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Tasty Bit of Saus

9/25/2015

Several random stairways for this hike - no planning except felt like starting with the 120 Bridgeway to Josephine/North steps: 1 thru 8

Southview Park, between North & Richardson, Third & Fourth: pic 9

195 steps for the first stretch of Cable Roadway. Central up to Crescent: 10 thru 17

93 for the rest of Cable Roadway up to the last, uppermost, block of it. The highest block is vehicle accessible. Starting up at Sausalito Blvd.: 18 thru 24

So Cable Roadway’s got about 288 total.

119 staircount for Cooper Lane, Spencer down to San Carlos: 25 thru 31

99 for Noble Lane, San Carlos down to Atwood: 32 thru 39

Top of West Court, North St. down to West Court vehicle accessible part (103 steps): 40

81 steps for the west part of double-stairway Second Street, North St. down to Second St. vehicle accessible part: 41 thru 45

The boardwalk, between Main and Richardson: last four.

1. Bridgeway up to osephine/North

2. At foot of the steps is a minpark

3. Minipark next to the stairs

4. About 120 steps

5. Up from Bridgeway

6. Partway up, a bench

7. Continuing up

8. Top at Josephine/North

9. A good place to stop and have lunch

10. Cable Roadway's foot, center

11. Go up the stairs to the left of the bench

12. This section has around 195 steps

13. Different kinds of steps

14. Central up to Crescent for this first part

15. Ascending between homes

16. The wood part

17. Top of the first part of Cable Roadway at Crescent

18. Cable Roadway continues up from Sausalito Blvd. Turn left.

19. There's a bench here and short walkway

20. Wood walk between steps

21. Concrete-with-railings stairs next

22. 93 steps for the upper part of Cable Roadway

23. Nearing the top

24. At the top of the stairs is a steep block of car accessible street for the last block

25. Top of Cooper Lane

26. Looking back up

27. Around 119 for Cooper

28. Spencer to San Carlos

29. Looking back up

30. Foot at San Carlos

31. Cooper has a street sign at San Carlos

32. Top of Noble Lane

33. Noble Lane starts down

34. San Carlos down to Atwood

35. I like the color of the house on the left

36. About 99 steps

37. Looking back up

38. Love these narrow stairways between homes

39. Noble Lane's foot at Atwood

40. Top of West Court, a favorite

41. Second Street's west stairway

42. Looking across the center garden at the east stairway

43. Second Street stairs center garden

44. About 81 steps for Second Street's west stairway

45. At the foot of the stairs is a steep vehicle street

46. Onto the boardwalk at its south end

47. Water's edge

48. Lapping at the foot of the homes

49. Moving north, back to where I started

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More Canyon Trailwork

9/23/2015

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A too-long (16 minutes this time) wait for the #52 to come winding up Diamond in the Glen Park neighborhood, so again just climbed to Crags Court in the Diamond Heights 'hood to descend into Glen Canyon from Crags Court Community Garden. Enjoy curving around on what’s now the park’s longest stairway, extending to the canyon floor at 184 steps: 1 thru 11

Just before the foot, a short offshoot to the boardwalk and main tree-canopy eastside trail: 12, 13, 14, 15

Near the boardwalk: pic 16

Up, then down again: 17, 18

There’s been more trail widening and smoothing on the formerly nearly impenetrable trail that now extends to Portola. Used to have an easier time foraging for blackberries here before all the clearing started, but there’s now an offshoot trail where I was able to score some ripe ones that were previously unreachable.

No steps yet at the steepish zigzaggy part at the end of the playing field’s chainlink fence, but this section has been smoothed and widened since my last visit so it’s easier to ascend: 19 thru 27

Back out again to an upper trail: 28, 29

The north stairway (79 steps) to the climbing rocks: 30 thru 34

At the top of these steps, looking down at the south stairway: 35, 36, 37, 38

This trail has seen some work too: 39

For the highest eastside canyon trail, just below Christopher Park, this time took the curvingly extended stairs. There used to be just a few old wood steps up here: 40, 41, 42, 43, 44

Upon reaching the bus shelter at the south end of the Safeway parking lot in Diamond Heights to check the wait for the #52 Excelsior back down into Glen Park, again a 16-minute wait. So crossed Diamond Heights Blvd. to the convenient walkway that takes pedstrians to the top of 28th in Noe Valley; down to Noe for the more frequently running #24 Divisadero.

28th Street: 45 thru 50

1. Diamond Heights Blvd.

2. Trailing along the east rim up to Berkeley Way

3. Three-block-long Onique stairway rises from Berkeley Way

4. Crags Court Community Garden, left

5. Canyon trailhead at vehicle dead-end of Crags Court

6. This is Glen Canyon's longest stairway

7. 184 steps

8. Winding around

9. One of the park's newer stairways

10. Steps lead down to the main paved trail

11. Looking back (south)

12. Just before the foot, an short offshoot trail

13. Down to the wood boardwalk over Islais Creek

14. To the tree-canopy trail

15. Connecting with the long stairway that descends from Crags Court

16. Canyon floor, east side

17. A slightly higher trail

18. Upper trail will take you out to Turquoise Way in Diamond Heights

I9. Used to cross Islais Creek here via an old tire

20. Northernmost trail used to be much narrower with treelimbs to climb over/duck under

21. Trail clearing, right

22. The trail out to Portola Dr. starts up

23. Easier now to climb

24. This trail is not yet shown on Google Maps

25. Easier to ascend than descend

26. Short but steepish

27. Top of the trail is at the fence, upper left

28. Longlegged Diamond Heights homes above

29. A view south

30. North side of the climbing rocks

31. Up from the canyon floor

32. 79 steps

33. More trails up ahead

34. Top of the stairs

35. There's a stairway on each side of the rocks

36. A rustic fence at the top of the south stairway

37. South steps below

38. Continuing on trail at left, eenter

39. More traiiwork, right

40. Extended steps up to highest trail on east side

41. Curving around and climbing up

42. Trail just below Christopher Park

43. Old sign

44. Diamond Heights homes thru the trees to the north

45. 28th St. in Noe Valley

46. Same house as above, south side of street

47. Castro steps up from 28th

48. Love this one!

49. Row of beauties

50. Between Castro and Noe on 28th

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Round the Long Way

9/20/2015

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Midcity Mount Sutro Forest is easy to get to for riders of public transportation if you’re okay with trekking up from the bus stops. The #43 stops at various streets one can climb up from: Stanyan, Willard, Parnassus, Seventh Ave. & Lawton — depends on what trailhead you wanna start with. What stairs you feel like ascending.

One well-designed stairway can be accessed behind medical buildings on Parnassus (get off at the Hillway/Parnassus stop). Years ago there was another stairway back here. The steps will take you to a parking lot for UCSF employees (permits only). Hikers can continue uphill a short distance to upper Medical Center Way where you will soon see trails leading up and down from the road.

This stairway is not as well known as the others in the area. It’s shown as a trailhead on Google Maps, however. The Medical Center Way stairs, about 136 steps: 1 thru 12.

Uphilling steepishly to the road, crossing it for the trailhead for the (upper) Historic Trail. This time the whole trail, winding round the north, then west side of the mountain to the summit: 13 thru 24.

Right next to the upper trailhead for Christopher, a trail blockage for "treework." Also caution signs for upper Medical Center Way at the guardrail, like last time. No need for me to detour though.

The summit benches: pic 25.

Down the East Ridge Trail: 26 thru 30.

Another gorgeous way to enter the forest is from the south dead-end of Edgewood Ave. onto the Edgewood Trail.

Edgewood Trail: 31 thru 43.

The Farnsworth Lane steps (149) will take you to the north dead-end for vehicles of redbrick Edgewood Avenue. Farnsworth, up from Willard: 44 thru 48.

Another way into the forest is from the top of Farnsworth (at the swing, miraculously still there) a few yards west to a trail behind Edgewood homes -- to come out at the parking lot very near the top of the above described Medical Center Way stairway.

1. Foot of the Medical Center Way stairs

2. Starting up behind the medical buildings

3. Wood railings warmed by the sun

4. About 136 steps

5. Beautiful, underappreciated stairway

6. Well-designed

7. Short offshoot wood stairway leads to a trail behind Edgewood Ave. homes

8. Upper wood walkway between steps

9. Evenly spaced steps

10. That treehouse feeling

11. Nearing the top

12. Top of the stairs at the parking lot

13. Trailhead (center marker) for Historic Trail up from Medical Center Way

14. Looking down at the road, north

15. Offtrail rock, a good lunch spot

16. Historic Trail curves around

17. Lush and magical

18. Historic Trail solitude

19. Golden Gate Park center

20. West Ridge Trail below

21. West Ridge Trail goes up and down, This time staying on the Historic.

22. Winding around

23. Love being alone up here

24. Close to the turnoff for the summit

25. Summit benches

26. East Ridge Trail

27. East Ridge Trail

28. Medical Center Way below

29. Trailhead for the East Ridge

30. East Ridge trailhead up from Johnstone Dr.

31. Fairy Gates Trail down from the guardrail

32. Down to the Edgewood Trail

33. The Edgewood is switchbacky

34. Looking back (south)

35. Another good switchback

36. I like this guy

37. Below Medical Center Way

38. Edgewood Trail

39. Out to the south dead-end of Edgewood Ave.

40. Lower Historic Trail below

41. Out at Edgewood Ave.

42. Edgewood Ave. trailhead

43. Into the f0rest from redbricked Edgewood Ave.

44. Swing at top of Farnsworth Lane & Edgewood

45. 149 steps

46. Near the top

47. Farnsworth between Edgewood and Willard

48. Foot of Farnsworth Lane at Willard, just above Parnassus

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Life is a Beach Part 3

9/15/2015

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Another favorite duney stairway near Ocean Beach (and Lands End) on the south side of Sutro Heights Park, the Balboa natural area steps: 120, log - similar to the other beach “sand ladders.”

First, though, for the viewspot in the main part of Sutro Heights Park: 21 steps up, pix 1, 2.

Viewplace: 3, 4.

35 down the south side with the garden wall: 5, 6, 7, 8.

On the southeast side of the main park is a trail to the “wilder” area, including the steps that descend to Balboa Street (between 48th Avenue and Great Highway, up from Ocean Beach): 9, 10.

Balboa stairs: 11 thru 24.

1. Steps to the viewspot, north side

2. 21 steps up this side

3. View of Ocean Beach

4. Sutro Heights Park viewplace

5. Steps down the south side

6. Gardenspot on the south side

7. South wall

8. South garden wall

9. Southeast side

10. Ocean Beach below

11. Top of the steps

12. Colorful stairtop

13. About 120 steps

14. Wood wall turns into a fence

15. Another type of fencing

16. Steep and uneven

17. Very good workout - down then up again

18. Short stretch with no steps midway down

19. Steps again

20. Steps continue

21. Nearing the foot

23. Balboa at the bottom

24. Foot at Balboa - back up again or left to the beach

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Life is a Beach Part 2

9/14/2015

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Continuing “Life is a Beach,” Part 2.

Now for the Sand Ladder down to Baker Beach. It swoops down from Lincoln, starting just a few yards west of the Batteries to Bluffs’ west trailhead (the first part of the BTB that curves down to Battery Crosby). First two pix.

Across from both these Lincoln Blvd. trailheads is the Connector Trail that climbs up from Lincoln to Immigrant Point Overlook (208 steps), pic 3.

Like last time, got about 250 for a Sand Ladder staircount. Didn’t bother poking about with my feet for possible buried steps this time. The outlines of the steps were clearly indented. Often could see only the indentations or tips of the infamous logs. Sand Ladder: 4 thru 19.

Baker Beach and the rocks where I like to sit to let the waves nibble at my feet when not actually wading: 20 thru 26.

The mini-sand ladder a tad further west has around 44 steps: 27, 28, 29.

A beachin’ trail thru a forested dune area, down to the westernmost parking lot for the main Baker Beach entrance: 30, 31, 32.

Upcoming, Part 3: Sutro Heights Park’s Balboa stairway near Ocean Beach.

1. Trail on the north side of Lincoln Blvd.

2. Very top of the Sand Ladder before it plunges down

3. On the south side of Lincoln, the Connector Trail climbs to Immigrant Point Overlook

4. Near top of the Sand Ladder

5. Near the top

6. Near the top, looking back

7. Starting down the steep part

8. Around 250 steps

9. Baker Beach down there

10. Looking back up

11. An excellent workout

12. Partway down

13. Steep and uneven

14. Down here more of the logs can be seen

15. Near the foot

16. View from the beach

17. Mid-Baker Beach

18. Side view

19. Sand Ladder, center

20. Partial bridge fog

21. East Baker Beach

22. Nice!

23. Above Baker Beach

24. East rocks

25. Baker Beach East

26. Rocks on the east side

27. A mini-Sand Ladder west of the long one

28. Its foot

29. This one does NOT go up to Lincoln

30. Duney area on the west side above Baker Beach

31. Above Baker Beach West

32. Trail down to the west parking lot

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Life is a Beach

9/13/2015

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… and then you hike, or maybe wade. This is part 1 of some above-the-beach San Francisco stairways.

First, the Presidio’s super-photogenic Batteries to Bluffs Trail with around 473 steps: east to west on the main trail, pix 1 thru 20.

Partway along, however, a detour this time for a walk down to and along Marshall’s Beach. Have always counted this offshoot trail separately from the main BTB, so add 49 steps for the Marshall’s: 21 thru 32.

Marshall’s Beach: 33, 34.

Part 2 upcoming: the Sand Ladder down to Baker Beach.

1. East trailhead down from Lincoln near Langdon/Dove Loop

2. Looking down, east trailhead

3. About to descend on the main trail

4. Trail info and No Pets sign now one sign

5. Eastside éye candy

6. View Point is about 130 steps down

7. Marshall's Beach below

8. The lone bench is frequently occupied

9. A bridgeview to the east

10. Continuing down

11. Different trail elevations

12. Looking back up

13. Midtrail. Lands End in distance.

14. Marshall's Beach Trail center

15. Looking down at the footbridge and Marshall's Beach Trail

16. Climbing up the west side now

17, Down-swoop

18. Westside curves

19. Up to Battery Crosby

20. Near the top

21. Marshall's Beach Trailhead

22. About 49 steps and a trail down to the beach

23. Steps ahead

24. View down

25. Top of the steps

26. Between Baker Beach and the bridge

27. Steps down

28. Secluded and peaceful little beach

29. Marshall's Beach stairs

30. Steps to the beach

31. Sandy steps

32. A beachwalk

33. Marshall's Beach

34. Marshall's Beach

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Summit Time Treat

9/6/2015

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Pix from a vigorous San Bruno Mountain hike, mostly on the west Summit Loop Trail.

First pic, entering the park via the Old Guadalupe Trail, the Crocker Ave. trailhead in Daly City.

Bog Trail: pic 2.

West Summit Loop Trail to the summit. Love looking down to where I just came from: 3 thru 16.

From the summit, now down the north Summit Loop Trail: 17 thru 25.

Down some, turned off onto the Dairy Ravine Trail this time: pic 26.

From the Dairy Ravine Trail onto the Eucalyptus Trail, back down to where I started at the west Summit Loop’s trailhead: last three.

1. Crocker Trailhead

2. Down to Bog Trail

3. Summit Loop West

4. Summit Loop West

5. Looking back down to where I came from

6. Summit Loop West

7. Summit Loop West

8. Summit Loop West

9. Summit Loop West

10. Summit Loop West

11. Summit Loop West

12. Summit Loop West

13. Why did the hiker cross the road? To get to the summit.

14. Up to the summit

15. Summit Loop West

16. Almost there

17. Summit. About to start down the north side.

18. One of the summit towers

19. Summit Loop north trailhead

20. Summit Loop north

21. Karl's coming in below

22. Nice, Karl!

23. Ridge Trail to the right

24. Love this switchback !!

25. Brisbane below

26. Dairy Ravine out to Eucalyptus Trail

27. Onto the Eucalyptus Trail

28. Eucalyptus Trail

29. Summit Loop right from Eucalyptus Trail

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Montalvo Steps

9/5/2015

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From the Forest Hill metro station, up the 15 steps (first pic) behind the building for the Forest Hill neighborhood. The tall hill itself is called Forest Hill, but the neighborhood by the same name is on the lower part. The Inner Sunset’s Golden Gate Heights ‘hood is on the upper part.

So heading towards the west edge of the Forest Hill neighborhood, passing the foot of the Pacheco stairway on the way (pic 2).

The three-block-long Montalvo stairway starts up at Castenada: 62 steps for the first block to Santa Rita/San Marcos: 3, 4.

San Marcos is the lower part, with its name on the stairway wall. Counting the divider steps in as well, 85 just before starting the second block: 5, 6, 7.

206 steps to the top of the second block at Ninth Avenue: 8, 9.

Around the median/fence of the divided street to the east to continue up the stairs. Total for the continuing stairway: 306 at the top of the third block: 10, 11, 12, 13.

The whole stairway is accurately shown on Google Maps.

Now at 10th Ave & Mendosa near Gateview. The west end of Mendosa is a dead-end, so down steep 10th Ave. to Quintara. Now in Golden Gate Heights, west on Quintara (14, 15), passing Cragmont, 12th Avenue, and Funston, nearly to the top of the Quintara stairway.

A right turn on 14th Ave. for Golden Gate Heights Park, up Radio Terrace (pic 16) that merges into Rockridge. Trails are not indicated on Google Maps for this park.

At the west edge of the park, a steepish thick-sand trail beckoned me to climb it. Some years ago had taken a pic of a rustic wood stairway in this area. It may be buried under the sandy traIl I trekked up. Or was it removed by the park people? At the top of the sandy part are some rocks to scramble up to enter the park from this west end: 18, 19, 20.

Around the park’s east side, onto Cragmont (pic 21), circling back to Quintara and 10th, this time to Quintara’s east dead-end for vehicles and a very short “gate” (22) that takes the walker from the Golden Gate Heights neighborhood into the Forest Hill 'hood, onto Mendosa. This passageway is shown on Google Maps. You immediately know you’re back in Forest Hill.

Winding leisurely back down to Laguna Honda, including some gorgeous views of Mount Sutro (last pic), where directly across from the Forest Hill station is a stop for the #43, the last streets at the foot of the hill Magellan and Plaza.

1. Behind the Forest Hill metro station

2. Pacheco steps, foot

3. Montalvo up from Castenada

4. Between Castenada & Ninth Ave.

5. Lower street is San Marcos

6. San Marcos to Santa Rita continuing up Montalvo

7. Divider steps

8. Starting up the second block

9. Santa Rita to Ninth Ave.

10. Ninth Ave. upper and lower

11. Up to 10th Ave. & Mendosa

12. Top of the third block of the Montalvo stairs

13. View down from 10th and Mendosa: 306 steps

14. Quintara & Cragmont mural can still be seen

15. Quintara St.

16. Radio Terr. onto Rockridge, across from the park

18. Is the old wood stairway buried under this thick-sand trail?

19. Scrambling up the rocks at the west edge of Golden Gate Heights Park

20. Into the park

21. House on Cragmont

22. East end of Quintara, back to the Forest Hill 'hood

23. Mount Sutro from Magellan

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Coleridge to the Park

9/4/2015

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From Virginia turning onto Coleridge in the Bernal Heights neighborhood, north side of the hill, about a block over to where the Esmeralda steps start up on the south side of the street. First, though, on the north side of Coleridge is an attractive micropark with a view, a short slide, and benches: 1, 2.

The stairs don’t just start at Elsie (Esmeralda Corridor on Google Maps). Coleridge starts the Esmeralda stairway with short stretches of street in between steps. Bernal’s streets are narrower than streets in the rest of the city; the stretches between steps are more like a half block than a block.

Coleridge to Lundys Lane on Esmeralda is 61 steps: 3, 4, 5.

Next, Esmeralda Ave. is a short stretch of hilly street up to Prospect, pic 6.

At Prospect the steps (77 this time) start again and climb to Winfield. This is the location of the much loved minipark with the slides alongside the stairs: 7 thru 13.

From Winfield and the minipark to Elsie is another short length of street to ascend.

At Elsie starts the Esmeralda Corridor stairway up into Bernal Heights Park, with 121 steps for this section: 14, 15, 16.

The total stair count for Esmeralda, then, starting up from Coleridge, is 259.

Up to the park and round the west side (17, 18) to admire Bernal’s labyrinth: 19, 20, 21, 22.

Near the labyrinth two short stairways descend to Powhattan. Chose a longtime favorite to descend to Powhattan from the park, the Andover.

The Andover stairs turn about halfway down with steps that go up to someone’s house and other steps descending to the street. So around 59 for this stairway, continuing down (not counting the upper stairs to the residence): 23 thru 29.

The shorter Moultrie stairway next to the Andover is shown as a through trail on Google Maps.

Moultrie has just a dirt traIl when you first start down, then the steps. Here’s the what the top looks like, pic 30.

Foot of Moultrie at Powhattan: 31 thru 34.

1. Tiny park on Coleridge at Esmeralda

2. View north from Coleridge Minipark

3. Esmeralda stairs (center) start up from Coleridge

4. Esmeralda at Lundys Lane

5. Lundys Lane & Esmeralda

6. Lundys up to Prospect on Esmeralda

7. Prospect to Winfield minipark

8. Esmeralda steps and slides

9. Top of the double slides

10. Top of the Esmeralda slides

11. Whee!

12. Stairs alongside the slides

13. Esmeralda minipark at Winfield

14. Esmeralda Corridor starts up to the park from Elsie

15. Continuing up to Bernal Heights Park

16. Top of the steps at the park

17. A view west

18. Bernal Heights Park

19. Bernal's labyrinth

20. South side of the park

21. Near the Moultrie and Andover steps down

22. Fortunately no one has vandalized this one

23. Down from the park on the south side

24. Andover steps down to Powhattan

25. Partway down the steps are wood

26. All wood now down to Powhattan

27. Looking back up

28. Love the wide wood railings

29. Stairs turn right up to the park

30. Top of Moultrie, a dirt trail

31. Moultrie's foot at Powhattan

32. Moultrie is one street over from Andover

33. Love the second house up (white)

34. Moultrie's foot at Powhattan

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Views from the Saddle

9/3/2015

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San Bruno Mountain’s Saddle Loop Trail.

Sometimes looking down at homes on Daly City’s Alta Vista just below, other times across Visitacion Valley at little sister McLaren Park, then circling down to the Meadow: 1 thru 17.

Bog Trail: 18, 19, 20, 21.

Old Guadalupe Trail and critter sighting: 22, 23, 24.