Blog Archives

MCV to BTB

3/27/2014

Passing on some recent pix from a highly recommended Presidio hike I do frequently, starting from 14th Ave. and up the 103 steps to the Marine Cemetery Vista Overlook (first two pix).

A short hillwalk up Battery Caulfield Road, now with safer pedestrian walkways alongside the street, with a left on Washington at the top, leads to Immigrant Point Overlook (pic 3) where the Connector Trail (208 steps) descends through the forest to Lincoln.

Connector Trail: 4 thru 9.

Crossing at the crosswalk, bypassing the Sand Ladder's 250-ish up-n-back steps down to Baker Beach, a short sandy trail (pics 10, 11, 12) leads to the west trailhead for the Batteries to Bluffs Trail (473 or so steps).

Batteries to Bluffs west to east:13 thru 28.

1. Up from 14th Ave. to Marine Cemetery Vista

2. Marine Cemetery Vista steps

3. Sand Ladder's top to left, Batteries to Bluffs Trail right, from Immigrant Point Overlook

4. Top of Connector Trail at Immigrant Point Overlook

5. Mid-Connector Trail

6. Connector Trail's footbridge

7. Foot of Connector Trail at Lincoln

8. Foot of Connector Trail at Lincoln

9. Connector Trail climbs from Lincoln

10. Below Lincoln, trail to Batteries to Bluffs, left

11. Batteries to Bluffs trailsign at Lincoln

12. Baker Beach center

13. Down from Battery Crosby

14. Batteries to Bluffs West

15. Batteries to Bluffs Westside

16. Batteries to Bluffs Westside

17. Down from the footbridge

18. This way down to Marshall's Beach

19. Midtrail

20. Marshall's Beach below

21. Nearing View Point

22. Westside steps in distance upper left, Marshall's Beach below, from View Point

23. Eastside

24. Eastside

25. East trailhead above

26. East trailhead

27. East trailhead

28. East trailhead

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Sausalito Spring

3/24/2014

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Accompanying me on this warm, sunny, multiple stairhike was the constantly wafting aroma of star jasmine, one of my favorite scents. This time gleefully ascending/descending one after another without much time in between stairways.

Starting up from Bridgeway with a wide expanse of Bay below, 121 steps climb to Josephine/North (pix 1 thru 8). Partway up is a concrete bench just off the stairway (pic 9).

Just a few yards from the top of this beauty is the top of the double Second St. stairway, about 79 steps down the east side (pic 10) and 86 or so back up the west side (pic 11).

Southview Park on the way to the top of the West Court stairs was a stopping place for lunch/rehydration, then 26 steps back up to the street from the little viewpark (12 thru 16).

West Court has 103 steps (17, 18). Continued from its foot a very short distance to climb Oak Lane (94, pic 19; the middle steps wood), where the construction of a viewhouse is ongoing at the top.

Now on Crescent, soon came to the top of the lower Cable Roadway steps (197 down to Central, pix 20, 21, 22) with its stone bench near the foot.

The upper part of Cable Roadway continues as another stairway up from Sausalito Blvd. From the top of its short street part, the long Prescott stairs ascend. Maybe next time for these two; perhaps then under the freeway and onto the GGNRA’s Morning Sun Trail (a trail-and-steps mix) again.

Up Sausalito Way’s 45 steps (pic 23) and back down the 48 Sunshine steps (pic 24), at the foot of which Cooper Lane starts up (120 steps to Miller, pic 25). Passed this (pic 26) doorway on Miller on the way to the top of Excelsior Lane.

Excelsior, now with white wild onion blooms showing up along parts of it, has around 180 steps (27, 28, 29), descending back to touristy Bridgeway.

1. Starting up from Bridgeway

2. Bridgeway to Josephine/North

3. A walkway between steps

4. Stairway aromatherapy

5. Continuing up with a bay view

6. Nearing the top

7. Stairway beauty

8. Top at Josephine & North

9. Bench off the stairway

10. Second St. steps, east side

11. Second Street, west side with garden between

12. The aptly named Southview Park

13. San Francisco in distance, right, center

14. Southview Park

15. Up to the street again

16. Moving on to the top of the West Court steps

17. West Court

18. Foot of West Court stairs

19. Oak Lane up to Crescent

20. Down from Crescent: lower Cable Roadway

21. Lower Cable Roadway, Crescent down to Central

22. Cable Roadway nearing its foot at Central Ave.

23. Foot of Sausalito Way

24. Top of stairs at vehicle dead-end of Sunshine

25. Near foot of Cooper Lane

26. Door on Miller Ave.

27. Excelsior Lane

28. Crossing Bulkley for the last (lower) block of Excelsior Lane

29. Excelsior Lane's foot at Bridgeway

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Vulcan to Corona

3/9/2014

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Passed the foot of the Saturn Steps minipark (first pic, 118 or so steps for its main stairway) in Eureka Valley on my way to ascend next-door Vulcan Stairway (pics 2, 3), my favorite non-park San Francisco stairway. 219 steps for the main stairway climb to Levant; another, south, stairway dead-ends at 5 Vulcan (pic 4). Two short paths connect the south and north stairways (pix 5, 6).

At the north end of Levant at States are 44 steps (pic 7) up to Roosevelt, now in the Corona Heights 'hood. Now-green Corona Heights Park is just ahead to the east: pic 8.

Starting on the south side of the park, 100 steps (9 through 12) ascend from the park's west side to the summit rocks (13, 14). Stay on the steps that wind around to the left (north) for the main stairway to the summit.

Sixty-three steps down on the southeast side curve around to the top of the east stairway at a bench (15 thru 18). So what happened to the cool old directional signs that used to be here (rainbow flag, etc.)?

The Slickenside trailhead is nearby, a "challenging" trail that's part steps and part narrow trail. It descends to the tennis courts on the north side of the park (pix 19 thru 21).

Now for the eastside stairway: 130 down to the Randall Museum (live critters). Some of the older wood steps here are doozies (22 through 27).

If park improvements are planned, how 'bout some attention to the steepish, very roughly paved old east trail that leads out of the park down to Flint? This area could definitely use some railinged steps (pic 28).

At short Flint Street's dead-end off 16th, De Forest Way is a super-skinny walkway with 18 steps (last pic) that descends to Beaver. Castro Street's a steep block below.

1. "Welcome to Saturn Street Steps" up from Ord

2. Vulcan Stairway

3. Vulcan down from Levant

4. 5 Vulcan on its south stairway as seen from the main north steps

5. 1 and 3 Vulcan on the south stairway with path between

6. Second connector between Vulcan's north and south stairways

7. Levant/States up to Roosevelt, Corona Heights

8. Into Corona Heights Park from the west side

9. 100 westside steps to the summit rocks

10. Climbing up the west side

11. Continuing up the west stairway

12. Nearing the top of the west stairway

13. Corona's summit rocks

14. A view to the east

15. Starting down from the summit

16. Curving down from the summit rocks

17. Southeast trail

18. Continuing down on the southeast side

19. Slickenside trailhead on the north side

20. Slickenside trailhead down to the tennis courts

21. Slickenside trail seen from above

22. Southeast steps meet the long eastside stairway at the bench

23. 130 steps for the east stairway

24. Continuing down the eastside steps

25. Looking back up the east stairway

26. Lower eastside stairs

27. Trailmap at foot of the east stairway

28. This old trail leading out of the park could use some steps

29. De Forest narrow steps/walkway between homes to Flint/Corona Park from Beaver St.

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Muddy Mount Sutro Trails

3/8/2014

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Google Maps (maps) shows Farnsworth Lane (149 steps, its foot slightly uphill from Willard, first four pix), but does not indicate that it's a trailhead into Mount Sutro Forest.

You can see the trailhead at the dead-end (88 Farnsworth on Street View), but the trail has no signage except to say you're now entering UCSF property. This is just past the swing (pic 5).

Once on it (pix 6, 7), just continue south to this short trail's dead-end and cross the Surge parking lot to access the other trails. I've done this for years.

On Medical Center Way's guardrailed walkway (8 thru 12), including a view down to the Fairy Gates Trail (pic 13), it's a vigorous uphill hike to the East Ridge Trail (pic 14) whose foot is across from the Aldea Center.

What a difference the rains have made with all the new spring leaves and muddy trails. Mere photos can't adequately describe the fresh aroma and damp bark of the trees up here.

Out at the summit (pic 15) for lunch at the benches (pic 16), then onto the North Ridge Trail, 17 thru 25, past Ishi's shrine and back down to Medical Center Way.

Crossed the parking lot once more (this time took the 47 steps down outside one of the medical buildings), then the 136 steps down to lower Medical Center Way (off Parnassus), last six pix. Partway down, a short old wood stairway climbs to the aforementioned unnamed trail behind the homes.

1. Foot of the 149 Farnsworth steps at Willard

2. Farnsworth Lane to Edgewood Ave.

3. Farnsworth climbs to redbricked Edgewood

4. Near top of Farnsworth steps

5. The swing at the top of the stairway

6. Trail behind the homes on Edgewood

7. Out to the parking lot

8. Down this way for the Edgewood Trail

9. Lower Historic Trail as seen from the walkway

10. Medical Center Way winds around

11. A view down from the road

12. Uphill on Medical Center Way to start up the East Ridge Trail

13. Hikers on the Fairy Gates Trail below

14. Ascending the East Ridge Trail to the summit

15. Mount Sutro's summit

16. The summit benches

17. On to the North Ridge Trail

18. North Ridge Trail starts here

19. North Ridge Trail

20. North Ridge Trail

21. Trail rock

22. Medical Center Way below

23. Curving around

24. Medical Center Way below

25. Near foot of North Ridge Trail

26. Down from the parking lot

27. Medical buildings below

28. Steps down to Medical Center Way off Parnassus Ave.

29. 136 steps

30. Near foot of stairs

31. Stairway behind the medical buildings climbs to the parking lot

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Lands End Upper Part

3/3/2014

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Yet another popular neighborhood "Stairmaster," 52 steps (pic 1) climb from near 32nd Ave. & California in the Outer Richmond 'hood to a trail at the east edge of the Lincoln Park golf course. Cross the vehicle street (Lincoln) onto the Lands End Trail at the redone Eagles Point Overlook, now with better signage.

Continuing west on the Lands End Trail (pix 2, 3, 4), in the third foto, the Sea Cliff neighborhood and China Beach (around 105 steps for the main stairway here) can be seen in the distance. Beyond is the Presidio.

On to ascend the first long stairway (5 thru 8: 118 or so steps) and down the other side for the second long one, the "Painted Rock," pix 9 and 10, 138 steps.

Up the connector steps (89 or so, pix 11 and 12) from the main trail to the El Camino del Mar Trail. Across the footbridge (pic 13) and up the 47 steps here to the west edge of the Legion of Honor parking lot.

From the parking lot, squeeze between the cars to continue uphill on the Battle of the Bulge Trail (pics 14 and 15, 22 steps). A short distance from here is the picnic area below the VA Hospital parking lot (pic 16: top of the south steps).

There are 79 or so steps for the south stairway (pic 17), across the wood footbridge (pic 18) and up about 72 more on the north side (pic 19). So around 151 if you descend one stairway and ascend the other. Thought their various plantings would be covering more of the area by this time.

Down into Fort Miley from the west edge of the VA Hospital parking lot (last pic, showing the lower of the two short stairways here). They've put up a No Skateboarding sign; good luck with that.

1. Up to the east edge of the Lincoln Park golf course

2. Lands End Trail

3. Sea Cliff and China Beach center; Presidio beyond

4. Near foot of the east stairway

5. East stairway starts up

6. Continuing up

7. Various eastside steps

8. Eastside steps along the Lands End Trail

9. "Painted Rock" stairs down the west side

10. Painted Rock stairway's foot

11. Connector steps: Lands End Trail to El Camino del Mar Trail

12. Connector stairs to El Camino del Mar Trail

13. El Camino del Mar Trail

14. Battle of the Bulge Trail up to VA Hospital parking lot

15. Near top of Battle of the Bulge Trail

16. Top of south stairway ahead down to picnic area

17. South stairs down from VA Hospital parking lot

18. Cross the footbridge and up the other side

19. North stairway up to VA Hospital parking lot

20. Fort Miley with stairway up to VA Hospital parking lot and trail down to El Camino del Mar

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Lyon Stairmaster

3/2/2014

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And a satisfying east Presidio ramble after that, out to Arguello.

The Lyon stairway that runs alongside the Presidio's forested east wall is one of San Francisco's most popular Stairmasters. Especially on a weekend. It's a challenge to get pix of this stairway without people in the photo as well. Got distracted while descending, but on the way back up to Broadway counted about 289 steps. Pix 1 thru 10.

Now for some near-solitude. A few yards to the west from the top of the Lyon steps is the Broadway pedestrian entrance into the Presidio, a secluded and enchanting forest between the Lyon stairs and winding Presidio Blvd. As you pass through the gate into the park (pic 11), there's a trailmarker for the Mountain Lake Trail. I've long loved this area, especially just after a good rain.

Downhill through the forest leads to an old wood fence with an open gate (pix 12, 13, 14). This second walkers' gate leads to the Simonds Loop neighborhood. From the gate, continue west a short distance to the dead-end of a paved street. This is Rawles, but the street sign for it is downhill at upper Simonds Loop (pic 15). Continue west a few yards for the top of the brick stairway from upper to lower Simonds Loop: 62 steps, pic 16.

At the end of the stairs, west on lower Simonds Loop to cross Presidio Blvd. at Liggett. A trail here (pic 17) descends to paved Lovers Lane. Headed south, uphill, on Lovers Lane, past Andy Goldsworthy's Wood Line installation (pic 18) and onto a favorite trail (pic 19) that'll take you to the east ramp/connector trail down to El Polin Spring (pic 20).

The ponds are lookin' good again, ducks seen in one of them, and green hillsides at last. 69 steps up (pic 21) from El Polin's picnic tables to connect with the upper Ecology Trail. Winding up 'n around on the Ecology (pix 22, 23, 24), to the 45 wood steps (pic 25) up to Inspiration Point Overlook off Arguello Blvd.

Last pic: the completed walkers' trail on the east side of Arguello. To the right is Inspiration Point Overlook.