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Summit Time on San Bruno Mountain

8/31/2012

Started up from Radio Road at the Summit Loop north trailhead where a small lizard crossed the trail ahead of me, stopping briefly to pose for a pic (first foto).

From the summit towers area headed to the east end of the road where there's an auto barrier and trailhead for the Ridge Trail (next three pics). However, this time trail access was barred to hikers due to some kind of PG&E work. So back down the way I came up on the Summit Loop north (last five pix), shortly connecting with the Dairy Ravine and Eucalyptus Loop Trails, looping back to where I started.

Through the Meadow and back onto the Bog Trail, a small black-and-white snake was in the middle of the trail. He was in the process of eating a tiny bug.

On any of the Bog Trail's several benches, it's difficult to get back up: few people, no nasty smells, (mostly) warm sun, gentle breezes, birdsong, bees and butterflies.

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West to East Lands End

8/31/2012

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Upon first disembarking the #38L Geary into Lands End, the area was saturated with blowing fog, the ocean and Sutro Baths ruins completely hidden from view. A half hour or so later all traces of the white stuff had disappeared: sunny and warm for the rest of the hike.

First down the "Merrie Way" steps (128) from the overlook at the lower parking lot (Lands End Lookout), then up the stairway that starts at the cavetop viewplace (first pic: west trailhead for the Coastal Trail). This part (141 steps) is called the Sutro Baths Upper Trail.

Curving round, up the 59 steep steps (second pic) to the upper parking lot overlook from the first Coastal Trail overlook. Onto the El Camino del Mar Trail from here (third pic). Fourth pic: a popular bench on the El Camino, for once not occupied.

Down the connector stairway to the Coastal Trail again (fifth pic: people climbing around below) to do the 138 "Painted Rock" steps (sixth pic).

At the top of these, descended the east side's variety of stairs (about 116 steps, seventh pic).

Last pic is a view of China Beach/Sea Cliff and the Presidio from the Coastal Trail coming out to the east end.

So four stairways this time that have more than 100 steps and three more shorter ones. The last was the Lincoln Park stairway, 52 steps, a very popular Stairmaster and hoping someday to be fully tiled.

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Foggy Mountain Trails

8/21/2012

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The Bog Trail is always a must when I visit San Bruno Mountain Park. First two pix: the first footbridge near the trailhead; the third is the Bog's midtrail footbridge.

Crossed the Meadow to the east trailhead for the Saddle Trail. Today was (no surprise: typical August weather up here) blowing fog with wind so strong I could barely stand, much less take decent new photos. Fourth pic: a view from the Saddle Trail down to the Old Ranch Road Trail.

The next three are also of and from the Saddle Trail.

A good-sized snake with beautiful brown-on-beige coloring crossed in front of me about midtrail on the Saddle Loop. "Oh, hello. May I take your picture?" I asked (being alone on the trail at the time), bending over to see where he/she went. Though the grass was dry and short here, any trace of snake was gone in an instant. Amazing how they can just instantly disappear. Or I've just got these slow reflexes.

The closest-to-the-park #43 bus stop is at Curtis & Prague next to the short stairway (foot at Curtis, last pic) that takes me to Winding Way to begin my long uphill trek to the park's Crocker trailhead from the Crocker-Amazon neighborhood. These stairs curve along the side of a house and today passed by an appalling mess of paper and junk strewn about alongside.

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Lands End Up n Down

8/19/2012

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Crossing Point Lobos into Lands End, decided to trek up through the forest with its woodchips and pinecones underfoot. For a change I was alone walking through these woods to the main trail, passing the old Octagon House to my left, but as I passed the Fort Miley ruins noticed a guy skateboarding on a roof.

Up the paved trail past the picnic tables to the VA Hospital's parking lot for a revisit to the park's newest creation, the picnic spot below the parking lot. Lots of colorful new flowers are helping make the area look even better these days. It's popular with those little birds that hop about in the bushes. Noticed some new cracks in the ground here though. (first four photos).

Up the stairway and over a short distance to the short Battle of the Bulge Trail (next pic: view of the picnic area from here) and down to the Legion of Honor parking lot. This time, however, doubled back to descend the uppermost stairway just beyond the yellow auto barrier at the end of the lot where a couple of people were searching for ripe berries.

At the foot of this stairway is a short wood footbridge and then the connector stairway from the El Camino del Mar Trail down to the main Coastal Trail (sixth pic).

Curving back to my beginning, past the two Coastal Trail Overlooks and the foot of the upper parking lot Overlook's stairway (last two pics), noticed several people climbing around on the cliffs below the trail.

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Peaks and Gardens

8/9/2012

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After circling around Twin Peaks park (first six pics), started back down the way I'd come up via the Crestline stairway (my name for it: 94 or so uneven wood park steps) down to Crestline (seventh pic) and across the street for the top of the Vista Lane stairway (about 261 steps). The foot of Vista is at Burnett, where there are two of these last stair sections a short distance apart, the one descended today directly across from the Hopkins Street sign.

East on Burnett with a steepish trek up to Twin Peaks Blvd. where I turned right down Raccoon, across from Mountain Spring. At the foot of supershort Raccoon is Crown Court. To the left is an opening between two buildings and a few steppingstones out to Crown Terrace. A few yards away is the top of the Pemberton stairway (about 211 steps), the first block very old, uneven brick steps (eighth pic). The rest of the steps are newer bricked down to Clayton near Corbett (ninth pic).

The Clayton/Corbett garden steps (36) took me down to Corbett. Continued past Al's Park a short distance to revisit the new startup garden across from the Mars/Corbett street sign. I could easily see Market now, one street below. It's been further cleared out on top, but is still locked.

This time continued down steep Danvers where there's a short stairway to Market & 18th. East on 18th to the Storrie Ord Neighborhood Group minipark/garden. This one just keeps getting better: flowers, several benches and shady pathways between Storrie and the Ord stairway (33 steps, the one with the wall mural) that leads back down to 18th.

1. Eureka Peak
2. Eureka Peak
3. Eureka Peak
4. Mount Sutro's Forest Knolls 'hood from Twin Peaks Park
5. From the view-wall.
6. Hikers' trail to right.
7. Trailhead into the park from Crestline
8. Older Pemberton steps up to Crown Terrace
9. Newer Pemberton steps

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Bridge to Mountain Lake

8/9/2012

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Starting at the bridge area, west for brief stops at the Presidio's Golden Gate Overlook and Pacific Overlook on the way to the Batteries to Bluffs Trail (474 steps), today accessed from the east trailhead.

From the west trailhead atop Battery Crosby up to Lincoln, across the street and up the Connector Trail's 208 steps to Immigrant Point Overlook. The log bench on the way up was occupied by a drum-playing dude (second time encountered).

Around the east side of Rob Hill Campground and down a favorite short trail to Fort Scott. Uphill again on Wright Loop, a residential street, where begins another forested trail I like. Lots of stacked logs around here.

Out at the Park Trail at the top of the golf course. Downhill on the wide, paved trail with the huge golf course on both sides, then a turn to the Mountain Lake Trail and all the way around it. Mountain Lake's water level is way low due to the ongoing remediation and restoration, but still plenty of birds to be seen in the water and on the shore.

Now playing around with a new camera, a little Pentax, with a wide-angle view feature. Where better to do this than the Batteries to Bluffs Trail… About the pix:

1. View from Golden Gate Overlook
2. View from Pacific Overlook of Batteries to Bluffs Trail east
3. View from Pacific Overlook of Batteries to Bluffs Trail east
4. View from Pacific Overlook of Batteries to Bluffs Trail east
5. Batteries to Bluffs Trail: View Point Overlook
6. Batteries to Bluffs footbridge and westside steps
7. Batteries to Bluffs Trail westside steps
8. Batteries to Bluffs west trailhead at Battery Crosby
9. Baker Beach from Lincoln Blvd.

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Corona Climb

8/1/2012

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Started up from 17th & Castro and turned right at Douglass, on to its dead-end for vehicles. Here the walker has two choices: a stairway ascends to States, into the Corona Heights neighborhood; and to the left, 10 steps on Ord Court lead out to Ord St. Directly across Ord, the foot of Vulcan Stairway can't be missed. Fifty-five steps will take you to the first landing at 22 Vulcan (first pic) where a south stairway starts up on the left side. Three homes line this south stairway and it's perfectly walkable, but not through to Levant. The north stairway, however, has about 219 steps and will take you up to Levant.

Headed north on Levant a block or so to the States/Levant stairway (45 steps), the top at Roosevelt. A short distance east on Roosevelt is the west entrance for Corona Heights Park where the foot of a stairway can be seen to the right. Starting from this west side, 100 steps will take you nearly to the summit rocks (second pic: Buena Vista Park in the near distance). Several years ago some new steps were added. Partway up, turn left. (There's another trail around to the right, also with new steps.)

At the summit rocks, a short trail leads to 41 more steps (third pic) and it turns once again to the lone bench up here (fourth pic: 61 steps this side so far).

Much of the main stairway (fifth and sixth photos) down this east slope is older and uneven. But at the foot are some replacement steps (seventh pic) down to the Randall Museum's east stairway. So since this stairway just keeps going, continuous, with a bit of dirt trail at times, I'm inclined to call the whole thing, west to east, one stairway, with about 290 steps total.

The Randall Museum (eighth pic) is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10 to 5; closed Sundays and Mondays. My favorite animal today was their new little possum, gazing out at me from inside his shelter towards the back of the cage. There are various critters living here that are currently unable to survive in the wild, including a duck, chickens, a rabbit, ravens and other birds.

Down the east Randall steps to a steepish trail of rough concrete to exit the park. Behind an attractive brown-shingled house, someone has started gardening at the edge of the park. To one side of the house is the top of De Forest: 18 narrow, enclosed steps down to 100 Beaver. From here it's a short distance downhill to Castro where a #24 Divisadero bus stop is at 15th & Castro.

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Summit Time on San Bruno Mountain

West to East Lands End

Foggy Mountain Trails

Lands End Up n Down

Peaks and Gardens

Bridge to Mountain Lake

Corona Climb

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