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Forest Hill to Golden Gate Heights

9/15/2013

Golden Gate Heights is a stairway walkers' delight with a bunch of really long ones.

My hike started at the Forest Hill metro station with the short stairway up into the neighborhood of the same name: 7th to 10th Ave. for the Forest Hill 'hood, curving steadily uphill.

First pic: A view of Mount Sutro from Sola & Marcela.

Soon ascending the two highest blocks of the long "Montalvo" stairway. This stairway has no official/signed name; the first of the three blocks actually starts up from Castenada, near Montalvo. It crosses San Marcos/Santa Rita with a short stairway dividing the upper and lower vehicle streets, then continues up. The first of the two uppermost blocks has 122 steps.

Second pic is of the San Marcos/Santa Rita connector: 23 steps.

The last Montalvo block has 101 steps up to Mendosa and 10th Ave. (pic 3, looking towards the foot of this flight down to divided Ninth Ave.)

An old mural up here I've always liked: pic 4.

West from here starts the higher-up Golden Gate Heights neighborhood, but there's a dead-end ahead. So steeply downhilled a block to Quintara from Mendosa, then a left (west) on Quintara. Up ahead a few blocks is the top of Quintara's 136 steps.

Now on 14th Ave. the next stairway top walked by was Mandalay. Only counted the two Montalvo Forest Hill stairways and GG Heights' 15th Ave. steps this time, but already had a staircount list of the others passed. Mandalay (pic 5) has 165 steps, near Radio & 14th (pic 6).

Next block over: Aerial's west stairway, above Pacheco, and a view from the foot for this one. I have this flight listed as 205 steps. Pix 7, 8.

Next one, Ortega: 148 steps, ninth pic.

Next over was Mount, 161 steps, 10th pic. The Rocky Outcrop Park natural area (pics 11, 12) greets you at the top of Mount stairway.

Pic 13: Ortega and 14th Ave.

Circled around Grandview Park (14th pic, 144 steps, its west stairway).

Pic 15: From 15th Ave. just below Grandview Park.

Pic 16 was taken from Lawton & 15th.

Where once was a trail up the north side of Grandview is now a fence and trail-closed sign due to soil erosion. You're instructed instead to take the east or west stairways up into the park. Below, as viewed from the west edge of the park, could see the top of the 16th Ave. & Moraga tiled stairway (163 steps).

Around the park's north slope to descend the 15th Ave. stairway for a count of 193: pix 17, 18, 19. Lawton down to Kirkham.

A block over to the west is the waiting-to-be-tiled 16th Ave. Hidden Garden Steps (148 steps, Lawton down to Kirkham), last four pix.

These aren't all the stairways in these two 'hoods: just those I happened to walk or pass this time.

1. View east to Mount Sutro from Sola & Marcela, Forest Hill 'hood

2. San Marcos/Santa Rita connector steps, Forest Hill

3. Last block of the long stairway, looking down to 9th Ave.

4. Marine scenes

5. Mandalay stairway down from 14th Ave. Now in Golden Gate Heights

6. Radio & 14th Ave.

7. Approaching Aerial's west stairway

8. Aerial's west stairway

9. Top of Ortega stairway

10. Top of Mount stairway

11. Rocky Outcrop natural area, top of Mount stairway, above 14th Ave.

12. Rocky Outcrop Park above 14th Ave.

13. Ortega & 14th Ave.

14. Grandview Park's west stairway

15. Walking around the north side of Grandview Park, 15th Ave.

16. View of Mount Sutro from Lawton & 15th Ave.

17. Top of the 15th Ave. stairway at Lawton

18. 15th Avenue steps, Golden Gate Heights

19. Foot of the 15th Ave. stairway

20. Foot of the 16th Ave. Hidden Garden Steps

21. Foot of the to-be-tiled Hidden Garden Steps at Kirkham/16th Ave.

22. Watch this space. Hidden Garden steps as of Sept. 2013

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Tourists and Long Stairways

9/14/2013

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Telegraph Hill's steep-stairwayed eastside is another 'hood not climbed in a while. Always lotsa people up and down the Greenwich and Filbert steps up from Sansome and swarming all over Pioneer Park/Coit Tower at the top.

Started up the concrete part of the Filbert (383 total eastside from a previous list), climbing from Sansome. On the way up this (first pic) saw two guys behind me carrying a wood cabinet up from the foot. I hurried on ahead and others waited on the landing to descend until after the two had reached the first of the wood-Filbert houses.

The first offshoot from the wood Filbert stairway, Napier Lane, has always been one of my favorite "streets." This short boardwalk, with its mostly original old houses that survived the 1906 quake/fire, doesn't continue to the next stairway over, Greenwich. (The middle Napier dwelling in pic 2, #14 and #16, is a replacement for an older white house that was demolished in the early 1970s.)

Pic 3: 224 Filbert stairway, corner Napier. This and the one above it, 226 Filbert, got huge facelifts in the 1970s from the original tiny cottages.

The top of 228 Filbert looks the same (pic 4) as it did in the 1947 B&W film "Dark Passage."

Napier and Filbert have received replacement steps and wood planks in some spots (pic 5).

From divided Montgomery (pic 6), continued up the next long flight over, Greenwich (pics 7, 8) out to Pioneer Park/Coit Tower parking lot. On my way up this redbrick section of Greenwich, a couple was starting down this steep flight carrying a stroller-with-baby-inside. Looks like a new tiered garden is being planned midway alongside the upper stairway.

Ate lunch on a bench below the Tower in the park with its several stairways, then started my descent down the upper eastside Filbert concrete steps (pic 9). Back on Montgomery, started down the lower Greenwich steps to Sansome (pic 10).

This section of Greenwich has seen some new gardening efforts since my last visit, as in the first section down. Then the stairway makes a right turn past more gardens. There's a gardenwalk out to a slatted bench where you're welcome to rest, but you may not want to leave. Out from this bench is a dirt pathway that circles back to the main stairway/walk (pics 11, 12). As you continue on the walkway to the top of the down-stairway, you'll pass some active beehives.

Down on Sansome again, puffed back up to Montgomery on steep Vallejo to walk the Vallejo zigzag gardenspot stairs. The same two old side stairways are still there that were the only ones existing when I lived there in the '70s (pics 13, 14, 15, 16).

Since at the top of the Vallejo stairs (pic 17) the top of the Peter Maccchiarini Steps was nearby, took the west sidewalk stairway, the only stairway actually counted today, 154 steps down to Broadway (pics 18, 19, 20, 21). Supersteep Kearny in the center can't be accessed by vehicles to/from Vallejo at the top.

I miss the colorful old Chinese history mural called "Gold Mountain" that used to be on the right side of the Beat Museum at Romolo and Broadway. It got badly graffitied upon and was finally painted over as seen here: last pic.

Found this article about it:

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Gold-Mountain-history-mural-marred-by-graffiti-2311106.php

1. Concrete Filbert turns here and meets wood Filbert

2. 22, 14/16, and 10 Napier, with 222 Filbert beyond

3. 224 Filbert at Napier Lane with 226 Filbert above

4. 228 Filbert

5. Filbert wood stairway starts down from Montgomery

6. Middle stairway that divides upper and lower Montgomery

7. Foot of the upper Greenwich stairway, Montgomery to Coit Tower/Pioneer Park

8. Redbricked upper Greenwich, Montgomery up to Pioneer Park

9. Upper Filbert concrete steps, Pioneer Park down to Montgomery

10. Top of the Greenwich lower stairway below Montgomery

11. 237 Greenwich stairway/walk between Montgomery & Sansome

12. Greenwich stairway houses between Montgomery & Sansome

13. Starting up from Montgomery, Vallejo garden steps

14. Vallejo steps

15. Vallejo garden stairway

16. View east from the Vallejo stairs

17. Top of the Vallejo stairway

18. Vallejo at top of Peter Macchiarini sidewalk stairways

19. Kearny is the steep center street.

20. Fresno side street out from Kearny

21. Fresno at Kearny with east Peter Macchiarini sidewalk steps

22. Romolo & Broadway

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Winding High Part 2

9/14/2013

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This is part 2 of a recent long Sausalito trek, continuing south and uphill. Sausalito is across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

... Trudged up a steep vehicle street with a "Not a Through Street" sign. At the top, three steps led to another car street.

Climbed up to Edwards & Marion and continued on Edwards. Two viewpics from Edwards: pics 1, 2

Starting back on Edwards: pic 3: nice steps along a steep driveway.

Sausalito Blvd. is very long, winding, and way up there, with no street signs seen for a while and no sidewalks (pics 4, 5, 6). Cable Roadway looks interesting; will check out another time. Two pics of a house on Sausalito Blvd. near Sunshine: pix 7, 8.

Finally came to another stairway so I could start back down: Sacramento Way: a street sign, 44 steps, and a steep walk in the middle. Pics 9 thru 12.

… San Carlos up to Sunshine, 47 steps with no name: pix 13, 14, 15.

… Very close to the previous no-name stairs, another good long one: 120 steps for Cooper Lane starting up from San Carlos. This has a street sign: pics 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.

…16 stone steps alongside Miller to Sweet Briar Lane.

…15 old stone steps to San Carlos.

… 22 steps from Harrison down to Bulkley and my two beginning short stairways (in Part 1).

1. A view north from Edwards

2. A view from Edwards

3. Steps at the side of a driveway

4. A viewdeck on Sausalito Blvd.

5. Sausalito Blvd.

6. Cable Roadway off Sausalito Blvd.

7. Sausalito Blvd.

8. Sausalito Blvd.

9. Sacramento Way starts down from Sausalito Blvd.

10. Sacramento Way

11. Sacramento Way

12. Sacramento Way

13. San Carlos up to Sunshine

14. San Carlos to Sunshine

15. Top of stairway at Sunshine

16. Cooper Lane up from San Carlos

17. Cooper Lane

18. Cooper Lane

19. Cooper Lane

20. Top of Cooper Lane at Sunshine

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Winding High

9/14/2013

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Doing two separate posts this time for one day's hike in Sausalito as it was several hours' worth and I took lots of pix. The second one is a continuation from the same general area.

This time hadn't checked Google Maps for possible stairways; part of the fun is discovering them by accident. Sometimes I see ones I can't seem to find on GM later. When I later notice that I may have missed some (and I did…), I can always go back and check them out, as in: Had I climbed just one more block uphill I would've found another one.

Up from Bridgeway and Princess, my first stairway of this rather strenuous trek was a stone one with the words "Pedestrian Ln" on one of the steps (first pic). It turned into an enclosed walkway (pics 2, 3, 4), then more steps up to Bulkley (37 steps).

Another short walk just below the street: 10 steps down and 14 back up to Bulkley, pic 5.

Bulkley into Atwood: Views south from Josephine and Atwood (pix 6, 7) and, continuing up, from Southview Park on North Street (pic 8) where I stopped for lunch. Pic 9: A treedeck on Atwood.

First long one of the day: West Ct. down from North/Central with 103 steps, pics 10, 11, 12, 13. Love this one; especially fond of houses whose front yards open directly onto a stairway.

Found a second longer one right away: Oak up from West/Richardson to Lower Crescent. The longer, middle, part is wide wood/dirt (possibly homeowner-made?), then another short concrete flight to the top. 94 steps: pics 14, 15, 16, 17.

A gate on Lower Crescent, pic 18. Last pic: View from the same area.

1. Pedestrian Ln. up from Princess

2. Pedestrian Ln.

3. Walkway below Bulkley

4. Walkway below Bulkley

5. Up to Bulkley

6. Bulkley into Atwood

7. View south from Josephine & Atwood

8. Southview Park, North St.

9. Treedeck on Atwood

10. West Ct. down from North/Central

11. West Ct.

12. West Ct. continues down

13. Foot of West Ct.

14. Oak up from West/Richardson

15. Oak's wood middle part

16. Continuing up to Lower Crescent

17. Near top at Lower Crescent

18. Lower Crescent

19. A view from Lower Crescent

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That Treehouse Feeling

9/7/2013

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This time briefly scanned Google Maps (Maps part) for lines that might stand for Sausalito stairways and wrote down a few street names.

The first I'd found on the map was called Locust. It is indeed a stairway after the first two blocks (first pic), but seemed longer to me on Google Maps than it did when actually walked, with 16 steps (pic 2) to start, up to a steep vehicle street (pic 3). Then an all-wood stairway up to Cazneau: pics 4, 5. About 74 steps total.

Sixth pic: House on Cazneau.

Seventh pic: A view from Woodward.

Eighth pic: Down from Woodward to Marie, 20-something old wood steps with two benches at the foot.

Pic 9: Bonita to Napa/Filbert, 20 or so steps.

Pic 10: 28 more steps continuing up to Filbert. This and #9 are close together.

11th pic: A steep railed walk with two chairs at the foot of another short stairway (28 steps) up to Girard from Bonita: Bee street.

Pic 12: House on Girard near Filbert.

Pic 13, 14: Views from two homes on Glen. It's like walking around in a treehouse all over this whole area.

Pic 15, 16: Started up a very old wood stairway (80 steps) that had a loose wood railing a little way up. It curved around so no clue if it was private. It turned out to be through with a few flagstones at the top of the stairs where a steep street with rails on two sides took me out to Cazneau & Platt (pic 17).

Up here it's not wise for hikers to wear earbuds since you need to hear cars behind you, there being no sidewalks on some of the winding streets and barely enough room for cars to navigate. George Lane is so narrow (pic 18) that signs advised "No parking at any time" and 15 MPH speed limit.

Followed handsome George as it curved around but no way down at the upper end (pic 19) so started back, slowly circling downhill on gorgeous Glen. I like the open all-wood decks that are next to some of these urban-forest homes, adding to the treehouse look: like this one at the top of the aforementioned old wood stairway out to Cazneau: pic 20.

Last pic: Coming into San Francisco. Our Mount Sutro is highly visible from a long way off. The ferry takes less time than some of the buses I put up with.

1. Locust: Stairway starts at top (upper left)

2. Locust at top of first short flight

3. Between stairways on Locust

4. Main Locust stairway ahead

5. Locust stairs up to Cazneau

6. A house on Cazneau

7. A view from Woodward

8. Woodward down to Marie

9. Bonita to Napa/Filbert

10. Up to Filbert

11. Bee St. Bonita to Girard

12. Girard near Filbert

13. A View from Glen

14. Another View from Glen

15. Old wood steps up to Cazneau & Platt

16. Top of old wood stairway up to Cazneau & Platt

17. Railed street to Cazneau / Platt

18. Onto George Lane

19. View from George Lane

20. Wood deck at street level, top of old wood stairway

21. Coming back to San Francisco

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Random Stairway Hunt

9/6/2013

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The Sausalito and Larkspur ferries (behind the Ferry Building: Golden Gate Ferry) take Clipper Cards now (the Blue & Gold Fleet doesn't). This was a long overdue visit to Sausalito, the last maybe 38 years ago. Back then I'd walked across the GG Bridge and through a vehicles-only tunnel, intending to browse Sausalito's annual art show. Did take the ferry back.

First pic: Sausalito ahead, resembling one of those European hill-towns.

Turns out I was much more interested in the city's winding streets and stairways then, as now, but don't recall which stairways back then nor did I take pix. So this first recent trek was to be a random hike, as in whatever stairways I might find.

The only street name remembered was the main shopping street, Bridgeway, where some start up from here. The first climbed this time was El Monte Lane, 120 steps up to Bulkley, (pic 2, 3). Down 29 more to Santa Rosa (pic 4).

… A short double stairway down to Glen with a chair at the top (fifth pic: 19 steps)

… House at Girard & Turney (pic 6). Same general area: pics 7, 8, 9.

… A house on Bonita (pic 10)

Back up to Bulkley on steep San Carlos and onto Harrison. Noticed a stairway called Excelsior Lane going up and down from Harrison (pics 11, 12), so naturally had to count all the steps from the top: Miller & San Carlos. Part of Excelsior is a walkway and one lower part a narrow vehicle street just before a double stairway continues it down to Bridgeway (pics 13, 14, 15, 16), about 178 steps.

Next to this was another stairway rising from Bridgeway called Reade Ln. with 55 steps and a walkway up to Bulkley. So back up again (pics 17, 18).

Someone's written a book about Sausalito's stairways. If I ever see it will get it, but will continue to explore to see what I might discover on my own.

Having seriously fallen in love with this city, am also jealous because San Francisco could have had more winding streets that look like theirs had we not fallen victim to so many unimaginative developers of lookalike houses and condoboxes in our higher-up 'hoods (like Twin Peaks/Midtown Terrace, Diamond Heights, etc.)

Sausalito's streets, as one climbs higher up the mountain, are narrow and curving, sometimes with no sidewalks at all (others have one or two sidewalks). Steps lead up to houses on one side of the street and down to them on the other side.

The several stairways I had the pleasure of meeting this trip are all very old, including wood railings and old stone steps. There are some "Not a Through Street" signs, but experienced one dead-end where I walked right up to the end of the street with no sign and no way to go but to retrace my steps. All in a day's hike: no problema.

And the houses. P;enty of contemporary homes but they're also quite attractive. Many were very old, smaller, and my-type-cuuuute. And the trees. So many beautiful trees all over (last pic: Glen & Turney, a treehugger's heaven) … white picket fences … Bay 'n boats below.

1. Coming in to Sausalito.

2. El Monte Ln. up from Bridgeway

3. View from El Monte steps

4. Down to Santa Rosa

5. Down to Glen, a double. Look at those trees in the distance!

6. Girard & Turney

7. Girard & Turney area

8. Around Girard & Turney

9. This house has a Name

10. Bonita St.

11. Excelsior Lane, up or down from Harrison

12. Excelsior Lane

13. Excelsior's steps start up again

14. Excelsior Lane's last block down to Bridgeway

15. Excelsior Lane

16. Foot of Excelsior Ln. at Bridgeway

17. Reade Ln. up from Bridgeway

18. Top of Reade Ln. at Bulkley

19. Glen & Turney. Treehugger's Delight

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Where Have All the Flowers Gone

9/6/2013

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Got off the bus too far up this time, climbing to the foot of the stairway at Excelsior & Munich that descends from Ina Court (first pic).

Within view to the south is a short stairway into McLaren Park, San Francisco's third largest (about 318 acres) after the Presidio and Golden Gate Park. The park's Blue Water Tower is just above. Didn't do these stairs this time and can't seem to find a past count. Off the steps is a narrower side area than the Athens/Avalon Greenspace has, but it appears that maybe neighbors are thinking of planting alongside these too.

To climb the Athens/Avalon Greenspace steps (99 steps), downhilled a couple blocks to reach the foot. Posted about the Greenspace several months ago (earlier this year: April 17) when they'd just finished it and the whole area was strikingly blanketed with California poppies. Surprised to see only a few thriving here this visit (pics 2 through 7).

I'd think there'd be enough wildflowers that'll grow in summer, especially if helped along by watering, especially these very hardy little guys. So why's it looking so bare now? "If I lived here …" (I do have lots of favorite houses in this 'hood.)

At the top of the stairway exited at Valmar. Valmar curves up to the right (pic 8), but continued downhill a block to Peru for the stairs here that ascend to Valmar & Peru. Same thing here, at least at the foot: plenty of space for gardening but some of it was really dry. There's a bench at the top: 77 wood steps (pic 9).

South on Peru for a few blocks (past Felton) took me to Burrows where the park begins. This area was under construction when I was last up here. They still weren't quite done but this time could see a new playground with a concrete ramp. Several pieces of play equipment were in place, half unwrapped.

Continued to the west edge of the park and onto a concrete trail in the welcome company of several butterflies, birds, and a bush full of bees. Shortly came out just above the reservoir and just below the Tower (pic 10) where there's a vehicle street and small parking area (pic 11). Took the old wood stairs down to the paved walk around the lake and noticed a swing alongside the steps (pic 12).

Headed east on Mansell across the top of the park (view north: pic 13). Pic 14: Part of the public restroom mural next to the tennis courts off Mansell.

Caught the convenient-for-hikers scenic-crosstown #29 on Mansell (pic 15: bus stop at University, top of the Portola neighborhood). This bus runs through the park E-W; stayed on it for a change instead of changing to BART at the Balboa Park station.

Out of the park on the west (Excelsior neighborhood) side, it descends to Mission, then runs on Grafton a little way up into the OMI. I enjoy the steeper streets (like Orizaba) in this 'hood. It also stops at Lee & Ocean across the street from the newest Whole Foods.

It continues from just above Lake Merced onto Sunset Blvd. This long, divided street has miles of beautiful trees on each side with an oceanview off to the west. When it finally reaches Lincoln, one is treated to more trees on the south side of Golden Gate Park, then S-N for a half mile through the park (19th Ave.) out to Fulton.

1. Excelsior/Munich stairway down from Ina Court

2. Athens/Avalon Greenspace

3. Athens/Avalon Greenspace

4. Athens/Avalon Greenspace

5. Athens/Avalon Greenspace

6. Mount Davidson in distance, upper right

7. Athens/Avalon Greenspace near top of stairway

8. Valmar curves to right. Downhill to Peru/Valmar stairway's foot

9. Upper Excelsior homes from Peru/Valmar stairway

10. The Blue Water Tower, McLaren Park

11. Reservoir with parking area above

12. Swing at the side of the stairway

13. Bernal Heights in distance

14. Part of the mural at public restrooms near tennis courts

15. Top of Portola 'hood at University/Mansell. Bernal Heights in distance

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Peekaboo Fog

9/1/2013

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Some new pix from another recent San Bruno Mountain Park hike:

First, the lushly green Bog Trail (the part sans benches this time), pix 1 through 6.

From the Meadow, onto the north Summit Loop Trail (pics 7 through 12).

… the Dairy Ravine Trail: pics 13, 14, 15, 16.

… and the Eucalyptus Trail: 17 , 18.

I'd aim my camera at something across or below, like the sun shining down on some Brisbane buildings, but then in would swoop a big sheet of fog, effectively messing up the shot, like this one from the Dairy Ravine Trail: last pic.