle, main stairs) and down to Montgomery. (Have some old pix from when I used to live here before this block was gardenized in my "Telegraph Hill" album on Facebook). Sixth pic: One of the two older side stairways.

As my main goals today were the two superlongs starting from the east foot of the hill just off Sansome, descended the steep block from Montgomery to 300 Vallejo at Sansome, and north on Sansome to the first, Filbert (383 steps up to Coit Tower/Pioneer Park: next three fotos).

Near 216 Filbert where the houses start and the concrete stairs turn to wood, the longtime bench is gone now.

At around the 223rd step, at the second offshoot walkway off the main Filbert steps, Darrell, there's now a bench in front of the building where I used to live. Darrell and the wooden Napier Lane boardwalk aren't through to the Greenwich steps.

Divided Montgomery continues Filbert at about the 264th step up. The former Shadows Restaurant on the upper Filbert steps is now a residence.

At the top of the Filbert stairway at Telegraph Hill Blvd. 64 steps climb to the Tower entrance in Pioneer Park.

Tenth Pic: An example of one of the Depression-era murals inside Coit Tower.

Now for Greenwich all the way back down to Sansome, descending from the east edge of the parking lot. This sign can be seen partway down (11th pic).

About 273 steps down Greenwich stopped for a moment at the slatted offsteps bench; the frog and tiger (outdoor artwork) still live here. In the gardenspot just below the walkway, residents are now keeping bees. So around 376 steps total for Greenwich to Sansome.

A few blocks north took me to the Francisco stairway to loop back around to the south. But this stairway's not accessed directly off Sansome like the other two. You need to zig around to the north a couple of streets to Kearny. Here at the foot of the hill between residences and Tan's Cafe III, where a green awning on one of the residences says "155 Francisco," is a green-lawned minipark with benches. The stairway (85 steps: 12th and 13th pix) is just ahead. For a few old pix of this area as it looked in the mid-70s, see my Facebook album "Telegraph Hill II."

The viewspot minipark that is Jack Early Park (constructed 1962) is just around the corner (up from Grant) from the top of the Francisco stairs. It's an up-and-back stairway (64 or so steps). Last pic: A view from atop Jack Early Park.

Back down this and mostly uphill on Grant a few blocks to 500 Filbert, continued up 47 sidewalk steps to Varennes. Over a couple of blocks re-descended the Peter Macchiarini sidewalk steps: this time about 142 steps on the east side, back to Broadway in the North Beach 'hood.

Peter Macchiarini sidewalk steps

Kearny, center, Vallejo down to Broadway

Kearny and the Peter Macchiarini Steps

Kearny and Peter Macchiarini Steps

Top of the steps at Vallejo

Vallejo side steps down to Montgomery

Starting up Filbert from Sansome

Filbert, up from Sansome

Filbert starts up from Sansome

Inside Coit Tower

Partway up the Greenwich stairway

Francisco stairway, Kearny to Grant

Francisco steps, Kearny to Grant

View from atop Jack Early Park

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Taylor to Larkin Russian Hill

1/25/2013

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I highly recommend San Francisco's Russian Hill for stairway- and hillwalkers. Since I did the other 31.5-grade street's sidewalk stairways yesterday (22nd between Church and Vicksburg), couldn't ignore Filbert's from Leavenworth up to Hyde now, could I?

But first, other stairways to do on the way. Started off with Nob Hill's Taylor sidewalk steps (192 steps, first pic, Pine to California), shortly crossing Broadway to ascend Russian Hill. At Broadway are two sidewalk stairways from Taylor to a concrete wall and benches at the top, nearly to Jones. Took the north steps (166), second and third pix. A couple of the south stairway: pics 4 and 5.

Just after you reach the top, another stairway looms to the right (54 steps, sixth pic), up from Broadway to Florence and out to Vallejo. Vallejo here has sidewalk stairways on both sides and a minipark to the east with the main Vallejo stairway down to Taylor. Upon reaching Vallejo, however, turned west to go down to 1100 Vallejo at Jones via a unique arched-double-stairway: 20 steps (seventh pic).

Downhill on the Jones west sidewalk stairway, 53 steps (eighth pic) to the westernmost block of Macondray Lane. This part, emerging at Leavenworth, has just a few steps on a narrow walkway alongside a building.

Down Leavenworth past Union where the delightful Havens stairway climbs from the west side of Leavenworth about midblock. Descended to the foot of Filbert at Leavenworth, then up the north sidewalk stairway to Hyde (120 steps: pics 9, 10).

One street over (Greenwich at 2000 Hyde) are 27 steps into George Sterling Park. Down from the top at the Alice Marble Tennis Courts the main park stairway plunges down to Larkin: about 113 steps (11th pic).

Up from Larkin back into the park, 92 steps on the north (Lombard) side will take you to a couple of tiled benches. From here (Phoebe's Terrace) climbed back up part of the main stairway as the north stairway doesn't go all the way up.

Out of the park, the top of the Lombard twisty bricked street and its two sidewalk stairways was just ahead. Chose the north stairway again (249-ish steps) down to Leavenworth (12th pic).

On the way back now, steeply down a block to take the long Jones sidewalk stairway up: 2100 Jones at Filbert (13th pic).

From the top of this one (about 369 steps to Green at 1900 Jones), down the Green stairway (128 or so steps, shady with a railing in the middle) to Taylor.

One steep uphill block south on Taylor to Vallejo to Ina Coolbrith Park on the east side of Taylor with its stairway down into the park. On the west side directly across the street is the Vallejo stairway up to the micropark.

Right next to the Ina Coolbrith Park stairway is Fallon Place (last pic), an up-and-back stairway but still a public "street" one can walk. You can't get through down to Mason from here; use the Coolbrith Park steps.

I remember Fallon before it got condo-ized. The few pix I took back then are in my Russian Hill FB album but aren't very good. Later found a library book with a title something like "The San Francisco Street of 80 Steps." Not sure of the exact title; the last time I checked it out was several years ago. Googling it didn't get me any results; don't know the author or when it was published. Probably out of print. It's a short, nostalgic personal history of life on this stairway written by a woman who lived there before the present buildings were constructed. I think at least some of the original steps are still there though.

Continued down Taylor back to Broadway and my Russian Hill beginning.

Taylor from Pine to California, Nob Hill

North sidewalk steps, Broadway up from Taylor

Broadway north sidewalk steps partway up to Jones

Broadway's south sidewalk steps up from Taylor

Broadway's south sidewalk stairway

Up from Broadway to Florence

Vallejo to Jones

Jones to Macondray Lane

Filbert, Leavenworth to Hyde, north sidewalk steps

Filbert sidewalk steps, Leavenworth to Hyde

George Sterling Park main stairway down to Larkin

Lombard's north sidewalk steps, Hyde down to Leavenworth

Jones east sidewalk steps, Filbert to Green

Fallon steps down from Taylor

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22nd Street Stairmasters

1/24/2013

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The 22nd Street sidewalk stairways from Church up to Vicksburg in Dolores Heights can be easily reached via the J-Church Metro. The train passes right by the foot of the hill.

This part of 22nd is said to be tied for SF's steepest street grade with Filbert (and the two Filbert sidewalk stairways) on Russian Hill between Leavenworth and Hyde: at 31.5 degrees.

The stairway on the south side of 22nd has around 146 steps (first two pics) and the one on the north 143 (third pic), same as a previous count a couple of years ago. The Botanical mural on the northside wall could use some touching up.

Up the south steps, then down the north, heading for Sanchez and the two 20th Street stairways I'm especially fond of in this 'hood.

For hillwalkers who go for the really steep ones, the next two regular streets to the north, Hill and 21st, are good ones to huff up. There should've been stairways here too. I'd like to see a pocket-sized device that'd digitally, without any calculations on my part, tell me exactly how steep stairways/streets/trails are as I hike 'em. Like the last blocks of 28th and 29th from Noe Valley up into Diamond Heights f'instance.

Trudged up supersteep 21st to get to Sanchez. Downhill a little from here to get to the top of the Sanchez steps: 34 down to 745 Sanchez at 400 Liberty. If you want to do the Liberty stairway (Rayburn down to Noe), it's nearby to the west. Today continued on divided Sanchez's upper part (fourth pic) to the first of the 20th Street stairways: 62 steps to 20th (fifth and sixth pics). Then a short distance to the west to descend the steepish stairway to Noe alongside an apartment building (80 steps: seventh and eighth pics).

On Noe a short stroll (north) took me to the Cumberland stairway (41 steps: 10th pic). Up from Noe on Cumberland will take you back to Sanchez.

Sanchez down from Cumberland has 29 sidewalk steps on the east side (11th pic) and some on the west side. These lead down to the stairway (12th pic) that will take you to 19th Street: around 74 steps from the Sanchez dead-end-for-cars viewspot down to 19th. The Pride mural on the apartment building at the corner of 19th & Castro is still there (last pic).

22nd Street South Sidewalk Stairway

South Sidewalk Steps, Church to Vicksburg on 22nd

22nd Street Hill, North Sidewalk Stairway

Divided Sanchez down to 20th

20th Street Stairway up from Sanchez

Top of 20th Street steps up from Sanchez

Second 20th Street stairway down to Noe

20th Street steps down to Noe

Cumberland stairway, Noe to Sanchez

Sanchez sidewalk steps, Cumberland to top of stairway that descends to 19th

Sanchez stairway up from 19th Street

Part of mural on apt. bldg. at 19th & Castro

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Forest Knolls Four

1/17/2013

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Usually don't do all the Forest Knolls (a 'hood on Mount Sutro) stairways on a hike, but lately with this cooler weather felt an urge for a special all-four-FK-stairways trek.

First have to walk several blocks from the Forest Hill Metro station to get to Ashwood Lane's foot. Laguna Honda Blvd. soon curves into Clarendon next to the reservoir. Cross over, uphill on Clarendon past a gated community called "The Woods." Ashwood stairway is next to the green pedestrian skyway (crosses Clarendon into Midtown Terrace: first pic).

Seventeen steps down turn into a short walkway that passes a school above to the right and homes on Galewood Circle to your left, then the rest of the stairs: 109 total for Ashwood to Oak Park (next three pics).

At the top of Ashwood, you can't miss seeing the next stairway, Blairwood Lane, starting up from Oak Park. However, wanted to climb Glenhaven first so headed uphill east a little way to where the east end of Oak Park meets Warren. Glenhaven climbs to Christopher (at Crestmont): 167 steps, pics 5, 6, 7.

At the top of Glenhaven, turn left (west) on Crestmont and look for the top of Blairwood (337 or so steps: eighth pic) a short distance away. Did this one twice: down it to Oak Park, then back up again to the top at Crestmont so as to access the even longer Oakhurst (355-ish steps) a few blocks west from here.

Just past a "Dead-End" sign, Oakhurst Lane plummets directly across Crestmont from the retaining wall (ninth pic: Mount Sutro Openspace Reserve above).

Oakhurst (next three) descends to Warren, winding and steep. Just before you get down to Seventh Avenue, a wood-and-rope stairway with about 31 steps will take you into Garden for the Environment (last pic).

Over Clarendon: Forest Knolls to Midtown Terrace

Ashwood Lane Steps, Clarendon to Oak Park

Top of Ashwood Lane stairway, Clarendon to Oak Park

Top of Ashwood Lane at Oak Park

Glenhaven, Oak Park & Warren up to Christopher & Crestmont

Glenhaven Lane stairway

Glenhaven Lane down to Oak Park & Warren

Blairwood Lane, the middle stairway, down to Oak Park

Retaining wall across Crestmont from top of Oakhurst stairway

Top of Oakhurst Lane stairway at Crestmont

Oakhurst Lane stairway, Crestmont down to Warren

Oakhurst Lane

Garden for the Environment off 7th Ave.

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Esmeralda North

1/11/2013

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One Bernal-hike a couple of years ago led me from my beginning at Fair (up from Mission) several blocks to Bernal Heights Park on Esmeralda that consisted of mostly stairs. Esmeralda's steps are twice interrupted by a bit of street on the way up. Bernal has narrower streets than the rest of the city; the distance between flights is so short that I'm inclined to call all of Esmeralda north, from Coleridge straight ahead to the park, one continuing stairway series.

Inspired to revisit this one after receiving a (2012) San Francisco stairs-and-slides photo-calendar (put out by Zephyr Realty) called "Chutes and Ladders" that had a photo of Esmeralda's double slide. So today ascended all of it, then just continued down the hill's south slope from the park. An effective way to warm up on a chilly day.

This time started up from the west side instead of the Fair stairway: from the J-Church Metro's closest stop on 30th and Dolores two or so blocks from the foot of the hill. Coleridge is the first cross-street up from Virginia. Turn left to the Coleridge Minipark between Virginia and Fair. Crossing the street here, the first series of steps begins Esmeralda to one side of a white house (first pic).

This first flight climbs to 100 Lundys/50 Esmeralda from Coleridge: 61 steps. The next stairway can easily be seen from the top (second pic) and invites you to keep going up: Lundys to Prospect.

From 100 Prospect, the next shady flight will take you to 100 Winfield/200 Esmeralda (third pic). This is the section of Esmeralda with the slides in the micropark. There are 77 steps this time, with the last part of the stairway running alongside the double slide (pics 4, 5).

One more short non-stairs walkup, the last stairway in full view across Elsie, the next street.

At Elsie 100 and Esmeralda 300 the steps continue into Bernal Heights Park. This longer part is called the "Esmeralda Corridor" on Google Maps: 122 or so steps. At the top of the stairs you'll step out onto a park trail (pics 6, 7, 8, 9).

Pic 10: A park trail.

So 260 steps in all for Esmeralda's north side.

Now in the park, curved round to the west (view of Twin Peaks and the rest of the world) to the Labyrinth (11th pic). Mile Rock Beach (Lands End) is not the only park with a Labyrinth to walk. Across from the Labyrinth you'll see a treehouse and a stairway starting down alongside a home (12th pic: at the top of the Andover stairway). This one consists of around 60 concrete and wood steps with a few steppingstones in the center: down to 100 Andover's north dead-end for cars at 100 Powhattan (last pic).

From here, a short distance downhill to Cortland 500 and Andover 300, the library and The Good Life Grocery.

Precita Eyes Muralists have commenced work on the library's new mural.

Esmeralda & Coleridge, foot of the stairway

Esmeralda at Lundys Lane

Esmeralda between Prospect & Winfield

Esmeralda Slides and Stairway

Top of Esmeralda's Slides

Esmeralda Corridor, Elsie to the Park

Top of Esmeralda into Bernal Heights Park

Bernal Heights Park

Top of Andover steps at Bernal Heights Park

Andover & Powhattan. Steps up to the park.

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Four Long Stairways

1/9/2013

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The Presidio's Battery East Trail is just to the east of the bridge. From the bridgeview area/pavilion building down to the picnic area (the short trail here has a "Steep Slope" sign at the top), continued east through the low-overhead pedestrian tunnel.

The Battery East's trailhead-stairway (about 152 wood steps) winds up from the west end of Crissy Field Beach. Near the Warming Hut (gift-and-coffee shop), it connects Crissy Field with the bridge and Coastal Trail.

This is another of my "Highly Recommended: Do Not Miss!" trails. Down these steps, then back up (first four pics), to continue on the improved, bike-friendly, under-the-bridge Coastal Trail, onto the narrow hiking trail, then the Golden Gate Overlook (nine steps up to a trail this time). The overlook is visible in the distance as you pass under the bridge and continue on the Coastal Trail.

Down the overlook's main stairway (about 37 steps), and west a short distance will take you to the Pacific Overlook, the park's newest. The Batteries to Bluffs Trail swoops steeply down near this overlook (fifth pic) and some of its 473 or so steps can be seen when you look down from here. The area was trail-detour-signed today but the BTB was fully accessible, so down I went (sixth pic).

Then a light rain started, intermittent throughout the rest of the hike. The dirt parts of the trail tended to be more slippery than the wood stairs.

From the BTB's west trailhead at Battery Crosby (seventh pic), 16 steps down from the battery, and up the trail to Lincoln. Cross at the crosswalk for the Connector Trail (208 steps) that curves through the woods to Immigrant Point Overlook (pics 8, 9, 10).

Just off Battery Caulfield Road, partway down Rob Hill, you'll find the Marine Cemetery Vista Trail/Mountain Lake Trail. From the foot of the stairway (about 103 steps, counting those on the boardwalk/trail at the top: last two pics), it's a short distance out of the park to 14th Ave.

Battery East Trail down to Crissy Field

Battery East stairway

Battery East trailhead

Back up the steps, Battery East Trail

East Trailhead, Batteries to Bluffs Trail

Batteries to Bluffs, east side

West trailhead at Battery Crosby

Connector Trail to Immigrant Point Overlook

Connector Trail at Immigrant Point Overlook

Connector Trail as seen from the top

Marine Cemetery Vista Boardwalk

Mountain Lake Trail steps down from Marine Cemetery Vista

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Dune Trekkin

1/5/2013

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Fort Funston, one of SF's "wilder" parks, has two long sand-covered stairways: the "other" Sand Ladder and the one I call the "John Muir" stairway that climbs up near a street called John Muir. The latter starts a little way in from the park's east entrance (about 160 steps counted this time: first five pix.

Very dissatisfied with the public transportation choices to get to and from this park. I take the L-Taraval Metro whose final stop is the SF Zoo (Sloat Blvd. at Great Highway), then head south atop the bluff for maybe a half mile (?) until I reach the distant dune's north edge.

One bus speeds alongside the two large parks (Fort Funston and vast Lake Merced across the highway) for further than it should before I can find a bus stop, so I end up walking a long way. This time decided to just hoof it back to the Metro stop when returning and to stay above the highway as much as possible.

So as soon as I could, slogged up a thick-sand trail. At the end of it, ducked under a fence (sixth pic) to come out at a main trail. Saw nothing particularly dangerous about this; seemed safer up here to me than to walk alongside the highway.

Continued south on the "Horse Trail" all the way to the foot of the first stairway. At the top of these eastside steps is a water fountain and doggy dishes as this is a hugely popular dogwalking area with lots of happy off-leash pooches.

The second stairway, the "other" Sand Ladder, starts down a short distance to the south from the hang-gliding deck. No trailmarker, but for a few yards leading to the edge of the cliff are some lime-green caution cones with GGNRA in black letters. Follow 'em.

This stairway could use more steps at the top. There's a steepish woodchip-covered trail for a few yards before the steps begin (pix 7 and 8), then somewhere between 143 and 149 uneven log steps (pix 9 and 10). I get different counts for both stairways each time I visit. Near the foot was a pile of logs: for stairway extension, stair repair, or added fenceposts along the trail? (11th pic). The stairs don't descend all the way to Ocean Beach; a sandy trail will take you the rest of the way.

Started back to the Metro stop (46th & Wawona) on a different trail but looping around to the same route taken coming up (last two).

Too many wide two-way streets out here: John Muir, Skyline, Great Highway -- streets walkers need to be careful crossing -- yet these are near major recreational areas. A few skyways would be much appreciated. Needed to cross Great Highway at Sloat but saw no "Walk" light. Cars were turning every which way. Made it warily to the first "island," then though I kept pushing one of those pedestrian-cross buttons, nothing happened. Finally had to chance it and dart across so as not to be standing there for the rest of the week.

Stairway a little way in from east entrance

Partway up.

Partway up

Near the top

Top of the stairs. Lake Merced across the highway.

Out onto a main trail

Sand Ladder starts down

Sand Ladder's steps start a few yards down

The "other" Sand Ladder

Sand Ladder near the foot

Sand Ladder's foot

Duney wildspot

Between the park and the zoo

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Midcity Connectors

1/1/2013

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Started off the new year with a Twin Peaks to Mount Sutro hike. Was thinking of doing one or both parks anyway. Then got further inspired by reading an interesting blog this morning that included mention of a certain trail that winds around the foot of Sutro Tower (posted on Sutro Stewards along with a good trailmap):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/315910737009

Mt Sutro | Running About Writing
runningaboutwriting.blogspot.com

First up to Crestline via the #37 Corbett/Twin Peaks bus that stops at the top of the Vista Lane steps (several connecting stairways covering maybe three blocks) and the trailhead sign for 93 or so steep, uneven wood steps to Twin Peaks Blvd. in the park. First two pics: Trail on the right with Twin Peaks Blvd. on the left.

Normally start off these park-connector hikes with a narrow trail down from Twin Peaks Blvd. on the west side of Twin Peaks Park that I call the "Marview Trail." Or an alternate name could be the "Wild Onion Trail." You step over a guardrail onto an unmarked trail alongside Twin Peaks Reservoir (third pic) that comes out at Marview in the Midtown Terrace 'hood.

This is how the other blogger started down from Twin Peaks Park also. However, I usually take a shorter trail from here that takes me to the dead-end (for cars) of Palo Alto. An opening at the fence here will take the hiker to La Avanzada, the road that leads to Sutro Tower.

But today decided on the longer trail. Next two pix: just starting off above Farview, winding around on the south side (sixth pic). One of those not-done-this-in-a-while treks, this one is between Sutro Tower (seventh pic) and a residential street below, narrow and secluded, mostly forested. Shall we call it the "Tower Trail"?

Descended from the trail onto lower La Avanzada near Dellbrook. Crossed Clarendon here to Mount Sutro's Aldea Housing area.

Clarendon is another busy two-way street in need of a pedestrian overpass. There is the green-railed one a few blocks away (foot of Forest Knolls' Ashwood stairway into Midtown Terrace), but all along Clarendon traffic zooms around the curves and, like on Lands End's Point Lobos, mentioned the other day, drivers don't particularly enjoy having to slow down or stop for walkers. Today wasn't bad at all though and it helps that there are "islands" in the middle of Clarendon here.

Where Clarendon meets Johnstone near Adolph Sutro, headed uphill to the East Ridge Trail whose trailhead is across from the Aldea Community Center, switchbacking through the forest to the summit: Rotary Meadow.

Looping back down from the summit and a short distance on Medical Center Way (I like this street's older name "Upper Service Road" better) to the trailhead for the Fairy Gates Trail, the highest of the trails below the winding road. The other two lower trails are the Edgewood and the (lower) Historic. Took the Edgewood Trail (next two pics) out to the end of the street of the same name, then north two pleasant redbricked blocks to the top of the Farnsworth Lane stairway (149 steps): 10th pic. The swing is still here (last pic). Across from the top of the Farnsworth stairs is another trailhead into the forest.