Blog Archives

Presidio Wildtrails

6/30/2014

I’ve enjoyed this short Presidio trail for years, first three pix. It’s nicely overgrown with wild radish, nasturtium and other wildflowers, with lots of blackberry bushes. A narrow, “wilder,” trail is so much more fun and uplifting than a widened, “tamed” trail. This one is near the old church at Fort Scott, coming out at the Log Cabin.

Another short trail starts near the Fort Scott Community Garden, behind the residences, and climbs to Rob Hill Campground, pic 4.

A slightly longer wildtrail is the one that runs east from the Cemetery Overlook (pic 5) out to the side of the Post Chapel, pic 6. I highly recommend this one for anyone who loves forests. Love the sittin’ logs. Downhill to the east edge, then up another part of it, out at the Cemetery Overlook’s south entrance.

Mountain Lake’s renovated eastside now has a new bench to replace the old ones. This rustic, newly-built bench’s wood has a delightful aroma, pic 7. But then the whole park smells good.

Batteries to Bluffs Trail (8 thru 23), about 473 steps.

Log sittin’ on the Bay Area Ridge Trail, pic 24. The Spire seen from the Bay Area Ridge Trail just before the end of the trail at Arguello, pic 25.

Down to the Ecology Trail from Inspiration Point Overlook, last pic.

1. Short trail near Golden Gate Bridge

2. Busy highway to left

3. Around to the back of the Log Cabin

4. Behind Fort Scott residences up to Rob Hill Campground

5. Forest trail alongside the cemetery

6. East trailhead for cemetery forest trail is at south side of Post Chapel

7. New bench at Mountain Lake's eastside

8. East trailhead for Batteries to Bluffs Trail

9. Batteries to Bluffs east

10. Batteries to Bluffs east

11. Eastside Batteries to Bluffs

12. Sittin' logs at View Point

13. Midtrail

14. Midtrail

15. Midtrail wildflowers, Marshall's Beach below

16. Trail dip

17. Marshall's Beach Trail upper right

18. Starting up the west side

19. Curving around and up

20. Westside

21. View from the westside

22. Westside wildflowers

23. View from atop Battery Crosby

24. Bay Area Ridge Trail near the golf course

25. Andy Goldsworthy's Spire, center

26. Trailhead for Ecology Trail down from Inspiration Point Overlook

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Kite Hill and Eureka Valley

6/29/2014

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This hike was to visit Kite Hill and a few other attractions in the immediate area alter a long hiatus. First pic: a yard on Clover St.

At Caselli, Clover Street turns into a stairway, Clover Lane, second pic. Thorp is an alley that crosses the steps on the way up. There are 60 steps for the regular stairway up to 19th Street, then across the street 42 more steps continue up to the east side of Kite Hill Park, these last irregular and steeper, making Clover's total 102.

At the top of the steps is a short but steep trail in the park that leads to a bench, more trails, and nice views, Twin Peaks above to the west, pix 3, 4, 5, 6. This isn’t the only way into the park. Another entrance I especially recommend is from the dead-end of a short street called Stanton.

Had in mind to check out the Acme Alley steps down from the top so exited at the park’s upper entrance, Grandview Terrace, curving round to Grandview Ave.

Several years ago when I last hiked this area was pleased to see that Acme Alley’s upper block, a stairway, had been extended partway down to Corwin; seemed it would eventually come all the way down to the street.

Disappointed to see that it has now been blocked off at street level. So this is no longer a through stairway but now a dead-end set of downhill steps. There’s a chainlink fence with wood slats blocking the view up/out to the street; no gate. Pic 7:

The top part (pix 8, 9) is very attractive still, like it used to be, until it gets about halfway down. Then, though the wood-and-brick stairs are still there, it’s harder to see them due to straggly grasses. Stopped at 50 for the staircount down because it didn’t look like it was through to the street anymore. So why’d they close this one off after such a promising beginning?

There’s both a street sign for Acme and the good-looking handmade sign that used to be there (pic 10). Assumed by now it’d be a striking gardenspot all the way down. Now if I lived there...

Above the Seward Minipark (pic 11) at Corwin is the Corwin Street Community Garden. Alongside the garden is the lower part of Acme Alley, a steep concrete slab that has a dead-end sign at the top and posts to prevent vehicles near the foot, with 10 steps leading from the lower part into the tiny park with its unique double slide, pic 12.

There are several sets of short stairways in the Seward Minipark area. The one I took was 15 steps down from the elevated Seward St. sidewalk, at the foot of which, just ahead, was the main Douglass stairway near Seward and 20th: 13 thru 16.

There are 94 steps for the main Douglass stairway. Crossing the narrow street at the top, the steps continue: 15 more to an elevated sidewalk (17, 18, 19) that curves around to come out at Romain. There are three sets of 15 steps each along the length of the Douglass upper walk. So Douglass stairway has a total of 109 steps counting just one of the sets of 15 to the elevated walkway.

Back down Douglass to 20th, passing the Collingwood sidewalk steps (both sides) on my way out to Castro to catch the #24 MUNI on its way down Castro Hill. Homes on 20th, pic 20. House on Castro at 20th, last pic.

1. Clover St.

2. At Clover St. & Caselli starts Clover Lane

3. Trail into Kite Hill Park from eastside/Clover Ln. steps

4. Kite Hill Park

5. Kite Hill Park

6. Kite Hill Park

7. Acme steps no longer come out at Corwin

8. Acme Alley's stairway is now a dead-end

9. Acne Alley no longer runs thru to Corwin

10. Acme Alley at Grandview Ave.

11. Seward Minipark sign

12. Top of the slides

13. Foot of the main Douglass stairway at 20th Street

14. Up from 20th

15. Douglass stairway

16. Douglass stairway

17. Douglass elevated sidewalk

18. Three sets of 15 steps each to upper sidewalk

19. Douglass upper walk

20. 20th Street

21. Castro & 20th

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Stairway Canyon

6/28/2014

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When hiking San Francisco’s Glen Canyon in early June, discovered a few new stairways, a couple of which were not yet finished. The only one walked then was a short concrete flight up to a new walkway that curves around into the main part of the Canyon, 24 steps up from the playground/tennis courts area.

A recent Facebook post prompted me to revisit as it looked like maybe these might now be walkable. On the way to the east rim, passed this older one behind the Safeway, first pic.

You can now descend from the edge of Christopher Park. This is where the longest flight (86 steps) used to start my favorite trail down into the Canyon depths. The steps now start from the very edge of Christopher Park and not a short-slidey distance down as before. More steps descend for the trail that continues to the south from the viewbench. Was able to descend a completed 49 steps this time: 2 thru 6.

However, don’t try this unless you’re very sure-footed, as this new trail renovation wasn't yet completed as of a few days ago. There was a slip-and-slide area with dirt and rocks that should be taken slowly; it’s more difficult to inch down than to climb up. So good to wait a bit longer for the steps to be extended.

Another new wood stairway curves around up to the trail just below Christopher Park. This one’s now walkable: 79 steps up to the short trail that continues out to Amber and Turquoise in the Diamond Heights neighborhood: pics 7, 8, 9

From here, west a couple blocks to get to the stairway that descends from Turquoise: 65 steps to a park trailhead: 10 thru 14.

On to my beloved “blackberry trail.” It crosses Islais Creek and runs alongside a school’s playing field, the gate of which is nearly always locked. Pix 15 thru 20.

A lot of construction and trailwork is still ongoing throughout the park. I continue to be concerned about possible future loss of Canyon floor treelimbs that are such a delight to climb over, sit on, grab hold of, and duck under, being someone who loves my trails as “wild” as possible.

Now on the main Canyon floor trail: 21 thru 25.

Continuing south on this trail and -- Surprise! Three more new stairways are under construction as of this writing.

The first I noticed starts up between the short boardwalk and the posts that prevent vehicles from entering the main Canyon floor tree-canopy. Pix 26, 27, 28.

A second flight now under construction starts up from the main trail a little way along: 29, 30.

The third appears to be yet another future stairway. This is further south on the main trail, starting up from where there were already a few steps, then a steep dirt trail. It’s where a tree was recently felled and where there used to be a swing. Pic 31.

So gotta be patient and wait for all these to be completed. Who knows — next time may see even more.

While they're at it, how 'bout extending that short flight of old wood steps that descends from the Crags Court Community Garden in Diamond Heights down into the Canyon?

Last two pix: Homes on Chenery in the Glen Park neighborhood on the way to the BART station.

1. Behind the Safeway, Diamond Heights

2. Down into the Canyon from Christopher Park

3. New steps starting down from the edge of Christopher Park

4. There's still a viewbench here. New steps descend to the south as well.

5. Continuing down from the bench

6. 49 steps so far. More to come.

7. Up to the trail just below Christopher Park

8. 79 steps

9. New and curvaceous

10. Down from Turquoise in Diamond Heights

11. Back down to the Canyon

12. Part steps, part walkway

13. One of the park entrances

14. Canyon trailhead

15. Trailhead for northernmost trail

16. Love these trail treelimbs

17. A favorite trail

18. Fennel and blackberry

19. To climb over and sit on

20. "My" north trail

21. Main Canyonfloor trail

22. Main lower trail heading south

23. Trees and rocks

24. Continuing south on the main lower trail

25. Foot of the stairs on the north side of the climbing rocks

26. New one being constructed between the boardwalk and vehicle barriers

27. This route looks like it's gonna be gorgeous!

28. Under construction - wait for this!

29. Another new one rising from the main trail

30. Climbing from the main trail, a second new one

31. Continuing with a third one further south on the main trail

32. See my Facebook Glen Park album for a foto of these homes on Chenery from 1972

33. Chenery St. in the Glen Park neighborhood

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Telegraph Hill East

6/9/2014

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For this hike up Telegraph Hill from the north side, passed the foot of the Jack Early minipark, a one-way stairway viewplace, at Pfeiffer & Grant, first pic.

Continuing up, passing the foot of the Child stairway (second pic), Lombard to Telegraph Place.

Up to Pioneer Park’s north side, 28 steps from Telegraph Hill Blvd. and Lombard into the park with a paved trail curving around.

52 steps from the midpark paved trail up to the Coit Tower parking lot. This same stairway also continues down to Telegraph Hill Blvd. (pic 3) and from there onto the Greenwich sidewalk steps that descend to Grant, pic 4.

A couple of the old Coit Tower murals (pix 5, 6), these from the main floor where people wait in line for the elevator.

387 steps for the Greenwich stairway from the east side of Coit Tower’s parking lot down to Sansome. Bricked first, then concrete.

Upper Greenwich down to Montgomery: 6, 7, 8, 9.

Lower Greenwich below Montgomery, passing the gardens: 10 thru 15.

From the bench just off the main walk/steps (pic 16), there’s a garden trail you can take that leads back up to the main walk, pic 17.

Down the rest of Greenwich to Sansome: 18, 19, 20.

Over to the Filbert steps now, the next “street” over (south), counted 264 steps for the Filbert from Sansome to lower Montgomery.

But this isn’t all the steps for Filbert. Didn't go all the way back up this time. This eastside stairway continues from lower to upper Montgomery, then the last block climbs to Pioneer Park. There’s another stairway into the park itself when you get to the top of Filbert. Filbert also continues its stairs downhill from the park to Kearny on the westside.

Filbert’s east stairway starts off as concrete (pic 21), is wood alongside the several old (pre-1906) houses and the gardens: 22 thru 26), then concrete again up to Telegraph Hill Blvd. and the park. This whole area is a huge tourist attraction.

Napier Lane, a short dead-end wood boardwalk, also with pre-1906 cottages (except for one from the 1970s that replaced a teardown cottage), is the first offshoot off the wood Filbert steps: 27 thru 31. Would still love to live here, a longtime favorite.

Darrell Place is the second pedestrian-only walkway offshoot from the Filbert steps below Montgomery. This sign wasn’t there when I lived on Darrell years ago, pic 32. It states in several languages that it's a dead-end.

46 Montgomery Street double stairs, Montague to Green, pic 33.

Foot of the Vallejo steps up from Montgomery, pic 34. Used to live here too, top of the stairs, but before the steep concrete slab was turned into a stairway gardenspot.

The sidewalk steps on both sides of steep Kearny from Broadway to Vallejo have a separate name: the Peter Macchiarini Steps, last pic.

1. Jack Early Park up from Grant & Pfeiffer

2. Child: Lombard to Telegraph Place

2. Pioneer Park steps down to Telegraph Hill Blvd.

3. Pioneer Park to Telegraph Hill Blvd. across to Greenwich sidewalk steps

4. One of many Coit Tower murals

5. Part of another Coit Tower mural

6. Greenwich brick steps descend from Coit Tower parking lot

7. Down the brick part

8. Foot of the first block down at Montgomery

9. Montgomery & Greenwich

10. Sign pointing to the Greenwich steps that descend from Montgomery

11. Down from Montgomery

12. Looking back up to Montgomery

13. One of the artworks along the stairway

14. Another stairside attraction

15. Garden art and pathway off the main stairway

16. Hanging object off the main stairway

17. Garden trail below the main stairway. Bench in foreground.

18. A long-loved house above the main stairway

19. Gardenwalk

20. Stairs continue down to Sansome

21. Filbert steps start up from Sansome

22. Filbert stairs garden. Napier Lane to right.

23. 224 Filbert

24. 226 Filbert

25. 230 Filbert at Darrell

26. Filbert steps at Darrell Place

27. Gate at Napier Lane into the Filbert gardens

28. Napier Lane at Filbert

29. 222 Filbert at Napier Lane

30. Looking towards Filbert steps from Napier

31. 10 Napier, likely oldest house on the lane

32. No Exit sign at Darrell Place

33. Montgomery double stairway, Montague down to Green

34. Vallejo garden stairway up from Montgomery. Main steps, right.

35. Peter Macchiarini sidewalk steps up from Broadway to Vallejo (Kearny between)

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Harry and Billy Goat

6/8/2014

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Another Glen Park neighborhood hike up from the BART station out to the Noe Valley (north) side. Started up on Diamond to Moffitt, then Moffitt (first pic) to Bemis.

At the end of the elevated sidewalk lined with cottages (pix 2, 3) on Bemis, just past Addison, Amatista Lane stairway (92 steps, pix 4, 5, 6) climbs from Bemis to Everson past a wild little openspace, now in the Diamond Heights neighborhood.

Uphill for a turn on Beacon and downhill a short instance for the top of Harry stairway (237 steps) down to Laidley, back down in Glen Park again. Harry’s mostly wood with wood rails with a concrete stretch towards the foot: 7 thru 14.

From the foot of Harry at Laidley & Noe, chose the upper part of divided Laidley down to 30th Street. A lower Laidley house, pic 15.

Billy Goat Hill Park climbs from 30th (now in Noe Valley) up to Beacon again. 17 steps to start at 30th (pix 16, 17), a winding dirt trail surrounded by sweet-smelling wildflowers and grasses, then more steps to the top of the park: 80 total: 18 thru 35.

Another one of those notice-to-apply-pesticides signs seen, same plant targets as the one in Glen Canyon.

1. Cottages on Moffitt, Glen Park

2. Bemis elevated sidewalk

3. Bemis elevated walk

4. Amatista's foot at Bemis

5. Amatista up to Everson in Diamond Heights

6. Amatista stairway, minipark to left

7. Harry up!

8. Harry down from Beacon to Laidley

9. 237 steps

10. Wood steps and wood rails for this part

11. 30 Harry

12. Harry homes

13. Wood steps turn to concrete

14. Harry's concrete part near his foot

15. Lower Laidley between Harry's foot and 30th St.

16. Billy Goat Hill Park starts up from 30th St. in Noe Valley

17. Foot of Billy Goat Hill Park

18. Curving trail

19. Bernal Hill in distance

20. Concrete bench

21. Noe Valley in distance to the north

22. 30th St. and Noe Valley beyond

23. Stairs start up again ahead

24. Steps continue

25. Up to the viewplace

26. Shady viewspot

27. Noe Valley below

28. This looks dangerous...

29. Steps up to Beacon

30. Looking down

31. Top of the stairs

32. View north, Noe Valley

33. Bernal Hill from top of the stairway

34. Park entrance at Beacon

35. Starting back down

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Three New Stairways

6/7/2014

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Actually I’ve discovered four new stairways in Glen Canyon Park so far. The fourth is the 24 steps (first pic) that lead to a walkway (second pic) in the south part of the park from the playground and tennis courts area.

The three wood ones aren’t yet completely walkable. When these unfinished stairways are completed will do staircounts ’n pix for each.

Glen Canyon is a six or so block walk from the Glen Park BART station. Over Bosworth at the Lippard skyway, pic 3, passing the Burnside stairway from Bosworth down to Paradise, pic 4.

The lower Canyon is the place to find plenty of damselflies. Butterflies too; and birdsong.

From the Canyon floor just past the boardwalk, took the 61 steps up alongside the stairway on the south side, the one that still has that annoying black fencing all along its length, tall grasses and wildflowers now on the other side, pic 5.

This was to check on a favorite trail to see if it was still there; it is. Had earlier noticed an area surrounded by more of that black fencing, but whatever this is turned out to be below the aforementioned trail.

This trail (pic 6) passes under some trees and eventually curves up to Christopher Park at the Canyon’s east rim next to the Diamond Heights Shopping Center.

Continued up the trail, noticing ahead two new partly constructed wood stairways winding down from the uppermost trail that’s just below Christopher Park. Looks like they’ll merge at the main trail: 7 (north), 8, 9 (south).

Last time I was here, the steps of the old main stairway, the park’s longest, that steeply descended into the canyon from its east edge had been removed. There are now some new steps that start down, but I hit an orange-plastic-fenced dead-end. As of this post one can’t go up this way to get to Christopher Park (pix 10, 11). Will check back in a month or so. Steps may actually start at the edge of Christopher Park now instead of a little way down.

Down the stairway on the north side of the climbing rocks (68 steps: 12 thru 19) and back into the lower Canyon, moving north: 20, 21.

Up to a higher trail, pic 22. Between the two trails that descend to the Canyon floor from here, noticed this sign re notice to apply “pesticides” (pic 23).

Upon crossing the creek on the way to the northern trail I like, the black fencing was still there. This delightful berrytrail (24, 25) has been cleared a bit more since my last visit but still hits an impenetrable tangle just past the end of the school playing field’s chainlink fence. A park infosign states that a trail extension is planned out to Portola and up Twin Peaks. Hoping they’ll leave us hikers some treelimbs to step over, reach up to, sit on, and duck under.

Out of the park on the old wood stairway up to Elk (38 steps, pic 26), crossing over onto Sussex at Diamond Heights Blvd. in upper Glen Park, a favorite neighborhood.

Sussex & Van Buren, pic 27.

Ohlone Way, a short alley from Sussex down to Surrey, pic 28.

Onto Lippard from Surrey, in front of a house here is this new attraction: pic 29.

A half-seen mural on the side of a house at Lippard near Chenery, pic 30; a cactus bloom, same home, last pic.

1. New, completed, stairway in Glen Canyon Park

2. Steps lead to this new walkway that curves around to the main trail

3. Skyway over Bosworth at Lippard. Diamond Heights in distance.

4. Burnside stairway down from Bosworth to Paradise

5. Steps on the south side of the rocks

6. Trail continues under some trees

7. Unfinished new stairway down from the east side

8. New stairway starting down from trail below Christopher Park, center

9. New stairway down to main trail

10. Ongoing renovation of main stairway/trail descends from Christoper Park

11. New steps replacing old ones starting down from Christopher Park

12. There's a stairway on each side of these rocks

13. Top of stairway on north side of the climbing rocks

14. Down on the north side of the rocks

15. Partway down

16. A view from the stairway

17. Down to the Canyon floor

18. Wide spot

19. Foot of the steps

20. Main lower trail

21. To sit on and step over

22. A higher trail

23. The offending plants mentioned are poison oak, fennel and perennial pea

24. Blackberry blossoms on the northernmost trail

25. Please leave this tree limb as is!

26. Older stairs up to Elk in Glen Park

27. Sussex and Van Buren, Glen Park. Diamond Heights above.

28. Ohlone Way at Surrey

29. Surrey & Lippard upcoming attraction

30. Side-house mural, Lippard near Chenery

31. A cactus bloom, Lippard near Chenery

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Lands End Secret Trails

6/1/2014

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Winding up through the forest to the Fort Miley area (pix 1, 2, 3), visited the boarded-up old octagon house, partially covered with graffiti (pic 4), including this interesting one on the north side (pic 5).

Down the first 19 steps (pix 6, 7) from the west side of the VA Hospital parking lot to a short trail I’ve long claimed as my own. More steps will take you down to the Fort Miley buildings near the picnic area.

Over to the top of the sandy zigzag trail to descend to the west trailhead for the El Camino del Mar Trail that’s accessible from the upper parking lot overlook: 8 thru 13. Passed the connector steps between the El Camino and the main Lands End/Coastal Trail, pix 14, 15.

The El Camino del Mar Trail’s footbridge is a good place to check for berries, pic 16.

46 steps up to the Legion of Honor parking lot’s west edge (17, 18, 19). Onto a golf course sidewalk and around to another trail, one you wouldn’t realize was there unless you were already familiar with it. This short, “secret,” trail descends, at times steeply, alongside lots of blackberry bushes and can be seen well from the steps.

It meanders out to partway down the eastside stairway (120-ish steps: 20 thru 28).

Moving east on the Lands End Trail towards Eagles Point: pic 29.

The renovated Eagles Point Overlook area at the park’s east trailhead now has a lot more of that new-plantings netting since my last visit, running down below the trail to a viewspot where people used to like to perch. Now they can’t.

Top of the Lincoln Park Golf Course stairway on the east side, down to the west dead-end of California Street near 32nd Ave. in the Outer Richmond neighborhood, last pic, about 52 steps.