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Wildflower Heaven

3/31/2017

Over to the south slope of Sutro Heights Pa4k, its “wild side,” to walk the Balboa stairway (119 steps) and check out the springtime wildflowers.

First two pix: Sutro Baths area.

Crossing over and into Sutro Heights Park for the overlook:1 thru 11

Over to the trail that leads down the south side: 12 thru 17

Down the Balboa stairs and back up again: 18 thru 50

Out to 48th Ave.: 51 thru 54

1 Sutro Baths below

3 The overlook at Sutro Heights Park

6 South stairs

12 South slope

13 Balboa Natural Area

14 Ocean Beach

18 Top of the stairs

47 Back up again

48 Trail out to 48th S=Ae,

49 119 steps

52 Trail up to 48th Ave.

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Mile Rock Trek

3/31/2017

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Tried a rare weekend hike at Lands End and not inclined to do it again. Much too crowded for me, especially the main Lands End Trail and the Mile Rock Beach stairs.

There was even a groupwalk. Standing at the foot of the connector stairway from the El Camino del Mar Trail down to the main trail, it took a while for the line of hikers to pass. Difficult to take pix without people in them. This is a hugely popular park.

From the upper parking lot overlook: First three.

Less people on the El Camino del Mar Trail.

Connector Trail (89 steps): 4, 5

The Mile Rock Beach stairway, about halfway along the Coastal/Lands End Trail has 262 steps: 6 rhru 14

Mile Rock Beach and trails up to the Labyrinth: 15 thru 28

Back up the steps: 29 thru 34

Ypper parking lot overlook: 35 thru 38

Sutro Heights Park: 39 thru 44

1 First Coastal Track overlook

3 Second Coastal Trail overlook

4 The connector stairs down from El Camino del Mar Trail

5 89 steps

6 Starting down the Mile Rock Beach steps

7 Turn here to continue on the stairs

9 Right turn up to the Labyrinth

12 Continuing down tje stairway

13 262 steps

29 Back up the stairs to the Coastal/Lands End Trail

36 59 steps

37 Back up to the upper parking lot overlook

39 Sutro Heights Park

44 Sutro Heights Park from the 38R Geary bus at 48th Ave.

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Two Westside Beauties

3/29/2017

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If you haven’t been lately, go to Lands End and check out her spring wildflower display.

First three taken near the Lands End Lookout building.

This first stairway (125 steps) descends from the lower parking lot overlook: 4 thru 17

From here, a trail to the cavetop overlook above Sutro Baths: 18 thru 24

From the viewplace: 25 thru 39

Now the west trailhead for the Coastal Trail, AKA Sutro Baths Upper Trail (142 steps): 40 thru 62

59 steps from the first Coastal Trail overlook to the upper parking lot overlook: 63, 64

1 Lands End Lookout

2 From the lower parking lot overlook

4 Down from the overlook

5 125 steps

40 West trailhead for Coastal Trail

41 142 steps

63 59 steps between two overlooks

64 Upper parking lot overlook

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Lands End Spring

3/20/2017

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Starting at the Lincoln Park steps (52) at 33rd Ave. and California in the Outer Richmond neighborhood: first five pix

This trail just below the Lincoln Park Golf Course will take you to the east trailhead for the Lands End/Coastal Trail: 6, 7, 8, 9

West on the main Lands End Trail and up the 120 steps on the east side: 10 thru 22

At the top of this, 138 more down the west side: 23 thru 28

Continuing west: 29, 30

Past the top of the Mile Rock Beach stairs (262): 31, 32

Up the 89 connector steps to the El Camino del Mar Trail: 33 thru 37

Out to the upper parking lot overlook: 38 thru 46

Downhill, passing the foot of the Fort Miley forest: 47 thru 50

Across to Sutro Heights Park: 51

1 Lincoln Park stairway

2 52 steps

6 Trail just below Lincoln Park Golf Course

7 Heading north to Lands End east trailhead

9 East trailhead up ahead

13 Various kinds of steps on this side

16 120 steps the side

23 Starting down the west side

24 138 steps tis side

25 The higher of the two benches. Nice flower.

31 Mile Rock Beach stairs

32 262 steps

33 Coastal Tail to El Camino del Mar Trail

34 89 steps

38 El Camino del Mar Trail

41 Second Coastal Trail Overlook from El Camino del Mar Trail

42 Coastal Trail from El Camino del Mar Trail

45 Upper Parking Lot Overlook with first Coastal Trail Overlook below

46 59 steps

47 Fort Miley woods

48 42 steps

49 Below the LandsEnd Lookout gift/coffee shop

50 Sutro Baths ruins upper right side

51 Sutro Heights Park

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Trailwork and Karl

3/18/2017

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Off to the Presidio for a Batteries to Bluffs hike. First two pix

Upon reaching the east stairs part, a sign advised that due to storm damage the trail was closed: 3, 4

So instead west along Lincoln, past the Pacific Overlook. Mostly all seen below was our good buddy Karl: 5 thru 13

Crossing Lincoln at the BTB’s west end, however, the Connector Trail (208 steps) up to Immigrant Point Overlook is spring-gorgeous. My favorite time of year: 14 thru 33

Down a muddy trail to the Fort Scott neighborhood from Rob Hill Campground and back up, past a bunch of unoccupied tents: 34 thru 42

Last: Downhill past some residences on Battery Caulfield Road.

1 Batteries to Bluffs east trailhead

3 Trail closed sign

5 Batteries to Bluffs Trail from Lincoln

9 Pacific Overlook

13 Continuing west on Lincoln

14 Connector Trail footbridge

16 Up to Immigrant Point Overlook

18 208 steps

33 Top of Connector Trail. Immigrant Point Overlook to right.

34 Rob Hill

35 Rob Hill Campground down to Fort Scott neighborhood

36 Rob Hill Campground down to Fort Scott

37 To Fort Scott Community Garden, center

38 Back up to Rob Hill Campground

43 Downhill on Battery Caulfield Rd.

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Rainhike

3/17/2017

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Rain started when I was maybe halfway up the south side of Twin Peaks.

Starting at the Portola and Twin Peaks Blvd. trailhead: First three pix.

Pleasant trail climbs at the right side of Twin Peaks Blvd.’s guardrail: 4 thru 13

A crosswalk, then the trail gets steeper: 14 thru 20

Used a few widely spaced straw wattles (erosion control) as stairs but noticed no added steps.

For the last stretch there’s a crosswalk at the top of Midcrest Way where there’s a short trail into the park. Continuing up a curvy trail and out to the road: 21 thru 30

It’s the east side of Twi n Peaks Blvd. along the low white wall that has been closed off to motor vehicles. A couple of people were spraying something, one on either side of the wall, so stayed on he now carless road this time: 31

Passing the top of the 93 wood steps down to Crestline on the east side: 32

Crossing over to the west side of the park, there’s now a walkable trail here on the other side of the guardrail: 33

Down from the road onto the short trail alongside the reservoir, and out to Marview in the Midtown Terrace neighborhood: 34

Passing the Marview trailhead for the trail around Sutro Tower: 35

To the west dead-end for cars of Palo Alto onto La Avanzada, winding down to Clarendon: 36, 37, 38

Passing the north trailhead for the trail circling Sutro Tower, this time with a yellow caution tape across it. This is the superslick trail not recommended during rainy season: 39

Down to Clarendon: 40, 41

Crossing over curving Clarendon (no crosswalks, no skyways, no lights, no speedbumps) …

… over to Mount Sutro’s Edgewood Trail: 42, 43, 44

Edgewood Trail: 45 thru 51

The trail emerges at the south dead-end (for motor vehicles) of redbricked Edgewood Ave.: 52, 53

A few blocks downhill to Farnsworth Lane (149 steps: 54, 55, 56), descending to the bus stop at Parnassus and Willard.

1 Portola Dr. to left

2 Twin Peaks Blvd. to left

14 Cross to the other side

20 Midcrest Way to left

23 Trail at top of Midcrest Way out to the Blvd.

24 Continuing up

26 A few old wood steps

28 Mount Davidson in distance

31 East side of the Blvd. is car-free

32 Down this way to Crestline (93 steps)

33 West side of the Blvd. with a new trail next to the guardrail

34 Trail alongside the reservoir down to Marview

35 Marview trailhead to Sutro Tower trail

36 Palo Alto dead-end to La Avanzada

37 La Avanzada

38 La Avanzada

39 La Avanzada trailhead for Sutro Tower trail

40 Down to Clarendon

41 The forest from Clarendon

42 Sutro Forest

44 Down this way for the Edgewood Trail

45 Edgewood Trail

52 Out of the forest to redbricked Edgewood Ave,

53 Edgewood Ave.

54 Top of Farnsworth stairs

55 149 steps down to Willard

56 Nasturtiums, wild onions and miner's lettuce

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Yellow on Green

3/3/2017

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Glen Canyon’s green slopes are now blanketed with yellow oxalis wildflowers. And wild radish blooms. And yellow mustard flowers.

Mere photos do NOT capture this beauty enough, nor is it enough to just look at a pic of the water now flowing along Islais Creek.

Go. Visit. To see the colors of spring in the park and listen to the sound of the creek.

Passing the top of the stairs from Bosworth down to a Glen Park Rec. Center playing field (pic 1) to enter the park via its south trailhead on the west side: 2 thru 5

Love the sight and sound of Islais Creek flowing along: 6

Just past the boardwalk (7, 8, 9) to ascend this curvy stairway on the south side of the climbing rocks (60 steps): 10 thru17

Trailing up from the rocks, drinking in the canyon’s springtime delights: 18 thru 41

Up the main eastside stairway’s 92 steps to the west edge of Christopher Park in the Diamond Heights neighborhood: 42 thru 58

6 Islais Creek

42 Steps up to Christopher Park

43 92 steps

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Wildflower Heaven

Mile Rock Trek

Two Westside Beauties

Lands End Spring

Trailwork and Karl

Rainhike

Yellow on Green

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