Blog Archives

Canyon of Wildflowers

3/26/2018

Starting up the east side of Glen Canyon a slightly different way than usual, one of several ways to ascend.

First, the main westside trail from Bosworth at the south end of the park: 1 thru 9

Crossing IslaisCreek to the east side: 10

Canyon stairs alternate with short dirt trails. 126 steps this time: 11 thru 28

At one of the trail signs, the trail turns for a short south to north stretch. This high-up trail has 17 steps.

There's now has a spectacular array of wildflowers here: yellow oxalis, yellow mustard flowers, a few wild radish blooms, orange California poppies, and some kind of little purple flowers to the left and right, all on a bed of green. My favorite time of year. 29 thru 43

The trail leads to the last stretch, 92 steps more to Christopher Park in Diamond Heights. 44 thru 64

Total steps for this route: 235 from the main trail up the east side.

Christopher Park: 65 thru 70

Down one of the short stairways to the Diamond Heights Shopping Center, 15 steps: 71

1 Starting off on the main west trail from Bosworth

3 West side looking east

5 A way to cross over Islais Creek to the east side

6 Still on the west side, green Canyon slopes above

7 This is edible miner's lettuce

10 Another Islais Creek crossover

11 Starting up the east side

12 Steps and dirt trails

28 You can go up here for Crags Court and the community garden in Diamond Heights

29 Continuing, north

44 92 steps this stretch (east)

51 Mount Davidson across. O'Shaughnessy Blvd. winds around

61 San Bruno Mountain at top. The Canyon is part of Twin Peaks.

62 Approaching the viewbench

66 Top of the stairs. Now any Christopher Park

68 To the left is a canyontop trail

70 Christopher Park in the Diamond Heights neighborhood

71 Christopher Park down to Diamond Heights Shopping Center

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March Sutro

3/24/2018

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Mount Sutro’s summit next to the concrete benches is now beautifully green with the usual springtime grass, but I'd hoped to see more wildflowers. There's been some clearing nearby with lots of those planting flags around.

Wish they’d do more to encourage my favorite wildflowers yellow Oxalis, California poppies, yellow mustard flowers, wild radish blossoms, dandelions, and other wild blooms up here.

Noticed a trail closure where the East Ridge Trail meets the trail fork going up, then again at the East Ridge summit trailhead where they’ve added a few wood benches near the big rock.

First up the north stairway (136 steps): 1 thru 4

Along the road: 5, 6, 7

East Ridge Trail: 8, 9

East Ridge trailhead at the summit: 10, 11

Sutro's Summit: 12 thru 17

Down the North Ridge Trail: 18 thru 40

Along the road again: 41 thru 45

Sutro Tower from the parking lot (permits only): 46

On the trail behind Edgewood Ave. homes. This trailhead is near the top of the stairway ascended earlier: 47 thru 52

Out at Edgewood Ave. This swing at the top of the Farnsworth stairs has been here a long time: 53

Down the Farnsworth steps (149) to Willard: 54 thru 59

1 The north stairway starts up behind UCSF medical buildings

2 136 steps up to a permits only parking lot

5 Trailhead for the Historic Trail

6 Edgewood Trail down from the road

7 North Ridge Trail to the left

8 Looking down from the East Ridge Trail

9 East Ridge Trail

10 East Ridge Trail closure

11 New benches added at the summit near the East Ridge trailhead

12 Summit green near the concrete benches

13 The old benches

15 Planting flags to right

16 A favorite tree at North Ridge trailhead

17 Clearing and new planting near North Ridge summit trailhead

18 North Ridge Trail

19 Love this tree!

28 The North Ridge Trail rocks!

40 North Ridge trailhead with more trails down from the road

46 Sutro Tower from the parking lot

47 Trail behind homes on Edgewood Ave.

48 Another trail connects with the north stairway ascended earlier

50 Edgewood Ave. backyards to right

53 Edgewood Ave. at Farnsworth Lane

54 149 steps for Farnsworth Lane

58 Wild onions and nasturtiums

59 Foot of Farnsworth at Willard

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LE Trail

3/23/2018

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Up the 52 Lincoln Park steps on my way to the east Land’s End trailhead: 1 thru 6

The trail at the top of the stairs is just below the golf course’s east edge: 7

Down to Land’s End: 8

Heading west on the main Land’s End/Coastal Trail: 9 thru

Up the first long stairway (about120 steps):

At the top, a longer one, 138 steps, two benches alongside:

Continuing, past the stairs (about 262) down to Mile Rock Beach:

Connecting (89 steps) with the El Camino del Mar Trail:

And out to the upper parking lot overlook:

1 Lincoln Park stairway

2 52 steps

7 Trail just below the golf course

8 East trailhead for Land's End/Coastal Trail below

9 Karl is here today too

18 First long stairway ip

36 Starting down the west side

37 138 steps

38 First bench down

44 Second bench down (or first bench up)

54 Mile Rock Beach stairs

59 Up the connector steps

61 89 steps

68 What is the name of this plant?

70 El Camino del Mar Trail and tree-bench

76 Coastal Trail from El Camino del Mar Trail

78 59 steps between the two overlooks, center

79 Sutro Heights Park to left

80 Sutro Heights Park from he #38R Geary

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Gorgeous Russian

3/22/2018

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Visiting a favorite Russian Hill “secret” garden, Redfield Alley between Taylor (east side) and Marion Place above (south side).

Marion used to be a dead-end alley. It starts off as a couple of narrow walks descending from Union. Now it continues down to connect with a neighbor-made garden. It doesn't show that they connect on Google Maps. Go see it in person.

Marion at Union: 1

Entering Redfield from Taylor: 2 thru 16

It turns and starts up with two benches, birdhouses, and some steps: 17 thru 37

Back up to Marion and Union: 38 thru 43

Union St.: 44

West to Hyde, stopped at the Hyde & Vallejo Minipark: 10 steps: 45 thru 49

1 Marion at Union

2 Redfield at Taylor

16 Left turn up ahead

43 Back up to Union

44 Union St.

45 Hyde & Vallejo Mnipark

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Foghorns

3/21/2018

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A day at the Presidio with Karl, starting off from the second MUNI #28 bridge stop: 1, 2

Foghorns, birdsongs, and crashing waves below while hiking the Batteries to Bluffs Trail east to west. (129 steps down to the bench): 3 thru 46

San Francisco’s longest stairway recently got a few more steps added: 475 counted this time (not counting the 49 or so down to Marshall's Beach).

16 more steps down from Battery Crosby: 47, 48

The trail continues up to Lincoln: 49

Crossing Lincoln for the Connector Trail up to Immigrant Point Overlook (208 steps): 50 thru 69

Immigrant Point Overlook: 70

Heading south on Washington to descend on Battery Caulfield Road. The park has added some speedbumps in places: 71, 72, 73

1 Hello Karl!

3 Batteries to Bluffs east trailhead

4 Starting the eastside steps

22 Marshall's Beach Trail to the right

23 About 49 more steps to Marshall's Beach

24 Continuing on the main trail

45 Battery Crosby

47 Down from Battery Crosby

48 16 steps here

49 Trail continues up to Lincoln

50 Connector Trail up from Lincoln

51 208 steps

70 Immigrant Point Overlook

71 Looking down from Washington Blvd.

73 Speedbumps on Battery Caulfield Rd.

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Still Love You

3/18/2018

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Starting up Telegraph Hill's Peter Machiarini Steps (plaque at the Broadway foot), the west side, up to Vallejo: 1 thru 10

http://www.sfparksalliance.org/our-parks/parks/peter-macchiarini-kearny-st-steps

Finding myself on Montgomery, up Filbert to Telegraph Hill Blvd.: 11 thru 15

Here there are two narrow walkways that will take you over to the Greenwich stairway, and up to the Coit Tower parking lot: 16 thru 19

Coit Tower’s lobby where people wait in line to go up: 20 thru 25

Back on the upper walkway just below Telegraph Hill Blvd. to the upper Filbert steps: 84 down to Montgomery. 26 thru 29

32 more steps for the steps dividing upper and lower Montgomery: 30, 31

Lower Filbert has 264 steps for a total of 380 for all of east Filbert down to Sansome.

Filbert below Montgomery to Napier Lane: 32 thru 43

1972 THENs of 228, 226, and 224 Filbert: 44 thru 48

Napier Lane, a longtime favorite, up and back on this dead-end wood boardwalk: 49 thru 59

222 and 216 Filbert: 60

Filbert below Napier Lane/222 Filbert down to Sansome: 61thru 67

1 Peter Macchiarini Steps up from Broadway

2 East sidewalk steps taken from west steps

8 Fresno St. on the west side

9 Looking back (south)

10 Vallejo at the top is not thru for vehicles

11 This used to be Speedy's New Union Market. Now a frame shop.

12 Union and Montgomery

13 Union at Montgomery

14 Upper Montgomery, a divided street here

15 Upper Filbert steps between Montgomery and Telegraph Hill Blvd,

16 A south to north walkway over to upper Greenwich steps

17 Coit Tower above

18 Upper Greenwich stairs

19 Greenwich steps out to Coit Tower parking lot

20 Coit Tower lobby

23 Coit Tower's lobby has murals all around it

26 Back again on the upper N/S walkway just below Telegraph Hill Blvd.

27 Upper walkway that connects Greenwich and Filbert stairways. Telegraph Hill Blvd. left

29 South stairway into Pioneer Park

30 Descending the stairs from upper to lower Montgomery

31 Lower Montgomery

32 Down from Montgomery, concrete to start

33 Plaque dedicated to Grace Marchant who started the gardens long ago

34 Now starting the wooden steps

35 Darrell Place, first offshoot down from Montgomery, runs N-S

36 Looking down from Darrell

38 Corner Darrell & Filbert, 230 Filbert

40 228 Filbert

42 224 Filbert

43 224 Filbert at Napier

44 THEN: 224 Filbert in 1972, 226 upper left. See above for NOW of this

45 THEN: 224 Filbert in 1972 (side on Napier)

46 THEN: 226 Filbert in 1972

47 THEN: 228 and 226 Filbert in 1972

48 THEN: 228 Filbert in 1972

49 Napier Lane

50 Napiier is not thru to Greenwich

51 10 Napier may be the oldest on the Lane

52 This area survived 1906

59 25 Napier is up these steps

60 Back out to Filbert: 222 and 216

61 Wood Filbert again turns to concrete

62 Long stretch down to Sansome

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Vulcan and States

3/17/2018

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Starting this hike rom Castro up to De Forest, a swalkers-only way up up to the east edge of Corona Heights Park: 1

Flint St. dead-end at De Forest: 2, 3

From Fint up a steep trail to the Randall Museum’s east steps: 4, 6, 6

Here you’ll see the east trailhead for the 130 steps to the upper bench. More steps curve round the south side after this, descending on the west side of the summit rocks and out to Roosevelt.

Around to the main entrance of the Randall: 7 thru 12

The new animal room was open (closed Monday). My favorite this time was a pair of turtles. Second was a gorgeous snake trying to get past the glass barrier of its cage.

The steep zigzag ramp descends to a playground and States St. in the Corona Heights neighborhood: 12 thru 20

States St. uphill west: 21, 22, 23

The Castle is a delight to behold: 24 thru 34

Continuing up States to where it turns left on Levant: 35 thru 40

Levant/States stairs up to Roosevelt: 41

South on Levant to the top of Vulcan Stairway: 42, 43

A few THENS from 1072: 74 Vulcan, 66-68 Vulcan, and Vulcan's foot near Ord: 44, 45, 46

Down Vulcan (Eureka Valley/Castro neighborhood). 219 steps for the north, main, stairway:47 thru 55

Vulcan’s south stairway is a dead-end with three homes on it and a couple of microtrails to it from the north steps: 56, 57

Back from where it turns, down to Ord: 58 turu 64

Ord's a dead-end on the north side; south end crosses 17th): 65

View from Old up the Saturn minipark stairway, next stair-street to the south of Vulcan: 66. 67

Love the benches at the foot of Saturn: 68

More Ord: 69 thru 78

Passing the old, long-closed streetcar tracks on upper Market just before the Castro Metro station:

1 De Forest up to Flint

2 Dead-end of Flint St. at De Forest

3 Flint at De Forest

4 Trail up into the park on the east side

5 It's steep but the potholes have been filled

6 Randall Museum's east steps

8 View east

12 Randall Museum

13 Zigzag ramp down the south side to States St.

21 States St. in the Corona Heights Neighborhood

22 Connector stairs from Corona Heights to Eureka Valley (Douglass St.)

24 The Castle on States

35 Next door to the Castle

41 Up to Roosevelt from States/Levant

42 Levant St.

44 A THEN: 74 Vulcan Stairway from 1972

45 THEN: 66/68

46 THEN: 1972

47 80 and 74 Vulcan

48 74 and 66/68

53 One of two N-S micro-walkways between the north and south stairways

56 1 and 3 Vulcan on the south stairway

57 2 and 3

58 Back on the north stairway

59 A view north to Corona Heights and Corona Heights Park

63 Down to Ord

65 Thru for walkers to Douglass to the right

66 The Saturn stairway is now a minipark

67 Saturn minipark runs thru to upper Saturn where there is a sidewalk stairway

68 Foot of Saturn minipark

69 Continuing south on Ord towards 17th

74 Ord at 17th

79 Old streetcar tracks on Market near Castro Metro station

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Hacking and Chopping

3/5/2018

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Upon reaching the top of the 62 Simonds Loop stone steps (Presidio east), what used to be surrounded by greenery was now more bare than I'd ever seen it. Including where I used to happily forage for blackberries. I can understand some maintenance is nexessary, but please, just not so much!

It’s difficult these days to take a hike in this or other parks without coming across dead branches, bare tree stumps, herbicide-spraying notices, bare ground where there used to be beautiful green spaces, or workers actually doing the hacking and chopping at the time.

Starting off at the Broadway Gate, enjoying the forest and view east: 1 thru 7

Into the Simonds Loop neighborhood and steps down to Lower Simonds Loop: 8 thru 11

Moving west: 12, 13, 14

Above El Polin Spring and out at Inspiration Point Overlook (off Arguello): 15 thru 31

Across Presidio Parkway from Mountain Lake (using the pedestrian underpass) and up to the Marine Cemetery Vista Overlook.

Several years ago a stairway and boardwalk trail (103 steps counting the stepped boardwalk), benches, a plaque (“Home is the Sailor, Home from the Sea”), and a trail winding down to Battery Caulfield Road: 32 thru 53

Crossing at Battery Caulfield and into another forest (pix 54, 55, 56), at the foot of which you can access the Lobos Creek boardwalk trail that winds out to Lincoln/El Camino del Mar.

1 Just inside the Broadway Gate

2 A view east thru the trees

8 62 steps

9 Upper to Lower Simonds Loop

11 Lower Simonds Loop

14 Upper Lover's Lane

15 Opening in Presidio Wall at Spruce into Julius Kahn Park

16 Trail above El Polin Spring

18 Ecology Trail

23 Ecology Trail

26 45 steps to Inspiration Point Overlook

31 Park rangers

32 Across Presidio Parkway from Mountain Lake

33 Up to Mrine Cemetery Vista Overlook

42 Pfftrail to the north

48 Back on the MCV Trail again

51 Counting the boardwalk steps, 103 total to the Marine Cemetery Vista Overlook

52 Overlook bench

53 Cross at the Battery Caulfield Rd. crosswalk

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Dragonfly

3/2/2018

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Meandering round the east side of the Fort Scott neighborhood to the Presidio Nursery. Down 30 steps and west across the footbridge, alongside a forested area and Dragonfly Creek.

Nursery stairs: 1

Heading west: 2 thru 10

The old stone footbridge: 11 thru 15

Fort Scott buildings around the edge of the field: 16 thru 22

Anyone remember the “Presidio Habitats” installations from 2006? This hike reminded me of it so searched for some old pix from back then. My favorites were the yellow wildlife-viewing chairs at Fort Scott. So much fun; wish they were still around. Some THENS: 23 thru 33

And a couple of habitats from Park Trail as well: 34, 35, 36

Back to the bridge area: 37, 38

1 Presidio nursery stairs

23 THEN: Bat house above the Dragonfly Creek footbridge, 2006

24 THEN: People exploring Presidio Habitats back in 2006, Dragonfly Creek footbridge.

25 THEN: 2006, Presidio Habitats exhibit at Fort Scott

26 THEN

27 THEN

28 THEN

29 THEN

30 THEN

31 THEN

32 THEN

33 THEN

34 THEN: A for house, Park Trail

35 THEN: Fox habitat, Park Trail

36 THEN: Bird hones, Park Trail

37 Back at the bridge area

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BB and Connector

3/1/2018

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Starting this Presidio hike slightly above west Baker Beach. Connecting (near the top of the Sand Ladder) with the Connector Trail from Lincoln to Immigrant Point Overlook.

Baker Beach: 1 thru 18

The mini-Sand Ladder (about 45 steps): 19, 20, 21

Up to Lincoln, past the main Sand Ladder: 22 thru 29

Crossing Lincoln for the Connector Trail - 208 steps up to Immigrant Point Overlook: 30 thru 41

Washington Blvd.: 42

Battery Caulfield Road, a long downhiller, beloved by coasting cyclists: 43, 44