The #52 Excelsior runs along Elk and Diamond Heights Blvd. a short distance with a nice view of Glen Canyon's treetops below. Such a uniquely beautiful forest down there (first two pics).
Sometimes I walk over from the Glen Park BART station, winding up on the way, usually crossing the skyway over Bosworth (third pic). There's a stairway down into the Canyon from Elk St. just past all the construction still going on in the lower part (where I never go anyway).
Sometimes I take the bus up to the Diamond Heights Shopping Center to descend from the west edge of Christopher Park next door (fourth pic), or come back up this way to get something at the Safeway after my hike, then wind down the narrow streets on the bus. Opalo Lane (fifth pic, 83 steps), is just behind the Safeway and conveniently leads up to Gold Mine.
Really like the newer stairway on the north side of the rocks: pics 6, 7, 8, 9 (68 steps). The extended stairway on the south side (10th pic, 61 steps) still has that black fencing next to it.
So down at the Canyon floor looking for berries. Not finding many, headed for "my" less-traveled northernmost trail. To reach it, I have to first climb to a slightly higher trail at the end of the main Canyon treelimb trail (pix 11, 12), then go back down again after a short distance (13th pic), stepping over Islais Creek (14th pic) and several tree limbs (pics 15, 16) to get to the trail that runs along a school's playing field and dead-ends in a tangle of bushes.
No sooner had I scrambled over the first trailhead limbs than a young coyote came galloping round a curve towards me. He or she stopped short and stared for a few seconds, like "What're you doing on this trail?" Unfortunately, by the time I'd dug my camera out, distracted by that beautiful face, off it went back the way it came. Continued picking berries for a short time, assuming it was probably curiously observing me from some offtrail spot.
After climbing back out from the trail to continue south along the higher trail that's just below Diamond Heights stilthouses on Turquoise, the coyote young'un had come up the same way a short distance behind me and was now out in the open. My impression is that it wanted to play. I tried for a couple of shots (pix 17, 18). Sorry it's not very close; it needs to be enlarged for a slightly clearer view. Again, we looked at each other, then it turned tail and loped away. Too bad I wasn't quicker the first time as it was considerably closer then.
Back up the new stairway and onto a different trail (19th pic, 36 steps) instead of the longer stairway/trail, 86 or so steps down from Christopher Park, that I descended earlier (last pic, the viewbench at the top). The shorter one will take you to the through Canyontop trail that starts at the west edge of Christopher Park and continues out to Turquoise, Amber, and the Coralino stairway.
Sometimes I walk over from the Glen Park BART station, winding up on the way, usually crossing the skyway over Bosworth (third pic). There's a stairway down into the Canyon from Elk St. just past all the construction still going on in the lower part (where I never go anyway).
Sometimes I take the bus up to the Diamond Heights Shopping Center to descend from the west edge of Christopher Park next door (fourth pic), or come back up this way to get something at the Safeway after my hike, then wind down the narrow streets on the bus. Opalo Lane (fifth pic, 83 steps), is just behind the Safeway and conveniently leads up to Gold Mine.
Really like the newer stairway on the north side of the rocks: pics 6, 7, 8, 9 (68 steps). The extended stairway on the south side (10th pic, 61 steps) still has that black fencing next to it.
So down at the Canyon floor looking for berries. Not finding many, headed for "my" less-traveled northernmost trail. To reach it, I have to first climb to a slightly higher trail at the end of the main Canyon treelimb trail (pix 11, 12), then go back down again after a short distance (13th pic), stepping over Islais Creek (14th pic) and several tree limbs (pics 15, 16) to get to the trail that runs along a school's playing field and dead-ends in a tangle of bushes.
No sooner had I scrambled over the first trailhead limbs than a young coyote came galloping round a curve towards me. He or she stopped short and stared for a few seconds, like "What're you doing on this trail?" Unfortunately, by the time I'd dug my camera out, distracted by that beautiful face, off it went back the way it came. Continued picking berries for a short time, assuming it was probably curiously observing me from some offtrail spot.
After climbing back out from the trail to continue south along the higher trail that's just below Diamond Heights stilthouses on Turquoise, the coyote young'un had come up the same way a short distance behind me and was now out in the open. My impression is that it wanted to play. I tried for a couple of shots (pix 17, 18). Sorry it's not very close; it needs to be enlarged for a slightly clearer view. Again, we looked at each other, then it turned tail and loped away. Too bad I wasn't quicker the first time as it was considerably closer then.
Back up the new stairway and onto a different trail (19th pic, 36 steps) instead of the longer stairway/trail, 86 or so steps down from Christopher Park, that I descended earlier (last pic, the viewbench at the top). The shorter one will take you to the through Canyontop trail that starts at the west edge of Christopher Park and continues out to Turquoise, Amber, and the Coralino stairway.
1. Canyon trees from Diamond Heights Blvd.
2. Canyon's edge from Berkeley & Diamond Heights Blvd.
3. Glen Park's Bosworth skyway
4. Trail descending from Christopher Park, Diamond Heights
5. Opalo steps. Behind the Safeway up to Gold Mine.
6. Top of new stairway to one side of the rocks
7. A side view of the new stairway
8. California Poppies alongside the stairway
9. Up to the rocks and upper trails
10. Popular with rock climbers, a stairway on each side
11. Main lower Canyon trail
12. Main trail
13. Down to access northernmost trail
14. Stepping over Islais Creek
15. Northernmost trail
16. North trail
17. Out in the open from the lower trail
18. Young coyote
19. To top Canyon trail just below Christopher Park
20. Viewbench at top of longest stairway. San Bruno Mountain in distance.
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