Blog Archives

OM and DC

10/31/2015

One of these two hikes was specifically to view the for-sale ‘06 former quake cottage(s) at 16 De Long (at Rice), Outer Mission neighborhood. It’s since been sold, so consider these “BEFORE” pix and we’ll see what happens re renovations, paint, etc. - first six pix.

But unable to stop there. Hadn’t walked the area between the Balboa Park and Daly City BARTs in a long time, some parts maybe a decade.

Attracted to certain houses and streets just above the BART trax, some in Daly City, some in San Francisco. This hill is just to the east of the DC BART station, between Cayuga Playground and DC BART, but closer to BART. If you sit at a south window you can briefly see Cayuga Playground as the train zooms by overhead.

Bepler, DC: 7, 8.

Santa Barbara, DC: 9, 10, 11

My favorite street up here is Shakespeare. On the SF side there’s a divided street with a short stairway: 12 thru 19.

De Long & Flournoy, SF: 20

De Long & Head, SF: 21

Head & Santa Barbara SF: 22, 22, 24

Rhine down to Shakespeare, DC: 25

Vendome hilltop fence, DC: 26

Some of it looks different now from when I last saw it. Not as much open space as before at the top of the hill.

For a second hike, ascending from the ”Top of the Hill Daly City” area, up from Mission on Crocker near the end of the line for the #14 Mission. At the top, winding along Crocker to the east, partly with a view down and across to San Bruno Mountain from the park’s northernmost edge before descending to a #43 bus stop in SF’s Crocker-Amazon ‘hood.

Views from Crocker Avenue, Daly City: 27 thru 32

1. 16 De Long, Outer Mission 'hood

2. Former 1906 earthquake refugee shacks

3. It's been sold as of this post

4. Its backyard faces the BART tracks

5. Maybe now this tiny house will be better cared for

6. Cross-street Rice

7. View from Bepler, Daly City

8. Bepler, Daly City

9. Santa Barbara, Daly City

10. Santa Barbara, Daly City

11. Santa Barbara, Daly City

12. Upper Shakespeare, just barely in San Francisco

13. (Upper) Shakespeare

14. Divided Shakespeare

15. Upper and lower Shakespeare, SF side

16. Upper to lower Shakespeare, SF

17. Shakespeare steps

18. Lower Shakespeare, SF

19. Downhill to north on Shakespeare, SF

20. De Long & Head, San Francisco

21. De Long & Head, SF

22. Head & Santa Barbara, SF

23. Santa Barbara & Head, SF's OMI 'hoods in distance to north

24. Santa Barbara & Head, just barely in SF, looking north

25. Hilltop fence at Vendome, Daly City

26. Rhine down to Shakespeare, just barely in Daly City

27. This part of Crocker, north side, has steps down to a lower sidewalk

28. View north thru some trees from Crocker Ave.

29, Curvy Crocker with a trail next to the guardrail, Daly City

30. San Bruno Mountain as seen from Crocker Ave.

31. View down from Crocker

32. San Bruno Mountain from Crocker in Daly City

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Presidio Hills

10/29/2015

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There’s been a change in the route of the crosstown MUNI #28 (“19th Ave.-Daly City BART”).

From the Chestnut/Van Ness stop I’d sometimes wait for the #30 Stockton heading south to take me to the Laguna and Chestnut stop (four or so blocks west of Van Ness), depending on how long I had to wait. If I could walk there before the #30 showed, I’d do so rather than wait. Otherwise, off at Laguna & Chestnut to wait for the #28 “bridge bus.”

There are two bridge area stops, the first in front of the gift shop at the main bridgeviewing area. The second, the one where I most often disembark, is a couple blocks to the west, this being closer to the Batteries to Bluffs and other trails often hiked.

So waiting for the #30 recently, noticed the #28 showing up on the digital-arrival-times sign on the shelter. Now one can wait at Van Ness and Chestnut for the #28 that'll take you up to the bridge area. This eliminates one of the buses (or a several-block walk). Well, I think it’s an improvement.

Batteries to Bluffs Trail (473 steps): 1 thru 9

Connector Trail (208 steps) up to Immigrant Point Overlook: pic 10

Battery East Trail and stairs (153) down to the west end of Crissy Field, the Warming Hut, and the road to Fort Point. The Battery East area is gonna get a new overlook; construction's ongoing. 11 thru 25

From the east side of the Rob Hill Campground (26, 27, 28), down to a pleasant “secret” spot, the Fort Scott Community Garden: 29 thru 33

Up again for a short walk thru the forest: 34 thru 39

1. Trailhead for the eastside steps

2. Eastside down

3. Just down from the viewspot, steps (center) continue down

4. Midtrail-ish

5. Below, left, Marshall's Beach Trail

6. Marshall's Beach Trail center

7. Top of the west side at Battery Crosby

8. Down from Battery Crosby, winding up to Lincoln

9. Baker Beach below; Battery Crosby top, right

10. Connector Trail, Lincoln to Immigrant Point Overlook

11. There've been some changes to the bridgeviewing area over the last several years

12. Just to the east of the bridge

13. A popular spot

14. View down to Fort Point

15. Steepish slope down to picnic area and low-overhead walkers' tunnel

16. Battery East Trail

17. Battery East Trail

18. Top of Battery East stairs

19. Top of Battery East steps

20. 153 steps

21. Down to Long Ave.

22. Down to west Crissy Field and the Warming Hut

23. Turn left for Fort Point

24.Torpedo Wharf to right

25. Back up again

26. Up from Compton to Rob Hill Campground

27. Cross Central Magazine Rd. at east edge of Rob Hill Campground

28. Trail down from the yellow fire hydrant

29. End of Wisser Ct.

30. "Hidden" garden behind residences in the Fort Scott neighborhood

31. Fort Scott Community Garden

32. Fort Scott Community Garden

33. Fort Scott Community Garden

34. Forest trailhead at end of Central Magazine Rd.

35. Wonder what this was used for?

36. Park Trail

37. Park Trail

38. Park Trail

39. Park Trail

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The Lyon and the Eastside

10/27/2015

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291 steps for the Lyon Stairmaster: Broadway to Vallejo, then continuing partway down to Green: 1 thru 13

Back up again on the super-popular Pacific Heights stairway (as in why pay for a gym membership when you’ve got something like this that’s free), into the Presidio at the park’s Broadway Gate and into the forest on the Mountain Lake Trail.

I like an offtrail (north) route down to the “secret” walkers’ gate behind the Simonds Loop residences. On the other side of this old wood fence you’ll hear buses and cars on Presidio Blvd.: 14, 15, 16

62 steps for the brick steps/walkway down from upper Simonds Loop to lower Simonds Loop: 17, 18

Down into another section of forest from Liggett, soon alongside Andy Goldworthy’s Wood Line that's just up from the paved trail called Lover’s Lane: 19, 20.

Now over to birdsongy El Polin Spring, "my" willow tree from the boardwalk, pic 21.

Foot of the 69 steps (pic 22) up to the Ecology Trail that climbs to Inspiration Point Overlook just off Arguello.

On a trail above El Polin Spring (pic 23) with view east to where I just came from.

Just above El Polin Spring on the south side is Julius Kahn Park. Across the street from the park is an opening in the Presidio Wall at Spruce & Pacific (last pic). Spruce uphill here is a doozy.

1. Top of Lyon at Broadway

2. The first block

3. Stairway eye-candy

4. I left my heart on the Lyon stairway

5. Presidio to the left

6. 291 steps

7. Just below the heart-garden

8. Down alongside the Presidio Wall

9. Continuing down, north

10. Broadway nearly down to Green

11. Forest to left is the Presidio

12. Swoops down partway to Green

13. Possibly SF's most popular free Stairmaster

14. A view east from the Presidio

15. Moving downhill, north, thru the "secret" gate

16. Above the Simonds Loop residences

17. 61 steps, upper to lower Simonds Loop

18. Lower Simonds Loop

19. Andy Goldsworthy's Wood Line

20. Wood Line, just above Lover's Lane

21. The willow tree from the El Polin Spring boardwalk

22. Foot of stairway up to Ecology Trail

23. From a trail above El Polin Spring

24. Pacific & Spruce opening in the Presidio Wall

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McLaren Dumping and Littering

10/26/2015

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I've long been used to taking BART to the Balboa Park station, then waiting above for the #43 or #29 to take me up to San Bruno Mountain or McLaren parks respectively.

Recently discovered a route change for the #29. Upon reading the digital arrival times at the shelter here, the crosstown #29 no longer stops where it did, with the several other buses across from BART. Asked a driver of another bus, then had to take his and one more to get me to the #29 that climbs to the top of the Excelsior neighborhood.

So first had to travel to Geneva and Mission, then disembark to take the #14 Mission east to Persia to wait for the #29 to show up on its usual route up to the park.

Relieved to see that the bus still goes thru the park on Mansell, both up and down. Back downhill it stops behind the Balboa Park BART.

A shorter than usual hike due to the dehydrating heat this day; was mostly near John F. Shelley, Mansell, and Visitacion Ave.

Last time I did the 195 Visitacion Ave. steps (down to the west dead-end of Campbell in the Visitacion Valley ‘hood), there was a notice of upcoming park work alongside the lower part of the stairs. Now there are orange flexifences; also saw one of those notices to apply pesticides. Maybe when El Nino finally shows up there’ll be evidence of their plantings.

The steps are open and walkable. But was put off by trash that’s been tossed alongside the steps and otherwise into the park along the vehicle streets. Such a turnoff to see litter and dumping that adds to the depressing desert-dryness of San Francisco’s third largest park.

Comparing the Presidio and McLaren, for example, you don’t see as much litter/dumping in the Presidio. Probably because most of Mansell and the park’s longest stairway are more isolated and the slobs know they can get away with it. But there’s no excuse for this in McLaren or any of our other parks.

The park’s longest stairway: 1 thru 11

Southside: 12, 13, 14

1. Top of stairs at Visitacion. San Bruno Mountain in distance.

2. Just below Visitacion

3. Different kinds of stairs

4. 195 steps

5. You should see this area during "rainy season"

6. On the left is Visitacion Valley Middle School

7. Dumping to left. Hopefully removed by now.

8. The park's longest stairway

9. Between Visitacion Ave. and Campbell in the Vis Valley neigborhood

10. Another trailhead from Vis Valley is the west dead-end of Wilde/Ervine

11. Near foot of the stairway

12. Back up Visitacion Ave. to Mansell

13. Visitacion Ave.

14. John F. Shelley Dr.

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New Labyrinth

10/25/2015

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Down from the lower parking lot near the Lands End Lookout (visitor center, gift shop and cafe), 127 steps will take you to a trail where you can descend to the Sutro Baths ruins or climb to the cavetop viewspot: first four pix, the steps down.

Trail to the cavetop: 5, 6, 7

This viewplace introduces the westernmost edge of the Coastal Trail (142 steps). At the top a sign sez this is the Sutro Baths Upper Trail: 8 thru 17

Up 41 steps this time to the upper parking lot overlook, passing the 59 steps down to the first Coastal Trail overlook: 18, 19

From the El Camino del Mar Trail, the 89 connector stairs back down to the Coastal/Lands End Trail: 20, 21, 22

262 steps to Mile Rock Beach down from the main trail: 23, 24

The old Labyrinth above the beach was destroyed by some evil vandal in August, leaving only its outline.

“Originally created by Eduardo Aguilera in 2004 … Colleen Yerge began helping with upkeep in 2008 and has become its unofficial caretaker.” (SF Gate 8/19/2015).

The original artist and some volunteers recently got together to redo it.

THEN: 25 thru 29

NOW: 30 thru 35

Mile Rock above-the-beach views: 36 thru 39

Continuing east to the curving wood stairway (Painted Rock) with about 138 steps, the one with the two welcoming stone benches alongside: pic 40

At the top is a woodsy down-stairway with about 119 steps, continuing out to the east traiIhead: 41, 42

My route to the bus stop (on the trail just below the golf course) takes me down the 52 tiled Lincoln Park stairs to 33rd Ave. and the west dead-end of California Street: Last two pix.

1. Down from the lower parking lot

2. View north from the steps

3. Looking back up

4. About 127 steps

5. Curving around above the ruins

6. Trail to the cavetop viewplace

7. Above the Sutro Baths ruins

8. Westernmost trailhead for the Coastal Trail

9. Original steps to start. Stairs were extended in 2009.

10. Starting up

11. About 142 steps

12. View down

13. Coastal Trail

14. Coastal Trail continues up

15. Coastal Trail

16. Whatta view!

17. Also called Sutro Baths Upper Trail

18. West steps to upper parking lot overlook

19. Up to El Camino del Mar

20. Connector steps between El Camino del Mar and Coastal Trails

21. 89 steps

22. Back down to the main Lands End Trail

23. Descending to Mile Rock Beach

24. About 262 steps to the beach

25. THEN: Earlier this year

26. THEN: Earlier this year

27. THEN: Earlier this year

28. THEN: Earlier this year

29. THEN: Earlier this year

30. NOW: October 2015

31 NOW: October 2015

32 NOW: October 2015

33. NOW: October 2015

34. NOW: October 2015

35. NOW: October 2015

36. Back down this trail

37. Mile Rock Beach below

38. A couple of trails up

39. Back down to climb the stairs, left

40. Up this west side, about 138 steps

41. Around 119 down the east side

42. Down the east side

43. Starting down the Lincoln Park steps

44. Lincoln Park/California St. steps, Outer Richmond neighborhood

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Not Visited in Years

10/6/2015

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Recently revisited a couple of “hidden” stairways not walked in maybe a decade, these at the southwestern edge of the Forest Hill neighborhood.

First, however, another spot not seen in many years. This is the openspace called Hawk Hill at the west dead-end of San Marcos/Santa Rita. It's a short distance west of these divider steps that are part of the three-block-long Montalvo stairway: first two pix.

Hawk Hill IS supposed to be a park and amazingly it looks the same as it did the last time I climbed it long ago. For one thing, there wasn’t one of those green park-rules signs here — at least not where I was. Shhhh - don’t remind them! It’s still a wild, steep dune with a few thick-sand trails and iceplant. It’s clearly shown on Google Maps and has more than one entrance, but it doesn’t look like anyone’s tried to “tame” this natural area: 3 thru 7

At the street on the south side, San Marcos, there’s no trail down the steep slope: 8, 9

Downhilled a block to the dead-end of Dorantes for the first of the old remembered stairways. These stairways are shown on Google Maps but as trails, not stairs.

It used to look very different from the way it does now, green and mysterious. Now much of the vegetation is gone and there’s mainly bare earth. At the top of the 25 Dorantes steps you’ll come to a walkway alongside a white wall (belongs to Herbert Hoover Middle School).

Dorantes dead-end: 10, 11

Walkway: 12, 13

A few yards to the west is the top of the second stairway. Its 41 steps descend to the dead-end of 12th Avenue. If you walk south on 12th, the first cross-street is Magellan. 12th Avenue steps: 14 thru 17

There’s a third stairway that can be seen on Streetview, but it’s blocked off by a locked gate if you keep going west along the walkway past the top of the 12th Ave. steps. It can’t be accessed along the wall nor below it on a weedy dirt trail; it’s just for school access: 18, 19

The long stairway this time was the Pacheco, 134 steps, Magellan up to Castenada. It’s long been called the Pacheco steps but on Google Maps is called “Path Street.” Jeez. We’ll just keep calling it the Pacheco, shall we? Pacheco has a little sister across wide, busy Dewey; she’s shorter and ascends a little way into the Edgehill Heights neighborhood.

Pacheco stairway: 20 thru 29

A home on Magellan: 30

On my way downhill for public transportation, nice views of Mount Sutro from Magellan: 31, 32, 33

This walk that climbs up to Magellan behind the Forest Hill Metro Station is a pleasant way into the neighborhood: last two pix.

1. Dividing Santa Rita & San Marcos on Montalvo

2. Montalvo stairway is three blocks long

3. Hawk Hill Park entrance at dead-end

4. Steep thick-sand trail climbs up

5. Sand and iceplant

6. Untamed openspace

7. More trailheads on other side

8. No access down here

9. No trail down from this end

10. Donates dead-end

11. Stairs to right of blue gate

12. Walkway at top of Donates steps

13, Top of 12th Ave. steps ahead

14. 12th Avenue east to Dorantes

15. 12th Ave. steps

16. 41 steps

17. Foot at 12th Ave. dead-end

18. Gate locked at end of walkway

19. Looks promising but is school use only

20. Foot of Pacheco stairway

21. Foot of Pacheco steps

22. Benches near the foot

23. 134 steps

24. Foot-benches on the grand Pacheco

25. Directly across (top, right) Pacheco steps into Edgehill Heights

26. Magellan up to Castenada

27. A beautiful neighborhood with lots of trees

28. The Edgehill Heights neighborhood is directly across

29. Well-designed, wide, undulating

30. Magellan Ave.

31. Mount Sutro and Sutro Tower from Magellan

32. Mount Sutro from Forest Hill

33. Mount Sutro and the Forest Knolls 'hood from Forest Hill

34. Laguna Honda Hospital in distance

35. Down to the Forest Hill Metro Station

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More Secret Stairways

10/5/2015

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I speak this time of a double stairway, down one side then up the other, with offshoot steps, a picnic table, and some benches.

It’s above all the other stairways and trails in Lands End.

At the very top of Lands End is the VA Hospital. One way for a hiker to get up here is to go nearly to the west end of the Legion of Honor parking lot.

Before uphilling on the Lincoln Highway, the 52 Lincoln Park steps at California & 33rd Avenue to start: 1 thru 5

Now west along vehicle-street Lincoln Highway: pic 6

Lincoln Hwy. merges into El Camino del Mar. Pass the Legion of Honor and continue west.

On the south side of the parking lot, 10 steps start up, then a short center walkway and more steps, 23 in all. The foot of this short trail can be seen on Google Maps Streetview. This is the Battle of the Bulge Memorial Trail: 7 thru 12

At the top (Veterans Dr.) you’ll see picnic tables, benches and a view north: 13

Ahead, below the parking lot, is a picnic area that was constructed several years ago. 75 wood steps lead down from the south side with 71 up again. You can walk the stairs and sit at various benches, at the picnic table, or on one of the low walls: 14 thru 24

If you keep curving round to the west when you get to the top of the second set of stairs, there are a couple of ways down to the Fort Miley ruins and view-picnic area. One is another “hidden” old stairway down to the buildings. This is not easily seen from the top. These two pix were taken last year of the upper and lower parts of this short stairway: 25, 26

This time, though, back the same way I came for a few pix from the top of this unique spot, then to continue down to the El Camino del Mar Trail.

At the west end of the parking lot, just beyond the yellow vehicle barrier, are 47 steps down (pic 27). The top can be seen on Google Maps Streetview. At the foot of the stairs you’ll cross the short wood footbridge: pic 28

You’ll pass the top of the 89 connector steps (29, 30) that’ll take you to the main Coastal/Lands End Trail. Or stay on the El Camino for a view down to the second main trail overlook (pic 31) on the way out to the upper parking lot overlook with stairs descending to the first Coastal Trail overlook.

This whole area used to look very different than it does now – wilder - with, I think, a more attractive curving stairway before construction of the upper overlook several years ago. A THEN from 2006, pic 32, and the same spot now, pic 33.

From another visit, staying on the main Coastal Trail this time. When you come to cliffside views like this (34, 35, 36), no matter how many times you’ve done it, ’tis difficult not to pause in appreciation before continuing up the eastside stairs.

Then down this west stairway, 138 steps: 37, 38

Top of the Mile Rock Beach stairs (262-ish) down from the Lands End/Coastal Trail: last two.