Blog Archives

ELP to Arg

5/22/2018

At the north dead-end for vehicles of Spruce St. at Pacific is an opening in the Presidio Wall where you can cross over to Julius Kahn Park: 1

Down from Julius Kahn a trail descends into the Presidio’s El Polin Spring: 2

There used to be a stairway here down to El Polin, but the area makever included elimination of the old stairway and replacement slightly to the east with a zigzag ramp:

El Polin Spring: 3 thru 18

A few old pix of how this used to look. ALL THE "THEN" PIX WERE TAKEN IN 2009: 19 thru 23

From here, up to the Main Post. The stairs here used to be a concrete flight: 24 thru 27

THEN: 2009 pic of the concrete steps: 28

Inn at the Presidio: 29

THEN: Inn at the Presidio in 2009: 30

The Officers’ Club: 31, 32

56 steps to Post Chapel: 33

Post Chapel: 34 thru 37

The E-W trail alongside the cemetery: 38 thru 44

Out from the cemetery overlook to the trail above Arguello: 45 thru 48

1 Crossover for pedestrians to Julius Kahn Park

2 Julius Kahn Park into the Presidio

4 Inspiration Point Overlook top, center

5 Trail down to El Polin Spring

10 The old stairway was right around here

11 Now a boardwalk

17 Newer stairs up to Ecology Trail

19 THEHN: Old stairway down to El Polim Spring. i miss it!

20 THEN, 2009: Old stairway down toEl Polin Spring (below Julius Kahn Park)

21 THEN, 2009: : here used to be a concrete road here. Replaced with the boardwalk.

22 THEN, 2009: Old stairway and paved circular road. The tree is still here.

23 THEN, 2009

24 Two different residential areas

25 Heading north and turning left for the Main Post

27 Up to Main Post/Inn at the Presidio

28 THEN, 2009: The steps to the Main Post used to be this concrete flight

29 Inn at the Presidio

30 THEN, 2009 - Before Pershing Hall's Makeover into Inn at the Presidio

31 Officers' Club

33 56 steps to Post Chapel

34 Post Chapel, Trail to left.

38 A favorite trail E-W alongside the cemetery leads out to the Cemetery Overlook

0 Comments

Green Stairpark

5/20/2018

0 Comments

Up near the summit of Buena Vista Park is a bench. Moving up this side’s longest flight of stairs, noticed a guy moving oddly and slowly next to the bench who then suddenly disappeared from view. As I got closer saw just below the bench a hole and someone moving around inside.

I tend to use minor trails as well as stairways and main trails. Towards the north foot of the park on one of these lesser used trails noticed someone’s tent nestled in the bushes so detoured slightly.

On the way to the park, Haight near Central: 1

Started this hike on the north side of the park just off Haight and Central. The lower part of the first stairway (with the purple concrete bench, 18 steps) has been rainbow-painted since my last visit: w, 3, 4

A main trail: 5

Next stairway up, 23, for the second part of it: 6

Looking down at the first part: 7

Continuing up: 8 thru 11

The longest one found for this side: 132 steps: 12 thru 23

95 steps, descending on the south side: 24 thru 30

Continuing: 31 thru 51

Starting from the east side for this paved walkway trail: 52, 53

A stairway down just before the main one on this side: 54 thru 57

Along the walkway: 58 thru 63

The main southside, newer, stairway has 171 steps: 64, 65

This delightful walkway gradually downhills to the lower SW side of the park: 66 thru 78

Up again on the westside: 79 thru 98

10 down for the Dog Run and wild beauty on the lower west side: 99 thru 112

This tall park has more stairways than these noted today, including steps offshooting from other stairways, plus major and minor dirt and paved trails. Don’t know the staircounts of all its separate flights, but if I lived closer no doubt would have a better idea.

Not counted this time is an old stone stairway up to a popular summit lawn area.

Buena Vista West, downhill to Haight: 113, 114

The rainbow stairs again: 115, 116

1 Haight near Central on the way to the park

2 An entrance into Buena Vista Park

3 Haight St.near Central

4 18 steps

5 Starting up a main trail

6 23 steps up to a playground

8 Continuing up

13 132 ateps, north side

17 Love wild fennel!

25 95 steps down

26 Some guy was in this hole

49 Wild radish, another favorite

50 And nasturtiums

52 Onto the southside walkway from the east

64 This is the main south stairway, 171 steps

79 Back up again, west side

99 10 steps down to the Dog Run

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113 Buena Vista West

114 Buena Vista West

115 Back to my beginning

116

0 Comments

BB Boardwalk

5/19/2018

0 Comments

Heading into the Presidio from 25th Avenue, El Camino del Mar merges into Lincoln. Below Lincoln is Baker Brach: 1 thru 11

Near the second parking lot, on the trail that goes over Battery Chamberlin, noticed a new boardwalk being constructed. It nay be completed by now: 12 thru 18

On to the shorter Sand Ladder, 46 steps: 19 thru 28

One gets a different staircount each time for the long Sand Ladder. This time got 222, only counting those I could actually feel under the sand with my feet: 29 thru 71

Crossing Lincoln at the top of the Sand Ladder for the 208 Connector Trail steps to Immigrant Point Overlook and Washington Blvd.: 72 thru 99

1 A private stairway

2 Duney trails

7 Down to have lunch

10 Second parking lot to right

12 A new boardwalk being built!

19 Short Sand Ladder to left

20 46 steps for the shorter Sand Ladder

29 Long Sand Ladder up ahead

60 Battery Crosby center distance

66 Battery Crosby and Batteries to Bluffs Trail upper right

70 Up ahead the guardrail and Lincoln

72 Trailhead at Lincoln

72 Lincoln Blvd.

73 Crosswalk ahead

75 Crossing for the Connector Trail to Immigrant Point Overlook

76 208 steps

0 Comments

RHC

5/7/2018

0 Comments

Heading SW thru the Presidio’s Fort Scott field, passing this little beauty on the way up to Rob Hill Campground: 1thru 5

Continuing: 6, 7, 8

Rob Hill Campground. 9 thru 17

West edge of the campground area and overlooking Washington Blvd. Down some old steps: 18 thru 38

Downhill on Battery Caulfield Road: 39 thru 43

5 Wild radish blooms

8 A trail here will take you back down to Fort Scott and the Community Garden

9 Up to Rob Hill Campground from the east side

19 Steps at the west edge

29 To the right along the road is Immigrant Point Overlook

41 Residential area off Battery Caulfield Rd. looking west

42 Battery Caulfield Rd.

43 Marine Cemetery Vista Overlook to right above Presidio Landmark residences

0 Comments

Lower to Road

5/5/2018

0 Comments

This time on Mount Sutro, close encounters with four mountain bikers as I climbed from the upper Stanyan trailhead (lower Historic).

Sometimes one sees them on a trail below coming up or above swooping down. But sometimes they suddenly appear round the bend and I scramble to the side. And I hike on weekdays. They are, however, also courteous and polite when encountering hikers, and say thank you.

Sone cyclists in other parks (like Land’s End) will see a flight of stairs ahead and must carry their bikes down or up to continue.

Mount Sutro, Mount Davidson, and San Bruno Mountain have regular continuing dirt trails and are therefore popular with mountain bikers, though Sutro is apparently the only one of these where it’s okay for all the trails. Some parks have no-bikes signs for certain trails but they do it anyway.

Starting at the Stanyan trailhead and continuing up to the road: 1 thru 41

Along the road on the walkers’ trail next to the guardrail: 42 thru 55

Dow 136 steps behind UCSF medical buildings: 56 thru 67

1 Upper Stanyan trailhead with a short wood stairway between homes

2 Roses and a trailmap

3 16 steps

8 Into the forest

30 Edgewood trail to right comes out at Edgewood Ave.

40 Up to the road

42 North Ridge trailhead

49 East Ridge trailhead

50 A view up from the AldeaCenter

55 Edgewood Trail

56 North stairway down to Medical Center Way

60 136 steps

62 Short offshoot stairway to trail behind homes on Edgewood Ave.

0 Comments

Circle BTB

5/4/2018

0 Comments

Batteries to Bluffs Trail hike from east to west, then circling above it looking down from Lincoln.

First, a short dirt trail to where the steps (475) start: 1

East to west: 2 thru 63

The offshoot trail down to Marshall’s Beach has about 49 steps.

Battery Crosby and down 16 steps: 64, 65, 66

The stretch climbing to Lincoln: 67 thru 73

East on the north side of Lincoln: 74 thru 83

Pacific Overlook and view from: 84 thru 99

1 Left our here. North end of parking lot near GG Overlook

10 Right turn for the viewplace with bench

17 Continuing east

38 Ma5rshall's Beach Trail

64 Battery Crosby

65 Lincoln above

72 Battery Crosby in distance

73 Immigrant Point connector Trail to right across Lincoln

74 On Lincoln now

79 This tree was spared and the trail goes around it

84 Nearing Pacific Overlook

0 Comments

Cemsteps

5/2/2018

0 Comments

Up Arguello into the Presidio and up the trail (passing the Spire on the next trail over), and down to the road again: 1 thru 7

Crossing over to the National Cemetery Overlook (2009) and down the 98 steps to the Park Trail: 8 thru 28

Found on Google re "The Young Dead Soldiers":

http://www.artandarchitecture-sf.com/the-young-dead-soldiers.html

Back up again at the Overlook: 29 thru 38

Arguello Gate:

1 The golf course is to the left and Arguello below, right

7 Crossing Arguello

8 Looking down

11 Trail to the Cemetery Overlook and a residential area across

13 Overlook trail to right

16 98 steps to Park Trail

28 Park Trail below

29 Back up at the Overlook

39 Arguello Gate

0 Comments

Easthike

5/1/2018

0 Comments

Up Baker to Broadway, past the top of the Lyon stairway (1, 2), and into the beautiful forest that awaits when you enter the Presidio thru the Broadway Gate.

Forest and views: 3 thru 17

But the cleared area along the 61 stone steps dividing upper and lower Simonds Loop now is even more bare than the last time I was here: 18 thru 25

The blackberry bushes I’d enjoyed over the years appear to be all gone now. Why bare this area so much?

Lower Simonds Loop: 26, 27, 28

South to north along Lovers' Lane and Wood Line: 29 thru 56

Slightly west of Lovers' Lane: 57 thru 66

Back up Lovers' Lane to Pacific and Presidio Ave.: 67