Stairways are Heaven
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BTB to LVO

9/30/2019

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The Presidio’s Batteries to Bluffs Trail starts as a short  dirt trail at the northwest end of a parking lot at the west foot of the Golden Gate Overlook:  1, 2

Then it happily dips and climbs, its 475 steps finally ascending  steeply to Battery Crosby:  3 thru 65

Battery Crosby and its 16 steps down:  66 thru 74

Another dirt trail, up to Lincoln:  75 thru 79

Lincoln:  80


Crossing Lincoln, starting up the Connector Trail (to Immigrant Point Overlook and Rob Hill Campground):  81 thru 84

However, this time continued south on the Connector to its end:  85 thru 88

Uphill to the south end of one of the neighborhoods: 89, 90, 91

A short trail into a section of forest above the Lobos Creek boardwalk trail: 92

Out to the Lobos Valley Overlook off Battery Caulfield Road:  93 thru 96
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1 East trailhead for Batteries to Bluffs Trail
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3 Stairs begin
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4 Looking back
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19 Back to the main trail from the overlook
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20 Looking back
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35 Offshoot of the main trail to Marshall;s Beach
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38 Marshall's Beach Trail, center
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42 Looking back
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43 Looking back
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65 Step up onto Battery Crosby
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67 Battery Crosby
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71 Lincoln above
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72 Down 16 steps from the battery onto a dirt trail
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76 Baker Beach in distance
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77 Up to Lincoln
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79 Looking back
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81 Crossing Lincoln for the Connector Trail
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82 208 steps for the Connector Trail up to Immigrant Point Overlook and Rob Hill Campground
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83 Sand Ladder to left, Batteries to Bluffs Trail to right
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85 Connector Trail to its south end
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89 Uphill to the south
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91 Downhill from the residences
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92 Presidio forest section off Battery Caulfield Road
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93 Presidio Landmark residences = former Public Health Hospital
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94 Lobos Creek Valley below
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95 Looking back
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96 Lobos Valley Overlook on my way out to 16th Ave.
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Ongoing FP

9/29/2019

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This Russian Hill hike was to check out how construction of the new Francisco Park, at the old reservoir (between Hyde and Larkin), was coming along. Its west side is bordered by the Larkin stairs, a popular spot for watching the Blue Angels.

Larkin, Nob Hill:  1 thru 4

A playground, Helen Will Park, Broadway at Larkin:  5, 6

Larkin, Russian Hill:  7

A THEN from 1970s is 2325 Larkin, pic 8. Someone at the San Francisco Remembered Facebook site found it on Google Maps when I said I couldn't find it.  NOWs:  9 thru 13

Larkin:  14


Foot of George Sterling Park at Latkin:  15 thru 19

More Larkin:  20 thru 23

​Top of the Chestnut stairway:  24


The Larkin stairway has three separate flights. The first is from the Larkin brick dead-end just past the top of the Chestnut stairs. It’s short and descends to curvy Francisco St. Careful crossing here - cars turning: 25 thru 29

Cross Francisco and the second flight will take you alongside the reservoir. There was heavy equipment activity below; the railings here and along the third flight (further down, Russian Hill Park) were vibrating:  30 thru 35

Russian Hill Park was blocked off here at its west side due to construction all the way down to the foot of the park at Bay St.:  36 thru 40

Ghirardelli Square (North Point St.):  41
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Polk near North Point:  42


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1 Larkin, Nob Hill
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2 Larkin, Nob Hill
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5 Helen Will Park at Larkin & Broadway
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7 Larkin & Vallejo, Russian Hill
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8 THEN; 2325 Larkin, 1970s
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9 NOW: 2325 Larkin, September 2019
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10 NOW: 2325 Larkin
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11 NOW
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12 NOW
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13 NOW
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14 Larkin
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15 Foot of George Sterling Park
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24 Top of Chestnut stairs
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27 Uppermost of three flights of Larkin steps starts here
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28 Down to Francisco
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29 Looking back
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30 Crossing Francisco for the second flight
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31 Francisco Park under construction to the right
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34 Looking back
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35 Foot of second flight
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36 Third flight starts here down into Russian Hill Park
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39 Looking back
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40 Foot of third flight of Larkin steps at Bay St.
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41 Ghirardelli Square at North Point
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42 Polk St. near North Point
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Short Simonds

9/18/2019

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Thru the Presidio’s Broadway Gate (near top of the Lyon stairway):  1

Downhill thru the forest to the Simonds Loop neighborhood:  2 thru 5

Simonds Loop’s 62 steps - upper to lower:  6 thru 12

A short “hidden” stairway:  13, 14, 15

Lower  Simonds Loop out to the bus stop:  16 thru 27

The #43 bus stops here on its way out of the park:  28
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1 Broadway Gate into the park
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3 Section of forest above Presidio Blvd.
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6 Into Upper Simonds Loop neighborhood
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7 Upper to Lower Simonds Loop
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21 Looking back
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28 The #43 bus stops here on its way out of the park
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Ina Stairpark

9/16/2019

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Up the 192 steps from Pine to California, Nob Hill: 1, 2, 3

Broadway up from Taylor: 4, 5
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Taylor homes up from Broadway: 6, 7
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Fallon Place: 8

Vallejo steps from across the street: 9, 10


Ina Coolbrith Park: 11 thru 47

Vallejo steps to the minipark: 48 thru 54

Minipark at the top of the stairs: 55, 56


Vallejo south elevated walkway: 57, 58, 59

A left on Florence. It dead-ends at a stairway that descends to Broadway: 60, 61, 62
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Florence steps: 63 thru 69

Broadway north side steps back down to Taylor: 70 thru 77
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Broadway south side-steps, foot: 78


Taylor, Nob Hill:  79



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1 Taylor stairs - Pine to California, Nob Hill
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4 Broadway here is a dead-end at top for vehicles
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5 Side steps both sides and built-in benches at the top
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6 Taylor up from Broadway
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8 Fallon Place down from Taylor
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9 Vallejo up from Taylor to a minipark
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11 Ina Coolbrith Park between Taylor and Mason
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25 Down the south stairs
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27 Down the north stairs alongside the older apt. buildings
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36 Foot of the park, above Mason
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39 Vallejo near Mason. Foot of the park.
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40 Starting up the south side from the foot of the park
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42 Looking back down
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43 Looking across
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47 Back up at the top of the park
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48 Across the street and up the Vallejo steps
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55 Minipark at the top of the stairs
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56 View east
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57 Vallejo St.
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58 Vallejo south elevated walk
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60 A left on Florence, a dead-end for vehicles
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61 Florence stairs at the south end
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63 Florence steps down to Broadway
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66 Broadway and its wall from Florence steps
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70 One of the two built-in benches at top of the Broadway wall dead-end for vehicles
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71 Broadway north side-steps
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74 Looking across at the south steps
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78 Foot of the south steps
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79 Nob Hill - Taylor between Jackson and Washington
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Less Now

9/15/2019

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Above Arguello:  1, 2

Down from the guardrail on a shortcut trail:  3

Along Arguello to Inspiration Point Overlook:  4, 5, 6

View from the overlook:  7


The Inspiration Point Overlook steps that connect to the Ecology Trail now total 33. Staircount was 45 for the old curvy wood flight. Preferred the older ones. The newer ones are the same generic square type as the Cemetery Overlook stairs and all over Glen Canyon:  8 thru 16

​A much bigger disappointment was to pass by another huge deforestation project ongoing in the park, this near The Spire.  

This sort of thing has been going on for years in this park, but was never so close to it as this time. Didn’t know this area was on the chopping block. 

There were tall cones of wood chips, a lot of depressing bare ground where once was a majestic forest, and the ominous sounds of heavy machinery. 

A sign said tree removal and reforestation. The doomed eucalyptus is to be replaced by other species preferred  more by the park, this around December. 

But they are destroying healthy trees in the meantime, not to mention habitat destruction. And how many years will it take for the newly planted trees to grow to maturity? 

All this in this time of climate change concerns and the devastation ongoing in the Amazon and elsewhere. How many millions are they spending to destroy this beautiful section of forest and the planting of the new trees? 

Heading east:  17

An east Presidio neighborhood, eventually up to Julius Kahn Park and the opening in the Presidio Wall out to Spruce at Pacific:  18 thru 22

Up to Julius Kahn Park and thru the Spruce St. opening in the Presidio Wall at Pacific:  23 thru 26


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1 Above Arguello
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7 Inspiration Point Overlook
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8 New Ecology Trail stairs now walkable
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9 33 steps now
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18 An east Presidio neighborhood
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23 Trail up to Julius Kahn Park
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25 Into Julius Kahn Park
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26 Spruce St. opening in Presidio Wall at Pacific
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Mac All

9/3/2019

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Mostly Russian Hill; a few from Nob.

McCormick off Pacific, northwest edge of Nob Hill, near Larkin: 1 thru 7

Moirrell, another short alley, this one through to Broadway, across Pacific from McCormick: 8 thru 12

Broadway tunnel top - a minipark, and Cyprus Place, near Leavenworth: 13 14

Russian Hill
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Green: 15


Havens, a dead-end alley up from Leavenworth: 16, 17

Filbert up from Leavenworth: 18


Michelangelo Playground, below Greenwich: 19 thru 26

Greenwich minipark up from Leavenworth: 27

Lurmont off Leavenworth: 28

Hyde near Lombard: 29

Macondray - its Leavenworth to Jones part: 30 thru 41

Crossing Jones for the part of Macondray down to Taylor: 42

Macondray - Jones to Taylor: 43 thru 68


Taylor at Macondray: 69 thru 72

Green St. stairs up from Taylor: 73


Taylor & Vallejo steps up to a minipark: 74, 75

"The Landmark": 76

Fallon Place steps descend from 
Taylor: 77

Taylor, west side of street, down to Broadway: 78 thru 83

Broadway and its north sidewalk steps: 84, 85

 Nob Hill
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Hyde: 86


Taylor: 87, 88


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1 McCormick off Pacific
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8 Morrell
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13 A Broadway tunnel top minpark
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14 Cyprus Place, south side of Broadway
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15 Green
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16 Havens up from Leavenworth
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17 Havens is not thru to Hyde
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18 Leavenworth to Hyde on Filbert
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19 Michelangelo Playground below Greenwich
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27 Greenwich minipark
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28 Lurmont
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29 Hyde near Lombard
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30 Macondray east from Leavenworth
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31 Looking down
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36 View north
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39 Looking back
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41 Looking back
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42 Macondray continuing across Jones
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70 Down to Taylor
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73 Green up from Taylor
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74 Vallejo stairs up from Taylor
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76 "The Landmark" between Ina Coolbrith Park and Fallon Pl.
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77 Top of Fallon Pl.
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78 Taylor St.
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84 Broadway north sidewalk stairs
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85 Broadway - dead-end for vehicles at top
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86 Taylor St.
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87 Hyde St,
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88 Hyde St.
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Short Section

9/2/2019

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​Farnsworth Lane (149 steps) to Edgewood Ave. up from Willard: 1 thru 3

Edgewood Trail from the end of Edgewood Avenue: 4 thru  11 

The uppermost part of Edgewood, the highest switchback up to the guardrail/road now has a short section of rustic fencing: 12 thru 18

Views from the road: 19 thru 29

Back steps to the community center: 30

And back along the road: 31 thru 37


Passing the top of the stairway down from the parking lot for the trail behind homes on Edgewood. But partway along is an offshoot trail taken this time. It’s short, downhill, and connects with the main stairway via 15 old wood steps and wood rail: 38 thru 48

Main steps (136 total): 49 thru 52


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1 Farnsworth starting up from Willard
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4 End of Edgewood Ave. into the forest
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5 Edgewood Trail
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12 New fence section
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19 North Ridge Trail across the road
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30 Community Center back steps
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31 Along the road again
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34 Down to Edgewood Trail from the road
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37 Historic Trail
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38 Trail behind Edgewood Ave. homes
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40 Another trail connects with the main north stairway
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44 15 connector steps are old, wood
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45 Looking back
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49 Main north steps
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Easier

9/1/2019

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Up into Fort Miley at Land’s End:  1, 2
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Thru the upper parking lot overlook. 59 steps divide the upper and lower overlooks:  3 thru 8

El Camino del Mar Trail:  9 thru 18

47 steps to the west edge of the Legion of Honor parking lot:  19 thru 23

My favorite Land’s End berrytrail saw some clearing since my last visit. I could see the actual trail all the way down. Bit why didn’t they also remove the old rags at the foot?: 24 thru 29

Up to the Coastal Trail, east side stairs:  30


Out to the east trailhead:   31 thru 42

Detouring, due t o ongoing construction at the east trailhead, 32nd Avenue this time:  43 thru 46

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1 Looking west
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2 Up into Fort Miley Forest
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3 59 steps between two overlooks
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10 Second Coastal Trail overlook from El Camino delMar Trail
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18 Top of 89 steps connecting the El Camino and Coastal Trails
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19 47 steps up to Legion of Honor parking lot
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24 Trail of nasturtiums and blackberries
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25 Lincoln Park Golf Course above
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30 Up to the Coastal Trail's east steps
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43 32nd Ave.
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    Author

    I like meandering around on San Francisco's park trails and public stairways, sometimes taking photos, and enjoying nature and the outdoors.

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