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Tank to Sutro Part 2

7/20/2014

Continuing with Part 2 of a recent hike to Mount Sutro Forest from Pemberton stairway/Tank Hill Park.

At the top of Sutro Forest’s uppermost Inner Greenbelt trail at Johnstone, just a few yards away the magical Fairy Gates Trail beckons, first pic.

Fairy Gates Trail: 2 through 8.

Down from the Fairy Gates to merge with the nicely switchbacked Edgewood Trail. Only downer here was all the logs seen laying around from excessive treefelling in the area. I did get a kick out of the new carved icon.

Edgewood Trail: 9 thru 22.

The Edgewood Trail comes out at the redbricked street named Edgewood, a few blocks long (pic 23), to end up at its north dead-end for vehicles, Farnsworth Lane (149 steps): 24 thru 31. Farnsworth descends to Willard, a few yards uphill from Parnassus where the crosstown #43 stops.

1. Fairy Gates trailhead at Johnstone

2. Fairy Gates Trail

3. The Fairy Gates rocks!

4. Midcity marvel

5. Magic Mountain trail

6. Curving around

7. Looking down from the Fairy Gates

8. About to connect with the Edgewood Trail

9. Edgewood with Historic Trail behind

10. Edgewood Trail

11. One of Edgewood's switchbacks

12. A new addition

13. Another good switchback

14. Continuing on the Edgewood

15. Lush forest beauty

16. Historic Trail from Edgewood Trail

17. Edgewood Trail out to Edgewood Ave.

18. Trailhead at Edgewood Ave.

19. Trail infosign to left

20. Trail map and info

21. Out to redbricked Edgewood Ave.

22. View of lower Historic Trail from Edgewood Ave. at the trailhead

23. Edgewood Ave.

24. Top of Farnsworth Lane

25. Peak in distance is Buena Vista Park

26. 149 steps down to Willard

27. Mid-Farnsworth Lane

28. Edgewood Ave. to Willard

29. Near the foot

30. Farnsworth's Foot

31. Farnsworth at Willard

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Tank to Sutro Part 1

7/19/2014

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To start this trek, disembarked the #37 Corbett/Twin Peaks bus at the Corbett/Clayton Neighborhood Garden steps, first pic. At the top of this short flight would like to see a skyway, or at least a crosswalk, to take hikers directly across Clayton so as to safely continue up the Pemberton stairs (three blocks’ worth, 210 steps). Clayton’s curvy and cars zoom around here too fast.

Pemberton from Clayton to Villa Terrace: pix 2 thru 6

Pemberton from Villa to Graystone Terrace: 7, 8

Pemberton crosses two narrow streets in the Twin Peaks neighborhood, Villa and Graystone, on its way up and ends at Crown Terrace.

Pemberton from Graystone to Crown Terrace: 9 thru 12

This time hung a right to take me out to Twin Peaks Blvd. where directly across the street 23 old wood steps climb up Tank Hill, pic 13.

Tank Hill’s a tiny viewpark, a north shoulder of Twin Peaks. The other short access stairway is down the west slope that descends to Belgrave Ave. There’s a vehicle dead-end at both ends of this maybe three-block-long street, at the west end of which one can access one of Sutro Forest’s older, steeper trails.

Pic 14: View of Mount Sutro Forest a few blocks to the west.

Tank pix: 15, 16, 17, 18.

If the parks people wanted to do something really useful, they might consider improving the old dirt trail that steeply swoops down the west slope of this park to Belgrave’s east end. There are 16 rocky-slidey-uneven steps: 19, 20, 21.

A couple of stairways lead down from Clarendon nearly to Belgrave, but not quite. I’ve been down these (not lately though), descending through the open gate at Clarendon. This is actually the uppermost part of Stanyan and is labeled as Stanyan on Google Maps. But it’s blocked off just before Belgrave (you can see an end-fence up the slope, pic 22), so not recommending since it’s an up’n back. Is it now locked and private? It’d be cool if this could get extended down to connect with the rest of Stanyan at Belgrave.

The trail into Sutro Forest near the end of Stanyan at Belgrave’s other dead-end-for-cars is a steep and gorgeous one I’ve enjoyed for years. It has no markers like the other trails, just four old steps to start and some posts to bar vehicles. Maybe because there’s an Aldea residence alongside as one climbs and they want to discourage prowlers? The trail is shown on Google Maps.

I’ve also explored an alternate, rougher trail of sorts north from the foot of this trail a few times, miraculously escaping poison oak, exiting midwayish onto the newer Historic Trail whose trailhead starts a bit lower down Stanyan. This was like the old days on the mountain when I’d step into deep ivy-covered holes, sometimes losing whatever trail there was in a bunch of tangles, sometimes sliding down the slope. Was hoping this would get opened up a bit more so as to connect with the newer trail.

Used to notice some possibly feral felines around here back in the old days, behind the homes on Stanyan, along with some trash and empty cat food cans; once an older woman sitting on a log feeding a few. It used to be more difficult to ascend at the top than it is these days. I’d pull myself up near the bottom of one of the homes. Now one can just walk out into the residential area at Johnstone, then continue onto more forest trails. A trailhead for the Fairy Gates Trail is right there.

This uppermost Inner Greenbelt trail offers winding and narrow steepness, deep-forest beauty, birdsong, and even a couple of treelimbs to climb over/sit on: 23 thru 31.

… To be continued.

1. Top of Clayton/Corbett Neighborhood Garden steps. Pemberton's foot center, left.

2. Pemberton's foot

3. Rosemary, center

4. Pemberton Place steps

5. First block up to Villa Terrace

6. First cross-street VillaTerrace

7. Villa to Graystone Terrace

8. Villa to Graystone

9. Graystone up to Crown Terrace, the older steps

10. Graystone to Crown

11. Up to Crown Terrace

12. Top at Crown Terrace

13. Tank Hill's south stairway up from Twin Peaks Blvd.

14. View of Mount Sutro Forest from Tank Hill's west trail down to Belgrave

15. Tank Hill Park

16. Kite Hill Park center, right

17. Up ahead, the view rocks

18. Tank's west slope

19. Westside trail down to Belgrave

20. Down to Belgrave

21. Rocks and dirt - could use more steps

22. Upper Stanyan doesn't quite connect with Belgrave

23. Uppermost Inner Greenbelt trailhead for Mount Sutro Forest up from Belgrave

24. Treelimbs to sit on and step over

25. Steep and secluded

26. Forest beauty

27. Step over and continue up

28. Winding up past a residence

29. Mountain home. Wish it was mine.

30. Climbing

31. Out at Johnstone near Fairy Gates trailhead

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Mount Davidson Park to Bengal Street Park

7/6/2014

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Continuing with part 2 of a recent Mount Davidson hike…

Out of the park at the steep Dalewood trailhead, first two pics.

Up Lansdale to get to the Bengal Alley Street Park, pic 3.

Looking back at the forest as I climb up Lansdale, pic 4.

Lansdale turns and I descend Bengal Alley Street Park's steps from its top gate: pic 5.

Here's an excellent article that also shows how Bengal used to look when it was blocked off several years ago.

http://www.westsideobserver.com/news/bengal.html

First down the original stone steps: 6, 7, 8.

Partway down start the newer wood steps with the accompanying garden: 9 thru 24. What a beautiful, uplifting place; 107 steps total.

If you look up Bengal Alley on Google Maps (map), you’ll see a red marker between Lansdale and Miraloma, but no line indicating a trail or stairway. At 134 Lansdale on Street View you can see the top gate that’s between two homes.

At 112 Miraloma on Street View, the foot of this stairway garden can be seen very well.

The #43 bus stop is right at the foot of the stairs and if you're by the window, a quick glimpse of this neighborhood treasure will make you want to stop and explore.

1. Out of the park at Dalewood on the west side

2. Dalewood trailhead into Mount Davidson Park

3. Heading up Lansdale

4. Partway up Lansdale looking back at the forest

5. Bengal Alley Street Park's top gate at Lansdale

6. First down the stone steps

7. First part of the stairway down from Lansdale

8. First part of Bengal Alley Street Park down from Lansdale

9. Here starts the newer, wood part

10. Garden stairway beauty

11. Bengal bench

12. A must-see gardenspot

13. Amazing transformation

14. I didn't want to leave...

15. Not to be missed!

16. Descending to Miraloma

17. Love these flowers

18. Near the foot

19. Out at Miraloma

20. 107 steps

21. Another planting area, left

22. Foot of the stairs at Miraloma

23. The #43 bus stop, right

24. The old street sign is still here

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Damp Forest

7/5/2014

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The #36 Teresita stops at Mount Davidson Park’s main south entrance (Dalewood & Myra) where a steep trail climbs to the openspace part of the park. Love this trail: forested to start out with a vast view to the east a little way up. First four pix.

From the openspace part of the mountain: 5 thru 12.

Up the 22 steps for the north openspace stairway: 13, 14. More steps descend to an eastside trail, plc 15.

The 103-foot cross: pic 16.

Down 22 old wood steps from the north side of the cross, a short trail, then 12 more stone steps to the next main trail down, 17 thru 22.

Up here the trails were damp or muddy, including some actual puddles: pic 23.

Another short stone stairway: pic 24.

Trailing down, enjoying the cool, lush forest: 25 thru 33.

Love the ferns: pic 34.

Dividing this hike into two parts since I took so many fotos this time. More to come.

1. South trailhead

2. Offshoot trail

3. Climbing to the openspace

4. Curving around

5. View east

6. Openspace views

7. Still climbing up

8. Looking south

9. Openspace bench

10. View north

11. View north

12. Pausing for tea

13. North openspace stairway

14. 22 steps

15. Miraloma Park neighborhood below

16. The summit cross

17. Old wood steps start down from side of the monument

18. Trail down to a main trail

19. Ferns and a damp trail

20. Down to a main trail

21. Part of the cross can be seen through the trees

22. Foot of one of the short stone stairways

23. Muddy upper trail

24. Another stone stairway

25. Trees and rocks

26. Down through the forest

27. Below the trail

28. Forestview

29. Winding around

30. Just me, the forest and birdsong

31. Peaceful and cool

32. Trailfork

33. Narrow and winding

34. Love the ferns!

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New Tiled Stairway

7/4/2014

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There’s a new tiled stairway in San Francisco’s Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood called "Flights of Fancy." Learned about it from the Hidden Garden Steps Website (16th Ave. tiled stairway in the Golden Gate Heights neighborhood, Inner Sunset) where there are some fotos. Some interesting info about this latest stairway art project as seen on Facebook:

http://sfdpw.org/index.aspx?page=1802

I’d heard of Innes St. in the Bayview as it runs off Third St. and is on the T-Third Metro line. Looked up Innes on Google Maps to see if it runs through to Arelious Walker where the stairway is; it does not. At Innes near Hudson, this seemed a rather long walk from the T-Third. I was, however, able to attend the opening celebration with a friend who has a car.

During a Bayview “Sunday Streets” a few years ago had a great time exploring some of the neighborhood’s stairways and Hilltop Park (with the big sundial) but had not gone quite as far east as is the new stairway.

While here, however, noticed that the extremely familiar #19 Polk (that also crawls over Potrero Hill) stops right at the foot of the stairs, pic 1. So could’ve taken this bus without long waits for a “neighborhood bus” (as in the #36 Teresita and #37 Corbett, for example).

There’s a very nice city-and-bay-view from the top of the stairs (pic 2) and plenty of other stairways in the neighborhood that snake up to and around the residences. This area is near India Basin Shoreline Park.

Able to get a shot of the gorgeous (and delicious) cake before it was cut, pic 3.

Before the ribbon was cut, attendees were treated to some bongo playing and several short intros to -- and speeches by -- people who helped make this artwork possible. The plaque: SFAC = San Francisco Arts Commission, pic 4.

San Francisco’s third tiled stairway is named for Dr. Arelious Walker, a pastor and author who’s known for many good deeds in the Bayview community. I quote from an Internet article:

http://www.truehope.org/drwalker.html

“One of the most distinguished honors a city can pay tribute to its greatest contributors is naming a street in their honor. Usually when that happens the person is deceased but in this case an exception was made and the great city of San Francisco named in his honor the street "Arelious Walker Drive” in the BayView Hunters Point and New BayView Districts. Dr. Walker is a Community Champion. His ultimate dream is to build TRUE HOPE SQUARE, a housing development with a senior citizens home, child daycare center, and a special home for those men and women that do not have any place to go when they get saved. Dr. Walker is constantly fighting to clean up the neighborhoods, keep affordable housing in every neighborhood, and to keep his dream alive so that it may come to fruition.”

The stairway has 87 steps. Pix 5 thru 19.

The January 2014 Google Maps only shows the stairway area fenced off and under construction with no tiles yet.

1. The #19 Polk stops in front of the new stairway

2. A bay view

3. Beautiful cake!

4. "Flights of Fancy" plaque at foot of stairway

5. Foot of the stairway

6. Foot of the stairs

7. Climbing up

8. 87 steps

9. Midsteps

10. It turns here

11. Look at these colors!

12. Go see this in person!

13. Nearing the top

14. Introducing San Francisco's third tiled stairway

15. Top of the tiled part

16. Opening celebration attendees

17. Newly planted garden on both sides

18. New plantings alongside

19. As seen from across the street

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East to West Lands End

7/1/2014

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At the east trailhead for the Lands End Trail at Eagle’s Point Overlook, this scene, first pic, has taken the place of a spot where people used to like to sit, down from the trail.

Pix 2, 3, 4: Continuing east on the trail.

Cliffside views, heading for the east stairway, pic 5.

About 120 steps: 6 thru 11.

Onto a good berrytrail from partway up the east stairway, pic 12. This is a favorite “hidden” trail that climbs to the golf course, overgrown, full of nasturtiums, wild radish, and blackberries. I do see other people on this short trail sometimes, just not as many as on the El Camino and Coastal/Lands End, pix 13, 14.

46 steps down from the west edge of the Legion of Honor parking lot: 15, 16, 17.

Connector steps back down to the Coastal Trail from the El Camino del Mar Trail: pic 18.

Passing the top of the up ’n back Mile Rock Beach's 262 steps that start down from the Coastal Trail, pic 19.

Up from the Camino del Mar Trail to the Fort Miley picnic area, a fun trail: 20, 21, 22.

Around to the Sutro Baths Upper Trail and out to the west trailhead for the Coastal Trail,141 steps, last two pix.