Blog Archives

Starting from Stanyan

8/31/2014

Disembarked the crosstown #43 at Stanyan and Parnassus to hoof it several blocks uphill to the Stanyan Trailhead and into the Interior Greenbelt part of Mount Sutro. Last time started up from the trailhead just above this one, the unmarked steepish beauty that climbs to the Aldea residences and Fairy Gates Trailhead.

Stanyan trailhead, pix 1 thru 5.

Lower Historic Trail: 6 thru 11.

This rough, unmarked trail leads from the lower Historic to the uppermost Interior Greenbelt trail mentioned above that winds from the west dead-end of Belgrave, pic 12.

From the lower Historic, now up to the road (west trailhead for the Fairy Gates Trail here), pix 13, 14.

Onto the East Ridge Trail (pic 15), then the Mystery Trail (16, 17, 18), to the summit (pic 19).

North Ridge Trail back down: 20, 21, 22.

From the foot of the North Ridge, along Medical Center Way’s pedestrian walkway next to the guardrail, enjoying the view down to the lower Historic and Edgewood Trails, pic 23.

Onto a shortcut stairway long used by yours truly that curves around a building (pic 24). Down to the parking lot where a long stairway descends to behind UCSF buildings and out to Parnassus (25 and 26: top and near the foot).

There’s also a short trail behind homes on Edgewood (27, 28, 29) that'll take you out to Edgewood Ave. and onto Farnsworth Lane.

Farnsworth Lane, 149 steps, down to Willard and just up from Parnassus: 30 thru 35.

1. Infosign at the Stanyan trailhead

2. Short stairway between homes to forest trails

3. The forest awaits

4. Up from Stanyan

5. Lower Historic Trail

6. Lower Historic Trail

7. House in distance is on Edgewood Ave.

8. Lower Historic Trail

9. Curving around

10. Lower Historic Trail

11. Too many felled trees around here

12. Rough trail to uppermost Interior Greenbelt Trail that starts at Belgrave's dead-end

13. Fairy Gates Trailhead at Medical Center Way

14. Pedestrian walkway on Medical Center Way

15. Trailhead for East Ridge Trail

16. Mystery Trail

17. Mystery Trail

18. Mystery Trail

19. Summit-time

20. North Ridge Trail switchback

21. North Ridge Trail, Medical Center Way below

22. Ishi's shrine near the foot of the North Ridge Trail

23. Lower Historic Trail from Medical Center Way

24. Shortcut to parking lot alongside a building

25. Top of stairway that descends to behind UCSF medical buildings

26. Near foot of steps from parking lot to lower Medical Center Way near Parnassus

27. Trail from parking lot behind homes on Edgewood Ave.

28. Looking back at parking lot trailhead for short trail behind Edgewood homes

29. Trailhead at Edgewood Ave. near Farnsworth Lane steps

30. Top of Farnsworth stairs at Edgewood Ave.

31. 149 steps down from redbricked Edgewood Ave.

32. Farnsworth Lane, Edgewood to Willard

33. Down to Willard

34. Foot of the Farnsworth Lane stairway

35. Foot of Farnsworth at Willard

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184 Crags to Canyon Floor

8/30/2014

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This fun exploratory hike was to check out more of Glen Canyon’s newest meandering, curvaceous wood stairways, starting with the one that descends from the edge of Christopher Park in Diamond Heights. Appreciate the way the stairs now start from the very edge instead of a little way down as before: first three pix.

New steps invite one to the north and south of the viewbench. South used to be a skinny trail. Glad the bench is still here. Pic 4.

Down 48 steps to the north, pic 5. However, this part still hadn’t been completed; a rocky-slippery trail below as descended last time. Back up to check out the new stairs (44) to the south: 6 thru 13.

Ahead noticed a separate stairway descending from Crags Court Community Garden in the Diamond Heights 'hood, replacing the older steps. Pix 14, 15. Up the stairs to stop in at the garden briefly. As always when I’ve visited, the gates were unlocked; someone was working inside.

This delightful new trail continues curvingly all the way down to the Canyon’s main trail. There are short stretches of narrow dirt trail in between the 184 winding wood steps: 16 thru 21.

The Canyon floor canopy trail on the east side usually taken was blocked off due to construction. Detoured to the trail on the west side of the rustic wood fence.

Very nice little trail here, pic 22. At its end, back around to the east trail at the foot of the north “climbing rock steps” where there was another temporary blockoff at that end, pic 23.

Continued north, pix 24, 25, 26, then up again to the slightly higher trail just below the long-legged houses. Back down again (now an easier grade) to do “my” northernmost trail where this new footbridge over Islais Creek beckoned to me, pix 27, 28. No more old tire and tree limbs for stepping over the creek.

There’s been a lot of hacking at blackberry bushes and other plants to widen this trail (pix 29, 30), but so far it hasn’t been extended past the end of the school playing field’s chainlink fence.

On the way back, took the 68 or so wood steps (pic 31) up where there was another trail closure for the still-black-stuff-lined stairs on the south side of the climbing rocks. Ongoing construction in various parts of the park; will keep checking back.

Continued up to do another newer stairway (79 steps), mentioned in a previous hike, that curves round to the uppermost trail just below Christopher Park, last two pix.

1. Starting down from Christopher Park

2. Down from Christopher Park to the bench

3. Down from the edge of Christopher Park in Diamond Heights

4. Viewbench, stairs north and south

5. Down to the north

6. New steps to the south

7. South steps

8. South from the bench

9. High-up stairs to the south

10. Mount Davidson upper left corner

11. A stretch of dirt trail

12. More steps continue south

13. Looking back

14. Replacement steps start down from Crags Court Community Garden

15. Down from the garden, replacing the old steps

16. Curving down and around

17. Winding

18. Short stretches of dirt trail included

19. Under some trees

20. Another short stretch of trail

21. Down to the foot at the main trail

22. Trail to west of the rustic fence

23. Back to the east trail, turning left (north)

24. East trail, heading north

25. Step over

26. And under

27. Creek crossing

28. Continuing north

29. North trail

30. Offtrail to the right

31. Up from the canyon floor

32. Up to the trail just below Christopher Park

33. Uppermost Canyon trail just below Christopher Park

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Sausalito Up n Down

8/3/2014

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From Bridgeway up to Josephine is 120 steps. No street sign for the stairway so I just call her “Josephine.” First two pix. There’s a walkway partway up, then the stairs start again. At the 50th step is a built-in concrete bench.

Lower Cable Roadway’s shady (pix 3, 4), homes on both sides, 196 steps. It starts at Central and climbs to Crescent. From the top, a few yards to the right, Crescent meets Sausalito Blvd. and the stairway continues, 93 steps for the upper part. At the top is a steep block-long vehicle street that climbs to Prospect. So for Cable Roadway 289 steps total.

At Prospect, turn left (pic 5). The foot of the Prospect stairs is a short distance from here: 204 steps (pic 6) up to the freeway, Wolfback Ridge Road (overpass to a private street), and the top of Cloudview (pic 7).

45 more steps descend to Spencer (pic 8). If you want to climb into the GGNRA parklands from here, stay on Monte Mar just past the parking lot and bus shelter. There’s an underpass and parking lot here (pic 9). The beautifully forested Morning Sun Trail is part steps, part narrow trail, about 216 steps.

This time chose the long (185 or so steps) stairway from Spencer to Santa Rosa (10, 11, 12). From the top of Spencer at Monte Mar, there are several blocks before these stairs start down, however. Spencer is narrow, winding, and trafficky with vehicles down from and up to the freeway.

West Court, a favorite, 103 steps (13 thru 16).

Southview Park is close by. A nice place to stop for lunch, pic 17.

The Second Street double stairway; this is the east one, pic 18.

Passing the foot of Oak Lane (94 steps) on the way to Valley. At 400-ish Valley a ridged driveway starts up. Wouldn’t have suspected this was through at all if I hadn’t seen it drawn as a trail on Google Maps. Started up, only to come to a house and garage; but off to the side were a very few old wood steps. A-ha, sez I, and continued up. However, there was just this very steep dirt trail. Glad to be ascending instead of descending this. At the top was a sign for Edwards and Sausalito Blvd. Could really use a good stairway here, but at least it did run thru. Pix 19, 20, 21.

Sausalito Blvd. curves around for a while: 22 thru 25. Love the cow, admired as I was plucking blackberries along the roadside, pic 26.

47 steps for the end-of-Sunshine stairs, pic 27, at the foot of which Cooper Lane stairway (about 120, pic 28) starts up from San Carlos.

A bench off Harrison, pic 29.

Bulkley Ave.: pic 30.

Excelsior Lane has 180-ish steps and is three blocks long. It’s part stairway and part walkway, which is why it doesn’t have even more steps than this. Miller down to Bridgeway: 31, 32, 33.

El Monte has 120 steps, Bulkley down to Bridgeway. This one is also part stairs, part walk: last three pix.

1. Bridgeway up to Josephine

2. Bridgeway to Josephine steps

3. Lower Cable Roadway starts up from Central

4. Central up to Crescent

5. Prospect on the way to the stairway

6. Prospect stairs near the top

7. Top of Prospect steps, Wolfback Ridge Road, freeway below, Cloudview to right

8. Stairs down to Spencer and Monte Mar

9. GGNRA parklands above

10. Santa Rosa steps down from Spencer

11. Spencer down to Santa Rosa

12. Around 185 steps

13. West Court stairway

14. 103 steps for West Court

15. West Court

16. Foot of West Court steps

17. Southview Park

18. Second Street double stairway

19. Trail up from Valley to Edwards/Sausalito Blvd.

20. Trail up to Edwards/Sausalito Blvd.

21. Edwards & Sausalito Blvd. top of steep trail up from Valley

22. Sausalito Blvd.

23. Sausalito Blvd.

24. A view from Sausalito Blvd.

25. Sausalito Blvd.

26. Sausalito Blvd.

27. Sunshine steps

28. Cooper Lane, 120 steps

29. A bench off Harrison

30. Bulkley Ave.

31. Excelsior Lane

32. Excelsior Lane at Harrison

33. Excelsior Lane at Bulkley

34. El Monte down from Bulkley

35. El Monte Lane

36. El Monte down to Bridgeway

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Sutro Ruins Trail Closure

8/2/2014

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Started down the 128 steps that descend from the lower parking lot overlook near the Lands End Lookout building (first pic). At the foot started over to the cavetop viewplace to ascend the Coastal Trail from its westernmost trailhead (141 steps), but was told the trail was closed; noticed construction equipment partway up.

This is the westernmost beginning of the Coastal Trail. It got a facelift in 2009 when the existing steps at the cavetop were extended up the slope.

Climbed back up and tried it again at the east trailhead. Able to go partway down where I came upon one of those plastic fences blocking the trail with a notice on it re the “Sutro Ruins Trail.” Pix 2, 3.

They’re in the process of removing 170 feet of a former underground fuel pipeline and associated contaminated soil. The time stated for this project is between July 21 and August 31.

Heading east, came to the place on the curving paved trail where I had been in a habit of taking a shortcut by stepping over the short barrier and up a dirt trail, then back onto the paved part.This time noticed my shortcut has now been widened to a regular fenced (still dirt) trail, pic 4.

Up the stairway at the first overlook on the main Lands End Trail. It’s steep, 59 steps, leading to the upper parking lot overlook at the east edge of which you can access the El Camino del Mar Trail. In two previous incarnations for this stairway, it was winding; now straight up. Wish they’d kept one of the curvy styles. Pix 5, 6.

Between the first and second main Lands End Trail overlooks, pic 7.

The second main Lands End Trail overlook as seen from the El Camino del Mar Trail, pic 8.

90 steps for the curvy connector between the El Camino and the main Lands End Trail, pix 9, 10.

Up the steps to the west end of the Legion of Honor Parking Lot (46 steps), continuing to the VA Hospital parking lot via the short Battle of the Bulge Trail and over to the picnic area below the parking lot. 78 or so steps for the south stairway (pix 11, 12) and 72 back up the other side: 13, 14, 15.

From the main Lands End trail/Coastal Trail, a long (around 262 steps) stairway descends to Mile Rock Beach, pix 16 thru 22. It's an up 'n back stairway. However, partway down is an openspace trail (pic 23) that climbs to the clifftop viewplace where the Labyrinth lives: 24 thru 27. You can climb back from here on another skinny trail that will take you to partway up the stairs: 28 through 31.

Up the main Lands End Trail stairway I call the “Painted Rock,” 138 steps, pic 32, then down the east side,120 steps, pic 33.

Last pic: Out the east side of the park on the main Lands End/Coastal Trail.

1. Steps down from lower parking lot overlook near Lands End Lookout

2, Temporary trail closure is further down

3. "Sutro Ruins Trail" supposed to reopen August 31

4. Former shortcut trail now opened up

5. Upper parking lot overlook down to Coastal Trail

6. Upper parking lot overlook/El Camino del Mar Trail down to Coastal Trail

7. Coastal Trail between first and second overlooks

8. Second Lands End Trail overlook as seen from El Camino del Mar Trail

9. Connector steps between Coastal Trail and El Camino del Mar Trail

10. Top of connector steps at El Camino del Mar Trail

11. Down to the picnic area via the south stairway

12. South stairway, below VA Hospital parking lot

13. North stairway

14. Up the north stairway to VA Hospital parking lot

15. What are these flowers alongside the north stairs?

16. Mile Rock Beach stairway descends from Coastal/Lands End Trail

17. Around 262 steps

18. An up-and-back stairway down to Mile Rock Beach

19. Partway down, the steps turn

20. Steps continue, right. For upper trail continue straight ahead.

21. Down the shady part

22. Under the tree

23. Lower left corner: the trail to the Labyrinth. Steps continue down, center.

24. The Labyrinth

25. Clifftop viewspot

26. Above Mile Rock Beach

27. A couple of trails lead to the Labyrinth, created 2004

28. Heading back to the stairway on the east trail

29. Above Mile Rock Beach

30. Back to the stairs from the viewspot

31. Narrow trail, high up

32. Back on the main Lands End Trail, the "Painted Rock" steps

33. Top of the eastside stairs

34. Wild radishes along the Lands End/Coastal Trail near the east trailhead/Eagle's Point

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Tower Trail Blocked

8/1/2014

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I’m in the habit of starting my tower trail treks from the foot of Twin Peaks Park (at Crestline), accessed via the #37 Corbett/Twin Peaks bus. Up the 93 old wood steps (pix 1 thru 4) to Twin Peaks Blvd. in the park. Eureka Peakpeople, pic 5.

Across the Blvd. to the west side of the park (6, 7, 8), stepping over the guardrail for the old trail down alongside Twin Peaks reservoir to Marview in the Midtown Terrace neighborhood: 9, 10.

There’s a trail encircling Sutro Tower that climbs up from Marview. It starts out in the open, Midtown Terrace homes below. However, had just begun when I came to a fence blocking the trail (pic 11). It went all the way down to the street so had to turn back; probably just temporary.

Curious, decided to check out its other trailhead to see just how much was closed off. Stayed on Palo Alto to its dead-end for vehicles, pic 12. Behind the fence is La Avanzada, the curvy road to Sutro Tower (pic 13); continued downhill.

The trail is mostly forested as it winds under 977-foot Sutro Tower. Have to keep an eye out for mountain bikers; sometimes not a lot of space to move to the side to let 'em pass. This time had the whole trail to myself.

Did nearly the entire trail twice, an up ’n back. Started up from the La Avanzada trailhead, muddy and puddly, pic 14. Kept going until I reached the edge of the forest where there was another fence. So this closure affected only part of the openspace area ... for whatever reason.

The tower trail (no trailmarkers) that starts up from La Avanzada, its lower trailhead just above Dellbrook in the Midtown Terrace neighborhood: 15 thru 21.

Descended to Clarendon; could use a pedestrian skyway in this area to make it easier for hikers to cross over from Midtown Terrace to Mount Sutro Forest. There are “islands” in the middle of Clarendon but no light or crosswalk.

Once across the street, about a block down is the main entrance to the Aldea residences. This time chose the North Ridge Trail (pic 22) that ascends from curving Medical Center Way. The trailhead's directly across from the Fairy Gates trailhead that descends from the road. Too many trees have been cut down on the North Ridge...

Sutro’s Summit: 23, 24.

Down from the summit on the South Ridge, then the Historic Trail (pic 25) to the West Ridge Trail: 26 thru 29. Instead of felling so many trees, how ‘bout a few helpful steps on this steep trail that climbs into the forest, especially at the Crestmont trailhead. Surely they could add some steps here and at the Christopher trailhead without harming any trees; simply curve them around the plants.

Now in the Forest Knolls neighborhood, round the curve for the top of the green Oakhurst stairway.

Oakhurst descends from Crestmont, 355 steps, pix 30 thru 37, at the foot of which is Warren (pic 38), steep and winding, down to Seventh Ave. (last pic, a view of Mount Sutro's west side from the bus stop).