Blog Archives

Eureka Peak Steps

4/29/2017

The replacement steps on Eureka Peak are now walkable.

Starting off at the southside trailhead at Portola and Twin Peaks Blvd., my favorite way up: First two

But when I got to the second part, where the crosswalk is for the westside trail, just past the green park sign, surprise! This part was blocked off because it’s getting new steps! This is the part that climbs up alongside Midcrest Way just behind the homes on the east side of the street: 3, 4

So ended up winding east around this part of Twin Peaks Blvd.: 5, 6, 7, 8

Crossing over from the top of Midcrest Way, the last south part was open to climb: 9 thru 13

This third part now has four or so old wood steps at the top. Maybe this stretch will get some steps as well.

Top part of the Blvd. now: 14, 15, 16

Round the east part of Twin PeKS Blvd. that is now closed off to vehicle traffic, passing Noe Peak. Will Noe’s south and north stairs get replacements too?

Eastside trail, winding round on the closed-to-traffic part of Twin Peaks Blvd. What about replacement steps for the 93 old wood ones up from Crestline?: 17 thru 20

Eureka Peak’s new staircount: 112 new steps for the south side and 99 steps down the north side: 21 thru 41

West side of the Blvd. now for the new trail here just over the guardrail, then down to Marview (alongside the reservoir) in the Midtown Terrace neighborhood. How about a crosswalk over to this side?: 42 thru 49

La Avanzada down to Clarendon: 50, 51

Crossing Clarendon over to Mount Sutro for the Edgewood Trail, Edgewood Ave. and down the 149 Farnsworth steps from the north end of Edgrwood Ave.: 52 tjru 57

1 Starting up Twin Peaks Blvd. from Portola Dr.

2 Glenview below

3 Trail closed due to stair construction

4 Surprise! New steps for this part under construction

5 East on the winding Blvd,

8 Blocked also at the top. Midcrest Way to right

9 Third level trail up from Midcrest Way okay to climb

12 A few old steps at the top of this part

13 Top at the guardrail

14 Mount Davidson center distance

17 East side of Twin Peaks Blvd.

19 Will the old steps down to Crestline get replaced?

20 Eureka Peak up ahead

21 South replacement steps

22 112 new staircount for this side

27 Noe Peak upper left side

29 Top of Eureka. Noe Peak and Mount Davidson view.

30 View east

31 View north

33 99 steps down the north side

34 Windy up here

37 A view west

42 Now a trail on the west side

44 Trail alongside the reservoir down to Marview in Midtown Terrace

50 La Avanzada

51 Woods above Clarendon

52 Over to Mount Sutro

53 This way for the Edgewood Trail

55 Edgewod Ave,

56 Edgewood Ave.

37 Farnsworth Lane

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Filbert Napier and Greenwich

4/28/2017

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Up Telegraph Hill via the Filbert stairway from Sansome. First flight up to where the wood steps and houses start: First four

Napier Lane: 5 thru 12

Wood Filbert and its homes: 13 thru 18

Darrell Place, the second Filbert offshoot walk: 19, 20, 21, 22

Up to Montgomery and its divider steps: 23 thru 26

Upper, concrete, Filbert: 27 thru 30

Pioneer Park up from Telegraph Hill Blvd.: 31, 32, 33

A Coit Tower mural: 35

Down the brick Greenwich stairs from the park back down to Montgomery: 35 thru 41

Second block down, lower Greenwich back down to Sansome: 42 thru 57

1 Filbert up from Sansome

2 First two residences on the wood stairway

6 10 Napier Lane

10 22 Napier

12 And back out to Filbert

13 224 Filbert

16 228 Filbert

17 230 Filbert

18 Filbert at Darrell

20 Looking down from Darrell

23 Up to Montgomery

24 Lower Montgomery at Filbert

25 Lower to upper Montgomery

26 Montgomery divider stairs

27 Continuing up the Filbert steps

28 Filbert etween Montgomery & Telegraph Hill Blvd.

30 Former Shadows Restaurant now a private residence

31 Telegraph Hill B;vd.

32 Telegraph Hill Blvd. up to Pioneer Park/Coit Tower

33 Pioneer Park's south stairway

34 A first floor Coit Tower mural

35 Greenwich brick steps down from Coit Tower parking lot

38 Down to Montgomery

42 Lower Greenwich stairs below Montgomery

46 Sitting place off the stairway/walk

53 Down to Sansome

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Historic Trail Wildflowers

4/26/2017

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Farnsworth steps (149) to Edgewood Ave.: First two

At the south dead-end for vehicles of Edgewood Ave., onto Mount Sutro Forest’s Edgewood Trail: 3 thru 9

Along the road and steeply uphill for the Quarry Trail: 10 thru 27

Out to the Historic Trail. WHAT are these gorgeous little blue flowers called?: 28 thru 65

Down the 136 stairs “hidden” behind the UCSF buildings and out to Parnassus: 66, 67, 68

1 Farnsworth Lane, Willard to Edgewood

2 149 steps

4 South dead-end of Edgewood Ave.

5 Edgewood Trail

10 Up to the road

11 North Ridge trailhead

14 East Ridge trailhead

19 Quarry Trail

28 Historic Trail

32 Historic Trail

57 A nice place to have lunch on the Historic

65 Out to the road

67 136 steps

68 Down to the road behind the medical buildings

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Oakhurst and West Ridge

4/24/2017

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This route up Forest Knolls’ longest stairway (353 steps) and a couple blocks of Mount Sutro Forest’s West Ridge Trail is a vigorous one. You’ll work up a good sweat on a cool day.

Off the bus at Seventh Ave. and crossing to the foot of Warren. Uphill on Warren a few blocks to reach the foot of Oakhurst Lane: first pic.

First stretch up to the dead-end (for vehicles) of Oak Park: 3, 4

Continuing up another block to Crestmont: 5 thru 8

At the top of Oakhurst, turn left on Crestmont and a block or so for the foot of the unmarked (down here, that is) West Ridge Trail. First block up to meet the Historic Trail: 9 thru 12

This time continued on the West Ridge up to the summit. This second part of the West Ridge has no trailmarker to show that it continues up. Up from the Historic are roots to start: 13 thru 18

This time a couple of favorite summit lunchspots were taken, so meandered around in the forest just below the summit, including partway down to Christop[her. Back up at the summit again: 19 thru 27

Down the East Ridge Trail: 28

Winding along the road and down the shortcut stairs alongside a building to the (permits only) parking lot: 29, 30

Down the136 stairs from the parking lot and out to Parnassus to wait for the #43 in front of the UCSF medical buildings: 31 thru 37

1 Curving up Warren from Seventh Ave.

2 Oakhurst Lane up from Warren

3 353 steps

4 Climbing up to Mount Sutro Forest

5 Now above Oak Park

7 Sutro Forest above

8 353 steps

9 West Ridge Trail

11 Up to Historic Trail

12 Here starts the second part of the West Ridge Trail

13 West Ridge Trail up to the summit

15 Love this part of the West Ridge Trail

16 Logs and rocks

17 Out at the summit

28 East Ridge t4railhead

30 Shortcut stairs alongside a building

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Fourth Time

4/23/2017

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Up the Lincoln Park steps (52): First five pix.

Planning a visit to the picnic area below the VA Hospital’s north parking lot.

A left turn and uphill trudge alongside the road: 6

Near the west edge of the Legion of Honor parking lot, a short stairway and trail will take you to the top of the Lands End area via the Battle of the Bulge Trail: 7 thru 13

Moving west along the edge of the north parking lot: 14, 15, 16

The picnic area stairs were blocked at both ends. This was the fourth time in recent weeks that park trails I’d planned to hike were closed. Twice for the Batteries to Bluffs, a short part of the Presidio’s Ecology Trail, and now this hilltop picnic area.

So continued along looking down from the parking lot: 17 thru 29

Expected more wildflowers and green down here. Every time visited for the several years of its existence have always thought it more barren down here than it should be.

But especially now with all the recent rains. Too many bare spots. I only saw wildflowers when I was outside the picnic area: 30 thru 33

Down at the west edge of the VA buildings for the Fort Miley ruins and picnic area. The first old stairway up leads to a narrow dirt trail, then another short stairway back up to the parking lot area: 34 thru 44

Continuing down and a right turn in the Fort Miley forest for the old octagon house “hidden” in the woods: 45 thru 59

Fort Miley woods down to the road: 60

1 Lincoln Park steps

2 52 wide steps

6 Several benches alongside the road on the north side

7 Near the west end of the Legion of Honor parking lot

8 Battle of the Bulge Memorial Trail

17 Fourth trail closure experienced this year

18 But it can be seen very well from above

34 Fort Miley up to the parking lot

36 Fort Miley buildings

41 Picnic area to right

45 Fort Miley forest

49 Trail to the octagon house

50 There's a trail around the octagon house

51 This was the Point Lobos Marine Exchange Lookout Station

53 For info on this, http://www.outsidelands.org/octagon-house.php

60 Down from the woods to the road

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Trail Half Closed

4/22/2017

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Earlier this year went to hike the Presidio’s Batteries to Bluffs Trail but the whole thing was closed for trailwork due to storm damage.

Assuming by now they’d be done with any repairs here, got about halfway along and there was a Trail Closed due to hazardous conditions sign and barrier just after the trailhead for Marshall’s Beach.

Not desiring to run into any trailwork in progress, back up again to the east trailhead. Figured it was the wooden footbridge again (just before the steep west part up to Battery Crosby).

So this time some pix up and back of the east part of this trail: 1 thru 22

Decided to see how the new footbridge between the Golden Gate Overlook and the second bridge bus stop was looking now.

Had checked it out when it first opened and expecting to see the slopes below completely covered with green and wildflowers after all the rain.

So here’s now it’s looking now, including the short stairway they added to connect one of the old batteries to the now widened trail and the new footbridge: 23 thru 45

1 East trailhead

2 About 473 steps

19 Marshall's Beach trail center

23 Coastal Trail heading east

26 Up to Golden Gate Overlook

28 Old batteries and a new footbridge

30 Battery wildflowers

42 Old battery stairs blocked off

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Lovers Lane Footbridge

4/1/2017

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Third time visiting the new Lovers Lane footbridge it was fully walkable without construction or being totally closed off.

Lovers Lane downhill starting at Pacific & Presidio and into the forest to meander along Andy Goldsworthy’s Wood Line: 1 thru 11

Out to Lovers Lane again and onto the footbridge: 12 thru 23

On one side of the Lovers Lane bridge is an old trail between two vehicle streets that I hadn’t hiked in a while: 24 thru 30

Out at the end of it with the stairs (36) up to Inn at the Presidio and the Main Post. Thee steps were changed from an old concrete flight several years ago: 31

Headed south instead thru the residential area and into one of my favorite spots in the park, El Polin Spring.

69 steps to the Ecology Trail from El Polin: 32

The creek was purring along and the little ponds had water in them. The gorgeous old willow tree is now wearing her spring colors. She has survived thru all the changes down here in recent years: 33 thru 38

Up the zigzag eastside trail to climb up to Julius Kahn Park, then east to my starting part at the south end of Lovers Lane: 39 thru 51