Blog Archives

Juicy Plums

6/29/2016

Starting at the Stamyan trailhead for Mount Sutro Forest's lower Historic tail. Scored some ripe plums that had fallen onto the trail in two different places. Small but tasty.

Six mountain bikers on the various trails this time.

Lower Historic: 1 thru 8

Along the road on the walkway: 9

North Ridge Trail ahead: 10

Down from the summit (pic 11), a shortcut to the upper Historic on the upper West Ridge. Easier to climb than to descend.

West Ridge to Historic: 12 thru 18

From the upper Historic, a right turn, round to the north on the Historic and out to the road: 19 thru 24

Down the 136 or so steps to the foot of Medical Center Way behind the medical buildings, and out again to Parnassus: last one.

1 16 steps for the Stanyan trailhead

2 Lower Historic trail

9 Fairy Gates Trail below

10 And up the North Ridge Trail

11 Summit time and the hiking is easy

12 Starting down the West Ridge Trail from the summit

16 Down to Historic Trail

17 West Ridge continues from Historic down to Crestmont

18 A right turn on the Historic now

19 A view north from the Historic

23 Out to the road

24 From the road looking up at the trail

25 Down the stairs behind the medical buildings

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Steeply Green

6/28/2016

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From the #43 bus stop at Stanyan & Parnassus, several blocks uphill to the top of Stanyan. This time passing the Stanyan trailhead for Mount Sutro Forest’s lower Historic Trail: first pic

The steep uppermost block of Stanyan has sidewalk steps on each side. 61 for the west: pic 2

At Belgrave’s east vehicle dead-end there’s a trail up to Tank Hill Park.

At its west dead-end for vehicles there’s a steep, unmarked, gorgeous old trail up into the forest. It IS shown as a trail on Google Maps.

I like the several treelimbs across the trail. In the old days it was more difficult to climb, especially at the top. Now the top part is easier. Out to Behr and Johnstone.

Belgrave trail: 3 thru 9

If you want to connect with the Fairy Gates Trail, its east trailhead has a trailmarker and is near the top of the Belgrave.

Across from the Aldea Center, the trailhead for the East Ridge: 10, 11, 12

Mystery Trail next. Sat in the carved chair: 13, 14, 15

North Ridge Trail. And another piece of trail art: 16 thru 28

Out to the road from the North Ridge, admiring the lower trails from the pedestrian walkway: 29 thru 32

Downhill thru the permits-only parking lot to the 136 steps that descend to the foot of winding Medical Center Way, behind the UCSF medical buildings on Parnassus: 33 thru 43

1 Trailhead steps up from Stanyan for lower Historic Trail

2 61 sidewalk steps to top of Stanyan. Right turn on Belgrave.

3 Into the forest from Belgrave

6 Up past this residence

9 Top of trail, Parking lot to right

10 East Ridge trailhead

13 Mystery Trail

14 Mystery chair

15 Trail art

16 North Ridge Trail

29 Out to the road from the North Ridge.

30 View down to the lower trails

31 Nasturtiums

33 Down the stairs from the parking lot

42 Right turn out to Parnassus

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Above El Camino

6/24/2016

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The Octagon House hidden in the woods just below the Fort Miley ruins is now enclosed by a chainlink fence. If they ever open it up to the public, how’re they gonna keep the ubiquitous graffiti off it? Pix: 1 thru 6

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lands-end-octagon-house-point-lobos-marine-exchange-lookout-station

Fort Miley ruins: 7, 8. 9

Up from the picnic area is a parking lot for the VA hospital buildings. Circle round this west side, then the north.

Soon you’ll come to a picnic area below the parking lot that many Lands End visitors aren’t aware of, yet it’s been several years since it was created.

It’s looking better now than Ive ever seen it with plants finally showing up nicely, especially alongside the first flight of 71 steps down.

There are several benches, picnic tables and low walls to sit on down here: 10 thru 26

Keep going up the other side for 66 more steps: 27 thru 33

More viewbenches at the top: 34, 35

Continuing east, now to the top of the Battle of the Buge Memorial Trail, mostly a curvy trail with steps art each end (22 total) down to a parking lot for the Legion of Honor Museum: 36 thru 39

Continuing east on El Camino del Mar, benches along the road: 40 thru 44

1 Hidden in the woods

2 Doubtful if this fence will keep the "artists" out

7 Very old short stairway to right up to VA hospital parking lot

8 Picnic area to left

9 Picnic area right

10 71 steps down from the parking lot

21 Parking lot upper left

24 Looking back

26 Parking lot above

27 Starting up the other side

33 66 steps for this side

34 View at the top

35 Above the Lands End trails

36 Battle of the Bulge Trail ahead

37 22 steps

38 Curving down

39 Down to Legion of Honor Museum parking lot

40 El Camino del Mar

43 Presidio in distance upper right

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Twin Peaks South

6/5/2016

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Unable to see the new Glen Canyon trailmap sign from across Portola but know it’s across from Glenview, a block or so away from the south foot of Twin Peaks Blvd.

The trail looked the same as last time. Wild mustard flowers, wild radish, bits of homes glimpsed thru the trees above and below the road. Very pleasant: 1 thru 5

A few blocks along, however, when the trail turns wrest for a good climb, for crossing the road there’s a crosswalk I don’t remember from before: 6

They’ve also added one of those green park rules signs just before this trail-turn: 7

So far the same very old wood stairs. First steep block, 18 part-steps - some just corners of wood placed far apart. 8 thru 13

Consider these pix as possible “Threns” since if they’re gonna radially redo Twin Peaks Park, there may eventually be newer steps as we’ve seen in Glen Canyon these last several years.

The second level of ruff-climb from the southside was also the same as remembered, but at a favorite trailhead at the vehicle dead-end of residential Midcoast Way there’s yet another green park rules sign: 14. 15

The steps up from here s are not spaced as far apart as the previous block, but some are quite steep.

Staircount 33 up to the top part of the Blvd.(south end of Noe Peak) where starts the low graffiti-white concrete wall on the east side and marrow dirt trail on the other side of the wall It doesn’t appear any work has begun re the huge makeover: 16 thru 19

Strong wind gusts and swirling fog; not a good day for taking viewpix up here.

Back down on the 93 old, uneven - some steep -wood steps down to Crestlinre: 20

How come the #37 Corbett will cheerfully take you up TO the park (and the many residences around here) - stops at Crestline @ top of the Vista stairs - but for the bus back down to Castro you must hoof it all the way down to Clayton and Corbett? Since it ends up in the Haight, next time should do this and from Haight St. catch the #43.

So down Vista Lane from Crestline, 262 steps, counting only one of the close together short stairways that start up from Burnett.

One of these now has a Vista Lane street sign at Burnett. There used to be none at all for Vista.

The “Twin Peaks Stairway”: someone thoughtfully painted near the foot of the top flight is still here: 22 thru 28

From the foot of Vista, down steep Hopkins, curving round on upper Corbett, down Romaine, and onto the upper Market enclosed walkway (west side of the street), past the “hills mural,” now quite faded but still there.

The rainbow mural is also still there at the foot of the Storrie @ Market steps: last pic 29

Eventually down to Csstro to take the #24 Divisadero that runs up n down Castro Hill.

1 The trail starts up from Portola & Twin Peaks Blvd.

3 Twin Peaks Blvd. left

5 Homes below and above

6 Crossing over to continue the trail

7 A park sign and some climbing ahead

8 Starting up the first steep slope

14 Sign at top of Midcrest Way

16 Up the second slope

17 Midcrest Way below

18 About 33 old wood steps

20 Crestline below

21 Down from Crestline, Vista Lane steps

22 Foot of last( (upper) flight

23 262 steps

24 Crestline down to Burnett

28 Street sign for Vista Lane at Burnett, center

29 Market & Storrie

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New Portola Steps

6/2/2016

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56 wood steps with short stretches of dirt trail in between have been added to Glen Canyon’s Islais Creek Trail that climbs out to Portola Ave. No longer a scrambler.

Last time hiked here had encountered aTrail Closed sign ar the footbridge over the creek trailhead for this northernmost stretch of trail I’ve a;ways loved, especially when it was a tangle of climbover treelimbs.

So wondered if they might be making the trail at Portola more accessible. Good job guys! Love ‘em.

Two #44 O’Shaughhnessy buses showed up before the #52 Excelsior (to Diamond Heights), so took the second #44 to the Elk stop near the stairway down to the Glen Park Rec. Center.

A short distance to the main south park entrance and onto the upper westside trail (with all the trees on the steep slope above): 1, 2, 3

This west trail merges into the main east canyonfloor trail at the stairs (68) on the north side of the climbing rocks: 4

Continuing north, up (pic 5), then down, pleased to see that the trail’s open again. Trailjoggers 'n damselflies.

Then a delightful surprise when I saw the foot of the new stairway ahead. Up: 6 thru 23

At the top, viewable from Portola, is a new park trailmap: 24, 25

In a perfect world there’d be a new skyway over Portola for crossing over to Twin Peaks Park. Like the green one over Clarendon from the foot of the Ashwood stairs in Forest Knolls to Midtown Terrace.

But at least there IS a crosswalk here on Portola and I did see drivers slowing down. All check out Twin Peaks Park’s southside to see if there’s anything new. Several years ago they constructed a new trail alongside Twin Peaks Blvd. Liked it.

Down again: 26 thru 31

Up the aforementioned north-rock steps: 32, 33, 34, 35

Coming from the lower trail this time: 36

Continuing up another of the park’s newer stairways, this one extended to 79 steps, to the trail just below
Christopher Park: 3, 38, 39