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Yellow and Green

3/27/2020

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Fort Miley Forest: 1 thru 20

VA Hospital north parking lot: 21

Looks like they’re abandoning the upgrading of the picnic area that used to be below the VA Hospital’s north parking lot.

Several years ago they closed off both stairways down to it due, they said, to storm damage. 

Wonder if they’re just going to let plants grow over the stairs and other delights of this “secret” spot: 22 thru 39

Continuing east to the Battle of the Bulge Trail: 40 thru 46 


The Battle of the Bulge Trail has about 22 steps total - top and bottom. It descends to the north parking lot for the Legion of Honor museum: 47 thru 68

Hikers keep going past the yellow vehicle barrier at the west edge of the parking lot for the 47 steps to the El Camino del Mar Trail: 69 thru 75
 
The El Camino del Mar Trail is not as crowded as the main Coastal Trail below. It emerges at the upper parking lot overlook: 76 thru 106

Upper parking lot overlook and downhill out of the park: 107 thru 115

From my seat on the 38R Geary, east edge of Sutro Heights Park: 116

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20 Short stairway and trail
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21 Helipad
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108 59 steps to Coastal Trail
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116 Looking out from the b us to Sutro Heights Park
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Mc Circle

3/25/2020

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The #52 Excelsior bus stop at Brazil & Persia is very close to one of the west trailheads for McLaren Park. There is a short stairway and separate trail entrance: 1

East past the trail leading up to the Blue Water Tower: 2 thru 15

Down to the the west edge of Lake McNab: 16 thru24 

This time trekked uphill on the narrow zigzag trail leading south that I usually go down. Up was easier: 25 thru 38

Jerry Garcia Amphithater: 39 thru 42

http://www.jerryday.org

Continuing west: 43 thru 48

Upper Reservoir: 49 thru 55

Back out the way I came in: 56, 57, 58


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39 Jerry Garcia Amphitheater
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Bronte Tompkins

3/23/2020

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This post contains some THENs and NOWs of the east dead-end of Jrboe at Brdford down to Tompkins before Bradford was transformed  from a dirt trail into a zigzag stairway. And three different incarnations of the Tompkins Stair, SE Bernal Heights.

Bronte is one of the stops on Cortland for the #24. 

N-S streets around here are roller-coaster steep. The skill it must take to maneuver your car into one of the driveways of the homes up here… 

Climbing from Cortland on Bronte:  1 thru 9

On the way down, Bronte turns into a dead-end for vehicles and short stairway on the east side. Some of these old steps are concrete, some wood. On the east side also are a few concrete sidewalk steps. Careful inching your way down to Tompkins: 10 tthru 24

At the foot, at Tompkins, you can go east about a block for the zigzag Bradford stairs up to Jarboe. 

First a short, steep section, then a short section of sidewalk steps on the east side across from some homes. At the top of the homes is the stairway. 

Used to take a deer trail to/from the Alemany Farmers Market. But why they didn't continue the railed sidewalk stairs all the way down to Tompkins is beyond me. It's one of the city’s steepest short stretches. 

A few THENs from t2004, 2005 and 2006 of the homes at the foot and former gardenspots at the top before the steps and the wall that now curves round at the top of the cliff to the Jarboe/Bradford stairs.
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ThENs: 25 thru 36

NOWs from a few years ago: 37 thru 42

This tine, however, I'm heading west a block from Bronte to the foot of the Tompkins Stairs.

Neighbors turned this old stairway (65 steps) into a delightful minipark some years ago.

First a few THENs. The first two are of the stairway in 2009:  43, 44

Second two: 2010 after its minipark transformation:  45, 46

Had not visited it in a while but decided to check it out for myself after seeing someone’s post on Facebook’s San Francisco Photography site (thanks, Suzanne!): 47 thru 68

http://www.tompkinsstairs.org

From the top of the minipark at Nevada, continuing on Tompkins a few blocks to Holly Park.

West on Tompkins:  69, 70, 71

Tompkins ends at Andover. From here continuing on Highland to the park:  72 thru 78

Holly Park has benches, picnic tables, tennis courts, restrooms, a playground, trees, views, water fountains:  79 thru 98

Bocana just above Cortland:  99, 100, 101

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8 The Dragon House on Bronte
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10 A vehicle dead-end ahead on Bronte
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24 Foot of Bronte at Tompkins
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25 THEN - JARBOE AT TOP OF DIRT TRAIL, 2004
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26 THEN - JARBOE AT TOP OF DIRT TRAIL, 2005
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27 THEN - JARBOE AT TOP OF DIRT TRAIL, 2006
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28 THEN - HARBOE AT TOP OF DIRT TRAIL
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29 THEN - JARBOE AT TOP OF DIRT TRAIL BEFORE THE STAIRWAY
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30 THEN - BRADFORD FROM ALEMANY FARMERS MARKET, 2005
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31 THEN - BRADFORD FROM ALEMANY FARMERS MARKET
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32 THEN - BRADFORD FROM ALEMANY FARMERSS MARKET
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33 THEN - BRADFORD AT TOMPKINS
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34 THEN - BRADFORD UP FROM TOMPKINS
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37 NOW - Bradford stairs up to Jarboe
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40 Sidewalk stairway
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43 THEN - TOMPKINS STAIRS, 2009
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44 THEN - TOMPKINS STAIRS, 2009
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45 THEN - TOMPKINS STAIRS AS A MINIPARK, 2010
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46 THEN - TOP OF TOMPKINS STAIRS, 2010
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47 NOW - Tompkins Stairs, 2020
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Woody

3/12/2020

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A short stroll along Andy Goldsworthy’s Wood Line in the Presidio just off Lover’s Lane.

Starting off at Lover’s Lane with a short detour west: 1 thru 6

Back to the beginning of Wood Line, south to north: 7 thru 41

Up to the road for the bus stop for the crosstown #43: 42, 43, 44

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Abloom

3/10/2020

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This Mount Sutro hike was to view some of the plum blossoms that magically appear around this time - here and in lots of other places, including Sausalito. Try to see this sort of thing in person though. 

Edgewood Ave. south to the trailhead: 1, 2 

Edgewood Trail up to the road. Liked the old name for the road, Upper Service Road, better than its present name, Medical Center Way: 3 thru 43

Views from the road: 44 thru 54

Aldea residences near the Community Center: 55

More views from the road, downhill now: 56 thru 73

Shortcut steps down alongside one of the medical buildings: 74, 75


Thru the (UCSF) parking lot: 76, 77

136 steps down from the parking lot to behind the Parnassus medical buildings: 78 thru 97

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45 North Ridge trailhead
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49 Fairy Gates Trail below
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55 Aldea housing near the Community Center
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Randombot

3/6/2020

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Starting at the southeast side of the Botanical Garden this tine (Ninth Ave. & Lincoln, Golden Gate Park). Years ago when admission was free for all, used to sit for a while up on a little hill here before leaving the park after a visit.  

Back then would also soften enter the Garden thru a hole in the fence at its west end. 

Eastside meandering:  1 thru 49


About halfway to the west end, crossing over:  50 thru 70

Continuing: 71 thru 113


The center waterfowl pond:  114, 115, 116

Continuing:  117 thru 123

Just outside the garden is a  gift shop with plants, seeds, books,  dish towels... :  124


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124 Just outside the main entrance - a gift shop with seed packets, books, etc.
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Elk Sussex

3/4/2020

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37 steps from Bosworth and Glen Park Rec. Center area: 1 thru 14

Stairway up to Elk: 15, 16, 17

From the top of the 49 Elk steps: 18 thru 21

Sussex between Elk and Diamond: 22 thru 42

Diamond down from Sussex: 43 thru 50

J-Church Metro skyway and stairways up from/down to San Jose: 51, 52, 53

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15 Steps up to Elk in the Glen Park neighborhood
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38 Ohlone Way down from Sussex
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42 Sussex at Diamond
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43 Diamond St.
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44 Diamond near Surrey
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45 Diamond near Surrey
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46 Diamond St.
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47 Diamond & Surrey
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48 Diamond St.
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51 Up from the J-Church Glen Park stop at San Jose
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52 Skyway to Glen Park from the J-Church stop below at San Jose
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53 Stairs down to San Jose for the J-Church Metro Glen Park stop Inbound
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Poppies

3/3/2020

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Down the Bosworth steps and over to the east side of Glen Canyon from the Glen Park Rec. Center: 1, 2

Stairway up to Elk: 3, 4

Glen Canyon's east side: 5 thru 11

Up from the main trail, a stair-trail to some rocks: 12 thru 40

Connecting around and north to the foot of the 93 main east steps. Wildflowers include not only yellow Oxalis but another favorite, California Poppies: 41 thru 61

Main east stairway: 62 thru 82

Up to Christopher Park in Diamond Heights: 83, 84, 85


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Crags Descent

3/2/2020

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37 steps down from Bosworth to a Glen Park Rec. Center playing field:  1

Going up here, a short enclosed trail where Elk meets Diamond  Heights Blvd.:  2

Up 49 steps to Elk:  3, 4

From the top of the Elk steps, continuing up and looking down:  5 thru 25

Crags Court is a dead-end for vehicles at the Crags Court Community Garden:  26 thru 33

But if you’re on foot, there’s a stairway here that will take you down into Glen Canyon:  34 thru 37

A trail to the main stairs and viewbench near the top:  38 thru 51

​Views:  52 thru 58 

​Up to Christopher Park in Diamond Heights: 59 thru 67

​Christopher Park:  68 thru 72

Behind the Safeway, Opalo steps to Gold Mine:  73



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2 Going up via the Elk stairs
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27 Crags Court Community Garden
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54 Mount Davidson Park center distance
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55 Diamond Heights in distance
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73 Opalo stairway to Gold Mine behind Diamond Heights Shopping Center
0 Comments

    Author

    I like meandering around on San Francisco's park trails and public stairways, sometimes taking photos, and enjoying nature and the outdoors.

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