Blog Archives

Canyon Up

1/22/2018

Entering Glen Canyon at its south end, Bosworth, just past the bus stop at Elk and the steps down to the playing field: 1, 2

West trail: 3 thru 14

East trails, continuing north: 15 thru 21

55 steps up to Portola Dr. and out of the park at Amethyst in Diamond Heights: 22 thru 37

This is an old trail I used to use from Portola into the neighborhood: 38

Amethyst Way: 39, 40

Old trail up from the Canyon to Turquoise: 41

52 steps from Turquoise to Amber: 42 thru 45

132 for the Coralino Lane stairway — Amber to Cameo Way: 46 thru 55

Down to the Diamond Heights Shopping Center from Christopher Park: 56

1 Bosworth just past Elk

2 Passing the stairs down to Glen Park Rec. Center

3 South park entrance

15 Crossing over to the east side

19 Stilthouses and wildflowers

20 To the left

22 Starting up the steps to Portola Dr.

24 Alternating steps and trail

33 55 steps

34 At the top

35 Resting

36 Left out to Portola, right into the Diamond Heights neighborhood

37 Amethyst

38 Old trail from Portola Dr. into Diamond Heights

39 Amethyst

41 Old trail from Turquoise into the Canyon

42 Turquoise to Amber, 52 steps

46 Coralino Way center

47 132 steps

56 Down to Diamond Heights Shopping Center from Christopher Park

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Alleys

1/20/2018

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Joice, 67 steps, climbs from Pine partway up to California, Nob Hill. The altar on the landing is still here: 1 thru 11

Joice crosses California, continuing as a narrow street: 12 thru 15

Some Chinatown alleys included in this colorful walk. A couple were not through: 16 thru 37

Powell Street: 38

192Taylor sidewalk steps between California and Pine: 39

1 Joyce stairway, Nob Hill

2 67 steps

3 Pine St. partway up to California

4 The altar on the landing has been here many years

11 Top of the stairs

12 Joice crosses California and continues (north)

15 Various letters of the alphabet

38 Powell St.

39 Tayl0r sidewalk steps from California to Pine, Nob Hill

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Havenly Green

1/8/2018

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A Russian Hill hike in light rain …

Havens “Street” s a combination stairway/walkway starting up from the west side of Leavenworth between Green and Union.

Havens homes on the north side are the backs of homes on Filbert, the supersteep part from Leavenworth to Hyde (sidewalk steps both sides).

Havens doesn’t run thru to Hyde. It’s an up-and-back little urban treasure.

— Another nearby urban treasure is a delightful neighbor-made garden between Taylor and Jones, Union and Filbert. This can be entered either from the “Molinari-Mana Park” sign down from Union or from Redfield Alley off Taylor. The two alleys didn’t quite connect in the past, but now do. Will revisit soon; another “hidden” find.

But I digress. Havens starts up with one flight of stairs between buildings, then branches into two sets of steps that emerge at a narrow paved walk. 70-something steps for each flight. 1

First under the tree on the north side: 2 thru 6

The walkway: 7 thru 14

Turning back, and the south flight of stairs down to Leavenworth: 15 thru 26

Up to Green Street. Seen from Jones here is the Macondray Lane entrance from the east side of Jones, the more scenic part of Macondray: 27

On Google Maps this eblock of Macondray from Jones to Taylor is called “Russian Hill-Macondray Lane Historic District.”

On Green between Jones and the Green Street stairway, past several unique old homes: 28 thru 34

127 steps for Green down to Taylor: 35 thru 44

Uphill on Taylor, passing the 104 Vallejo steps to the minipark (west side of Taylor): 45. 46

1 Up from Leavenworth

2 Under the tree on the north side

12 It doesn't run thru to Hyde

27 Macondray Lane Jones east entrance, center

28 Green St.

30 Octagon house on Green

32 A THEN from the 1970s.

33 NOW

35 Top of Green St. stairs down to Taylor

44 Foot of Vallejo stairs at Taylor

45 104 Vallejo steps up to minipark

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Corona Bummer

1/7/2018

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Last year asked online when the new Randall Museum animal room would be opening; was told maybe November.

So since this is now January assumed it’d be open by now. Googled it and nothing was said about it still being closed.

When I got up to the east side of the museum found it locked.

Went round the south side and saw someone in a room in another part of the building so thought maybe the other parts of it would be open.

Nope. Someone said the whole thing was closed and that the animal room wouldn’t be open for another month or so.

When starting up the hill this time from Castro, took tHenry and he Henry stairway to Roosevelt. The Henry stairs have been a minipark for some time now: 1 thru 15

Round the north side of Corona Heights Park for the 18 De Forest steps up to the park’s east foot: 16 thru 19

Love the garden here. Dead-end of Flint, top of De Forest: 20 thru 23

At least one positive note. The unsightly potholes along the old concrete walkway up to the museum steps from the street have been filled in since my last visit.

I would have constructed steps and railings (and repaved it) as the trail is steepish: 24, 25

One can access the west, upper part of the park here as always (130 steps to the upper bench): 26, 27

So the east side of the Randall as it looks now: 28 thru 31

At least one can walk around the building somewhat east to south, although It was fenced off from the west side of the park and I couldn’t access t he ramp (down to the playground and States St.) from where I was.

So had to circle around past the openspace, tennis courts, and playground which took me to the foot of the ramp: 32, 33

States St. looking up at the south side of the park: 34

House on Castro near 16th: 35

1 Henry Street, Corona Heights

16 The park is in the background

17 De Forest Way from Beaver to Flint

18 18 steps and a narrow walk between homes

24 Up into the park from Flint on the east side

25 No more potholes

26 130 steps to the upper bench, and more after this

29 Still closed

32 The ramp on the south side up from States St.

34 States St.

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Up from El Camino

1/6/2018

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Climbing up and east to the El Camino del Mar Trail: 1 thru 4

After lunch at the trailhead (off the El Camino Trail) for a trail to the Fort Miley buildings, up this way for a change: 5

The short but steep trail had been cleared and widened. A grassy substance was mixed in with the thick sand so it was easier to climb: 6 thru 10

The top of it had also been cleared since my last visit: 11 thru 14

Onto the short, narrow trail that runs N-S above the lower Fort Miley buildings (Battery Chester): 15 thru 24

Out to the short stairway and down the lower flight (21 steps) to the old buildings: 25 thru 43

The picnic area: 44, 45, 46

Down to the turnoff for the old octagon building that’s fenced in with a trail all the way around. The taggers have climbed over and only the top was not graffiti-decorated: 47 thru 65

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lands-end-octagon-house-point-lobos-marine-exchange-lookout-station

Down thru the Fort Miley forest to the road (El Camino del Mar): 66 thru 71