Blog Archives

Recent BTBs

4/17/2015

Some recent hikepix of the super-photogenic Batteries to Bluffs Trail and some other Presidio goodies.

Into the park at the 14th Ave. “gate,” Wyman Ave. homes, first pic, on my way to climb the Marine Cemetery Vista Overlook steps, 2 thru 5 (about 103 steps) to the boardwalk, benches, and memorial plaque.

This is one of the newer Presidio stairways, created several years ago. Many sailors were buried up here between 1881 and 1912, behind what used to be the Public Health Service District, converted to residences several years ago.

Uphill on Battery Caulfield Road, turning right on Washington, thru a residential area and into the forest.

East of Rob Hill Campground, a short trail down to behind Fort Scott neighborhood homes, pic 6. Brief offtrail logsittin’ (pic 7) before heading down a less-used trail to visit the “hidden” Fort Scott Community Garden.

Now onto the Connector Trail. 208 Steps descend from Immigrant Point Overlook (pix 8, 9,10), crossing Lincoln at the foot.

The Batteries to Bluffs west trailhead begins with a winding downhill sandy trail to Battery Crosby: 11 thru 31. 473 or so steps, not counting 16 or so to the top of Battery Crosby and 40-something for the offshoot trail that descends to Marshall's Beach.

On to the National Cemetery Overlook: 32 thru 35. A trail this time, this between the Park Trail below and residences above, instead of the winding wood stairway ascending thru the forest from the Park Trail. Don't miss these 98 steps if you haven’t done ’em before.

Meanderings elsewhere in the park: 36 thru 41.

1. Across Veterans Blvd. on the opposite side is an unobstructed view of Mountain Lake

2. One of the newer stairways climbs to the stepped boardwalk

3. These steps lead up to the boardwalk and trail to the overlook

4. North end of the Wyman Ave. residences is to the left partway up

5. The overlook with benches and center plaque, looking north

6. From the east edge of Rob Hill Campground a trail descends to the Fort Scott 'hood

7. From an offtrail log, the back of a Fort Scott residence in distance

8. Descending from Immigrant Point Overlook

9. 208 steps through the forest down to Lincoln

10. Cross Lincoln for trailheads for the Sand Ladder, left, and Batteries to Bluffs, right.

11. West trailhead for the Batteries to Bluffs

12. Sandy trail curves down to Battery Crosby

13. Steps start down from top of Battery Crosby

14. Now for the steep part

15. A couple of railings were added several years ago

16. 473-ish steps

17. San Francisco's biggest park and longest stairway

18. Stairs curve down to the footbridge with another length of railing

19. Down, center, is the Marshall's Beach offshoot trail

20. Moving east midtrail

21. Climbing back up

22. Top, to the right of center, where I started down

23. Right, top, foot of Marshall's Beach trail

24. Continuing to View Point Overlook

25. Stairtop view

26. View Point

27. The lone viewbench

28. This is 130 steps down from the east side

29. About .07 mile long

30. Part of the eastside trail can be seen from the Pacific Overlook at Lincoln Blvd.

31. East trailhead, down from Lincoln & Langdon

32. Park Trail below, left

33. Upper Cemetery Overlook benches

34. View north from Cemetery Overlook

35. View of Marin Headlands and Mount Tam

36. Park Trail, left; Mountain Lake Trail right

37. On a trail with lots of stacked logs; this one's sprouting

38. Climbing up from Presidio Forest to Lobos Valley Overlook

39. El Polin Spring and boardwalk from above, eastside

40. El Polin Spring

41. Trail near Arguello gate

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Three McLaren Favorites

4/15/2015

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These being … two stairways between the park and the Visitacion Valley neighborhood and one winding trail from just below divided Mansell down to Lake McNab: 56 steps, 195 steps, and six switchbacks for the tall-grass trail. Love tall grasses and other unmowed vegetation alongside trails.

Disembarked the crosstown #29 (taken from the stop at the Balboa Park BART) at the top end of Visitacion Ave. and divided Mansell near the Overlook parking lot (first pic), and thru the picnic area to descend the first stairway. At the top of it are viewbenches and a couple of “musing stations,” part of the Philosopher’s Way 2.7-mile trailwalk: 2, 3, 4, 5.

The 56 stairs are only at the top part; you then continue down a winding openspace paved walkers’ trail to the top of Ervine & Wilde in Vis Valley.

Over to Delta from Wilde to the roughly paved skinny walkway. The pedestrian pothole got filled up with rocks since my last visit, but this steep, narrow pathway could seriously use a stairway here, more than the seven or so at the foot: 6 thru 10.

When I reached the foot of the long stairway at the top/dead-end of Campbell, noticed a sign advising of construction starting here on April 24. There are some orange flexifences here now. Be nice if parks’ websites could give us an artist’s rendering of changes planned so we’d have an idea of what planned construction is supposed to produce: 11 thru 21.

From the top of the steps, up steep Visitacion to cross Mansell into the northeast side of the park where this third favorite trail now has one of those new green park-rules signs at its upper trailhead: 22 thru 32.

At the foot, at McNab Lake, hung out a short time watching some ducks (pix 33, 34, 35), then started back up again to Mansell, trekking a steeper trail this time partway up: 36 thru 40.

Lake McNab and this trail are near the Portola neighborhood's west edge, with a delightful view of Bernal Heights’ southside.

Just below Mansell and the tennis courts: 41, 42.

1. Steps to the picnic area. Overlook parking lot right.

2. Philosopher's Way musing stations with a view south

3. Big sis San Bruno Mountain across with Visitacion Valley below

4. Starting down

5. 56 steps then a paved trail continues down to Wilde & Ervine

6. Top of Delta's narrow walkway

7. The pothole's been filled with rocks

8. Delta's pedestrian pathway

9. About seven old steps at the foot

10. At the foot of the Delta walkway, continue down and turn right on Campbell

11. Park trails infosign at the top of Campbell

12. McLaren Park's longest stairway

13. A newer park-rules sign has been added near the foot of the stairs

14. 195 steps

15. Campbell up to Visitacion Ave.

16. Trail to the right is supersteep. Trust me on this.

17. A bit of shade along this openspace staIrway

18. Different stairstyle partway up

19. Nearing the top

20. Looking back down from the top

21. Visitacion Valley Middle School to right below

22. Bernal Hill in distance to right

23. Another one of those newer parkrules signs at this upper trailhead

24. Starting off to the east

25. First switchback

26. Narrow trail with grass on both sides

27. Portola neighborhood below

28. Continuing down to the lake

29. Another good switchback

30. Dry and uneven

31. 'Nother one to the north

32. Nearing the foot, a hiker-icon sign up ahead

33. Hi guys!

34. McNab Lake's island left

35. A few picnic tables

36. Starting back up again

37. This is good 'n steep

38. Lake McNab's public restroom building below, upper left

39. Again, take my word for it - this is another steep trail

40. Trudging higher. Twin Peaks upper left corner

41. This guy's been here a long time as has his nearby buddy the dolphin

42. Daisies near the tennis courts just below Mansell

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No More Swing

4/8/2015

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What I’ve always called the “Marietta Openspace" at Mount Davidson East’s Miraloma Park neighborhood is labeled “O’Shaughnessy Hollow” on Google Maps.

O’Shaughnessy is the winding street way down below (and not at all pedestrian-friendly). I like the name ”Marietta” better; this street leads to the viewspot from the #36 bus stop (at Marietta and Teresita). Used to trek up through the Sunnyside neighborhood.

So time for another visit while this cliffside openspace was still green and to view the Canyon and Diamond Heights from the rocks up here. And yes, to see if the swing was still there. Nope; it’s gone. Drat. It looked so good there. And the branch it was hanging from has been chopped off as well. Last saw the swing in February 2013.

It’s a couple blocks along divided Marietta from Teresita before you get to the narrow cliffedge viewplace. First pic. Along the divided, winding street are several very short stairways, five to seven or so steps for each. Pic 2:

Pix 3 thru 23: views from up here.

After my short visit had to walk down Teresita a few blocks before seeing any bus stops. Finally just past Los Palmos there was one for the #36 on its downhill trip thru the Sunnyside and back to the Glen Park BART.

1. Marietta opens up at the cliffedge viewpark

2. Divided Marietta Dr.

3. Wandering...

4. View to the east with Glen Canyon below

5. No more swing

6. This was a really good place for a swing

7. Curving O'Shaughnessy Blvd. below

8. O'Shaughnessy winds around to the north

9. Canyon treetops

10. Trailing around

11. Rocks to perch on

12. Sutro Tower and Twin Peaks, right

13. Berkeley Way in Diamond Heights across

14. McLaren Park, center, distance

15. O'Shaughnessy below, looking south

16. O'Shaughnessy Blvd. below, left

17. Homes on lower Marietta Dr.

18. Mid-Canyon below

19. A Marietta Dr. viewhome

20. Would definitely like to live up here ... duhhh

21. Lower Marietta Dr.

22. Heading back to Teresita on upper Marietta

23. The former swing tree from upper Marietta

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111 for Strawberry

4/7/2015

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Strawberry Hill, surrounded by Stow Lake, is the highest elevation in Golden Gate Park. From the top of the hill at the reservoir, there are 111 steps down to the steppingstones at the foot of Huntington Falls. Uneven steps, both concrete and wood, with a curvy green railing on one side: 1 thru 15.

A south stairway has 39 steps and climbs to one of the short wood footbridges across the falls: 16, 17. Cross over back to the main steps.

The falls, a flowery bench, and the steppingstones at the foot: 18 thru 22.

Down the north side are 63 more steps, mostly older wood: 23, 24.

To get here, from the N-Judah Metro's 19th Ave. & Judah stop downhilled a couple of blocks to the park, then a short distance on one of the trails to the Stow Lake area, crossing over Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Across the picturesque 1893 stone bridge (25 thru 29) and up a few steps for the trail that winds up the hill on the south side (30, 31, 32). Sat on a log partway up for lunch in the pleasurable company of several each squirrels, ducks, and other birds. Widely spaced wood steps down from here, pic 33 .

The Golden Gate Pavilion and nearby steps up: last three pix.

1. Top of the main steps

2. Main stairs descend to left

3. Wood and concrete with a curvy green railing

4. North side of the falls

5. Stow Lake's east side below

6. The juiciest spot in Golden Gate Park

7. Wood turns to concrete

8. View of the falls to the right

9. Stow Lake below

10. A view from the east side of the hill

11. Steep and uneven

12. Curving down

13. Boat rentals at the northside Boathouse, left and around

14. 111 steps for the main stairway

15. Foot and side of the stairs

16. Foot of the south stairway

17. Out again to the main stairway

18. Love these flowers, whatever they are

19. Huntington Falls: 110 feet high

20. Footbridge above

21. Foot of the falls

22. Looking down from a footbridge

23. At the foot of these is another bridge

24. About 63 steps on the north side of the hill

25. South side

26. The much-photographed old stone bridge

27. Crossing over

28. The 1893 stone bridge across to the island

29. About to climb Strawberry Hill

30. A few steps up to a Strawberry Hill trail on the south side

31. Widely spaced steps

32. Strawberry Hill south trail

33. Steps down

34. The Golden Gate Pavilion on the east side

35. 1976 gift from SF's sister city Taipei

36. Steps up near the Pavilion area

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Springtime Mountain Beauty

4/6/2015

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A springtime walk in the sunshine on Mount Davidson. First the openspace, then thru the forest descending from the cross area.

Especially love hiking up into Mount Davidson Park from the #36 Teresita’s convenient stop at Dalewood at the main park entrance. Eight steps to start, then occasional wood “steps” spaced widely apart the rest of the way up. You get the forest on one side and the city below on the east side. During blackberry season there’re berries to pick alongside.

The trail up: 1 thru 8.

Views from the openspace: 9 thru 16. Two stairways down, east and north. The north has 22 steps, the east about the same.

The monument: 17, 18, 19.

A forest trail: Pic 20; out to Dalewood.

I like this big tree across one of the minor trails. You need to climb over it rather than just step over; love this sort of thing. Pic 21.

37 steps for the old brick stairway down to Juanita: last four pix.

1. Eight steps starting up from the #36 Teresita bus stop

2. Into the park from the main Dalewood trailhead

3. Winding up

4. Look down!

5. East cityview

6. California poppies

7. Diamond Heights view with downtown SF beyond

8. Sutro Tower center, part of Twin Peaks to right

9. A trail down from the Openspace

10. Mount Sutro center

11. The Openspace bench

12. A view north: Mount Sutro, Sutro Tower, Twin Peaks

13. City on the left (east), forest to the right

14. North Openspace steps

15. East Openspace steps. Miraloma Park neighborhood below.

16. Another viewbench

17. The summit cross is 103 feet high

18. Starting down a forest trail

19. Continuing down the trail into the forest

20. Homes on Dalewood from a forest trail

21. A tree on the trail to sit on and climb over

22. Down these old brick steps to Juanita Way

23. A stairway trailhead into the forest on the north side

24. 37 steps

25. Up into the forest from Juanita

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Glen Canyon and Upper Noe

4/5/2015

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Continuing a recent Glen Canyon hike, then down into Noe Valley. This is Part 2.

Rocks above, first pic.

Main bottom trail, pic 2.

Up the 68 steps on the north side of the rocks from the Canyon floor (3 thru 9). The south steps still have that black flexi-fencing alongside, pix 10, 11.

Upper trails: 12, 13, 14.

Continuing up the main upper east trail (15, 16) to access the 89 replacement steps that climb to the west edge of Christopher Park, passing the viewbench. Don’t know what all that black fencing's for that's just below the trail here, but it’s not blocking the trail.

Someone was mowing the wild grasses on an upper slope just to the side of the new steps as I ascended. Why not use goats for this to eliminate all the noise and blowing stuff? Pix 17 thru 32.

Exiting the Diamond Heights Safeway, noticed the southbound #52 Excelsior just passing; 30 minutes wait for the next. So descended into Noe Valley via steep 28th to Noe, since I figured there’d be less of a wait for the #24 Divisadero. Yup. Even though one passed when I was less than a half block from the stop, still only had to wait about 10 minutes for another #24.

On the way downhill on 28th passed the foot of the Castro stairway and some longtime favorite older homes. Pix 33 thru 39.

1. Looking up from main Canyon floor trail

2. Canyonfloor

3. Starting up

4. 68 steps

5. View across to Mount Davidson

6. Popular rock-climbing area

7. Top of the north steps

8. Looking down

9. At the top

10. South stairs descend; main east trail in distance

11. Steps on either side of the climbing rocks

12. Still green

13. Winding up

14. Diamond Heights homes above

15. View west from main upper eastside trail

16. Heading south to the main east stairs

17. Foot of the replacement steps

18. Steps up to Christopher Park

19. 89 steps now ... and this view

20. O'Shaughnessy Blvd. top

21. Mount Davidson top, center

22. Curving around

23. The beloved viewbench

24. South from the bench, these steps will take you over to Crags Court Community Garden

25. Homes across, top, are in Mount Davidson's Miraloma Park neighborhood

26. Upper right, Mount Davidson Park's openspace with forest beyond

27. West edge of Christopher Park above

28. Diamond Heights homes to right

29. Climbing-rock stairways below, center

30. Steps start at edge of Christopher Park now instead of a little way down as before

31. Vast view from the top

32. This park-rules sign is another recent addition

33. 28th Street

34. 28th in Noe Valley

35. Foot of the Castro stairway

36. Go to 2098 Castro on Google Maps Streetview to see the top of this

37. Row of older beauties

38. Between Castro & Noe

39. 28th between Castro & Noe

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Out to Portola

4/4/2015

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It’s steepish now, but they’ve finally hacked through to Portola from the “North Trail," what I've been calling this tangly trail in the northernmost part of Glen Canyon. It’s long been a favorite “secret trail” of mine. Well not anymore.

It’s now been extended past the north corner of the school playing field’s chainlink fence, and you can actually exit onto Portola OR the dead-ends of Amethyst and Turquoise from the north Canyon. Pix 1 thru 5.

The south end of Glenview in the Midtown Terrace neighborhood (Twin Peaks west) is directly across the street from the end of this trail (pic 6). Nearby is a hiking trail constructed a few years ago that climbs alongside Twin Peaks Blvd. But so far there’s no skyway across busy, two-way Portola over to Twin Peaks Park’s south side.

A very short trail already existed from Portola to the dead-ends of Amethyst and Turquoise. Used to sometimes take this years ago, but back then didn’t enter the Canyon directly. I’d head south on Turquoise a few blocks (past Quartz) until I reached the down-stairway into the Canyon.

So did this one twice within an hour or so. Google Maps shows this old Amethyst-out-to-Portola trail. It’s next to the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts at 555 Portola. The north trail is not yet shown on Google Maps past the Turquoise Way trailhead.

Continued past the playing field gate on this north trail. When I reached the part that'd ended earlier due to seemingly impenetrable tangles at the north edge of the chainlink fence, was surprised to see that it now continued uphill as a very noticeable new trail.

Naturally had to follow it all the way, thinking I’d probably reach a dead-end as before. To my amazement was able to keep going until I‘d reached the top, with its view south and two ways to continue: the upper part out to Portola and the lower to the dead-ends of Amethyst and Turquoise.

No doubt there soon will be some steps to help one up the extended trail’s steep part. Right now it’s a bit of a scramble but doable: 7 thru 10.

Glorious view of the whole Canyon from north to south from the top of the trail. The slopes are still green too. Pic 11.

Started uphill from the Glen Park BART station for this hike, but partway up was able this time to take the #52 from Sussex & Diamond in the Glen Park 'hood to Duncan and Diamond Heights Blvd. From here headed west a few blocks to Cameo where the Coralino stairway starts down (130 steps to Amber): 12, 13, 14.

West a few blocks to another stairway descending from Amber to Turquoise. It crosses Turquoise and continues down, part steps (65), part walkway; the lower part ends at a park trail: 15 thru 19.

So below Diamond Heights stilthouses, the northernmost trail down has been extended and cleared, now with a footbridge over Islais Creek and a few new steps onto the trailhead for this old favorite trail of mine. Pix 20, 21. Lots of damselflies around.

First noticed, happily, was that several of the fat treelimbs that cross the trail are still here. Hopefully they'll remain unmolested. Please leave ‘em there, those of you who wish to overly “tame” this park. Pic 22.

A lot of clearing has been accomplished since my last visit; the blackberry bushes have been cut way back so the trail’s wider now. Pix 23, 24. Hope there’ll still be a decent amount of berries for foraging this coming season. Also hope the wildlife hasn’t been disturbed too much … that they’ll still have sufficient space to live and hide from hiking humans.

From Portola, continued south on Turquoise back to where I’d descended into the park a short time earlier.

This time continued south slightly above (25 thru 28), butterflies included, and down to the main Canyon floor trail via another improved-upon trailhead.

... To be continued next post ...