Blog Archives

Coastal

10/30/2017

Another west Lands End hike, this time atop the cave instead of down below: 1 thru 13

Up the Coastal Trail from its westernmost trailhead (142 steps): 14 thru 27

Heading east, Coastal Trail: 28

Just past the second Coastal Trail overlook, a trail up to the El Camino del Mar Trail: 29

Out to the upper parking lot overlook: 30, 31, 32

1 125 steps down from the lower parking lot

11 West trailhead for Coastal Trail

14 Westernmost trailhead for Coastal Trail

15 142 steps

29 Coastal Trail to El Camino del Mar Trail

30 El Camino del Mar Trail

32 Upper parking lot overlook down to Coastal Trail and overlook - 59 steps

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Bernal Skyway

10/29/2017

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40
Looking up from a certain part of Bayshore Blvd. there’s a pedestrian skyway that appears to be a skyway art installation. It curves around and you don’t see where it descends to the street. It seems to be suspended in space.

The east Bernal skyway starts at Holladay near Faith.

First it crosses the Bayshore Freeway, then turns right and descends to the west side of Bayshore Blvd. It doesn’t cross the street. 1 thru 16

Back up again, no need to look around for stairs to climb on the hill’s east side — they’ll find you.

Mayflower down nearly to Holladay: 65 steps: 17

Joy up from Holladay, 150 steps: 18 thru 30 (20 thru 25 are THENs of one of the houses from 2005):

From the wall on Brewster I used to be able to see the Joy houses from here, but now new residences and the Joy slope trees hide them. But at least nothing has been built on the slope across from the Joy homes: 31

105 Esmeralda east stairs: 32 thru 38

View from the east side of Bernal Heights Park: 39

43 Carver former earthquake shacks: 40

Now just below Bernal Heights Park, crossing over for Mayflower, a dirt trail here: 41

29 steps down from Chapman & Mayflower: 42, 43

48 Chapman & Rosenkranz stairs down to Bernal Heights Blvd.: 44 thru 48

More stairs start up from Bernal Heights Blvd. at Nevada: 49

Nevada houses: 50, 51

1 Across the Bayshore Freeway from Holladay in east Bernal

2 Looking back at Bernal

3 It curves to the right

5 Bayshore Blvd. below

9 Winding down to Bayshore Blvd,

10 West side of Bayshore Blvd.

11 Going back up - the freeway is on the other side of the wall

13 Bayshore Freeway

14 Where I just came from

15 Back to Bernal

16 Skyway eyes

17 Mayflower steps down partway to Holladay

18 Foot of Joy at Holladay

19 150 steps

20 THEN: 2005

21 THEN: 2005

22 THEN: 2005

23 THEN: 2005

24 NOW

26 18 Joy

31 Brewster

32 Esmeralda east

33 105 steps

39 East side of Bernal Heights Park

40 43 Carver, former quake refugee shacks

41 Mayflower short stretch of dirt road just below the park

42 Down to Rosenkranz

43 29 steps

44 Top of the Chapman/Rosenkranz stairs

45 48 steps down to Bernal Heights Blvd.

49 Nevada up from Bernal Heights Blvd.

50 Nevada St.

51 Nevada St.

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Ziggy Brad

10/28/2017

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Visiting southeast Bernal Heights’ Bradford (Jarboe to Tompkins) zigzag stairs and back up again; not all the way down to Tompkins. This is up from the Alemany Farmers Market.

Used to hike up a dirt trail when coming back from the market, or just to hike it. There used to be gardens at the top of the slope. Now there’s a wall along Jarboe and small trees.

These were taken before the stairway, all 2005: 1 thru 9

Some years ago the present stairway (78 steps for the main one plus a separate sidewalk stairway) were constructed. The sidewalk stairs should’ve continued to Tompkins as this section of Bradford is very steep; not recommended when wet.

Lots of wild weeds alongside now all the way down. I like whatever the plants are with the big white plumes. After we get some rain this slope will turn a lush green.

Just starting down from Jarboe encountered a homeless person’s camp (no one home at the time).

The current Bradford stairway and views from: 10 thru 20

Views down to Cortland and up the other side on super-steep Bradford. This is another of the steepest city streets: 21 thru 24

Bernal’s east side from Bayshore Blvd.: 25

On the west side now, a couple favorite houses on Elsie, near the reservoir: 26

1 THEN: Bradford above Alemany Farmers Market

2 THEN: Bradford St.

3 THEN: Bradford St.

4 THEN: Bradford St.

5 THEN: Bradford St.

6 THEN: Bradford St.

7 THEN: This part of Bradford was a trail

8 THEN: Bradford at Jarboe

9 THEN: Bradford at Jarboe

10 Jarboe's wall at Bradford

11 78 steps

17 This whole slope will be lushly green after some rain

21 Bradford down to and up from Cortland

25 Bayshore Blvd. looking up

26 Over on the west side -- a couple of favorite houses on Elsie

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Some of Each

10/27/2017

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El Camino del Mar runs thru the Sea Cliff neighborhood and to the larger park several blocks to the west of China Beach, Lands End.

A bit of China Beach (104 main steps) and Sea Cliff: 1 thru19

East Lands End: 20 thru 30

Lincoln Park steps: 31 thru 34

1 Top of China Beach stairs below

16 Back up

17 Sea Cliff

19 Divided street

20 Lands End east - Eagle's Point Overlook

24 Presidio in distance, China Beach Center

27 Around 120 steps for the east side stairs

31 Lincoln Park steps

32 52 steps

34 Down to 32nd Ave. & west dead-end of California St. - Outer Richmond neighborhood

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Canyoneast

10/26/2017

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2715 steps crossing Islais Creek to the east side of Glen Canyon: First two

168 steps up the first flight to a top trail: 3 thru 20

17 steps and a short dirt trail south to north to the main trail: 21 thru 25

92 more up the east side to Christopher Park … and over to the Safeway. So 277 steps for this route:26 thru 41

1 Across Islais Creek

22 17 steps and a dirt trail S-N

34 This section has 92 steps

37 O'Shaughnessy across

40 Christopher Park west

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Too Bare

10/25/2017

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During an El Polin Spring (Presidio) hike in September noticed a Trail Closed sign for the 69 steps up to the Ecology Trail. It was unclear to me how “tree removal” was related to “habitat restoration.”

An October hike to see what possible horrors awaited re tree removal on this trail started at California and Spruce where I got a kick outa this display in front of someone’s home. The big cat in the first pic turns his head: 1 thru 5

The opening in the Presidio wall at Spruce and Pacific: 6

Down from Julius Kahn Park: 7

The new Paul Goode field from the west side: 8

El Polin Spring’s zigzag trailhead left: 9

Trail to El Polin: 10

El Polin Spring: 11, 12, 13

While down here could see where some trees and other plants on the hillside had been cut down: 14

Up the aforementioned stairway, there was more bare hillside alongside and at the top — logs, bare ground, and piles of wood chips. And a huge yellow instrument of destruction was still parked here: 15 thru 21

Climbing to a favorite forested section, this appeared unmolested and sitting on a log here is always calming and peaceful: 22 thru 30

Continuing up, towards Inspiration Point Overlook (off Arguello), it looked like they might’ve wanted to improve the view from the overlook.

This hike’s second stairway has 45 steps, Ecology Trail to Inspiration Point Overlook: 31 thru 41

Inspiration Point Overlook: 42 thriu 46

South on Arguello a short distance out of the park: 47 thru 49

1 Happy Halloween - Display on Spruce St.

6 Opening in Presidio wall at Pacific and Spruce

7 Down from Julius Kahn Park

8 New Paul Goode Field from west side

9 Turn left for trail to El Polin Spring

10 Zigzag trail to El Polin Spring

11 El Polin Spring

14 Hillside above El Polin

15 69 steps to Ecology Trail

18 Ecology Trail

29 Aromatherapy - young eucalyptus leaves

48 Arguello Gate

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Cave and Ruins

10/24/2017

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Lands End Overlook: 1, 2, 3

125 steps down from the lower parking lot overlook: 4 thru 8

Down some more on a steep trail to the Sutro Baths ruins: 9, 10

Cave area: 11 thru 18

Sutro Baths ruins: 19 thru 26

Back up: 27 thru 33

Louis’ Cafe: 34, 35

Sutro Heights Park: 36 thru 39

East side of Sutro Heights Park from the #38 R Geary bus. This is its last stop (48th Ave.): 40

1 Lands End Lookout visitor center/gift shop/coffee shop

4 Down from lower parking to overlook

5 125 steps

27 Back up

34 Louis' Restaurant

36 Sutro Heights Park

40 On the 38R Geary, east side of Sutro Heights Park, 48th Ave.

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Three New Crosswalks

10/21/2017

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Took an online survey a few months ago re Twin Peaks Park improvements and one suggestion was for a crosswalk from the east, no-car, side of Twin Peaks Blvd. to connect with the westside trail that descends to Marview in the Midtown Terrace neighborhood. Well there’s one now:

Later that afternoon at Mount Sutro Forest, noticed a new crosswalk connecting the North Ridge trailhead with the lower trails.

Another crosswalk winding to the north connects the Edgewood Trail with the (upper) Historic Trail.

This hike was from Portola Dr. alongside Twin Peaks Blvd. First section up: 1 thru 6

Second section with the new stairway constructed earlier this year (89 steps) behind and to the top of Midcrest Way: 7 thru 16

Short trail down to Midcrest Way: 17

Third section up, Midcrest Way at the crosswalk and winding round to the top of the Blvd. at the south Noe Peak steps. No new steps here yet, just the same four old ones at the top: 18 thru 25

Noe Peak’s south stairs: 26

Around the east, walkers’ side. Thought they might consider replacement steps for the old wood stairs down to Crestline. Not yet: 27 thru 41

The new crosswalk and west trail that looks across to Sutro Tower: 42 thru 50

Down alongside the reservoir to Marview in Midtown Terrace: 52, 53, 54

New sign added at the east Tower trailhead (but mo sign at the trailhead off La Avanzada): 55

Palo Alto to La Azanzada: 56, 57, 58

Down to Clarendon and up Mount Sutro’s new Clarendon Trail to the Quarry RoadTrail: 59 thru 62

Down to and along the road with the crosswalks for the North Ridge and Historic Trails: 63 thru 67

This north stairway descends behind the UCSF medical buildings (136 steps): 68 thru 72

1 On Portola Dr.

2 Starting up Twin Peaks Blvd, from Portola

6 Coming to the end of the first section, crossing to the west side

7 Second section up with its new stairway

8 89 steps

9 Looking back down at winding Twin Peaks Blvd.

10 Midcrest Way homes to left

13 Looking back down again

16 Top of the second section

17 Short trail down to the top of Midcrest Way

18 About to cross over at Midcrest Way for third section up

19 Starting up the third part

21 Midcrest Way below

22 Four old steps at the top

23 A log to sit on

25 Trail I just came up

26 South Noe Peak stairs

27 Eastside now, car-free

37 Stair-trail down to Crestline

39 South side of Eureka Peak ahead

40 Replacement steps for all of Eureka Peak

42 New crosswalk across the Blvd. to the new west trail

44 New west trail on the Mount Sutro / Sutro Tower side

46 Sutro Tower, Mount Sutro and Midtown Terrace below

48 Before this trail one had to walk on the vehicle-side of the guardrail

52 Twin Peaks Reservoir

54 Down to Marview in Midtown Terrace

55 New Tower trail sign at Marview trailhead

56 Palo Alto to La Avanzada

58 :a Azanzada

59 Mount Sutro Forest

64 East Ridge Trail

65 Crossing the road to the North Ridge Trail from Fairy Gates, etc.

66 Edgewood to Historic Trail crosswalk

67 Edgewood to Historic

68 Down from permits only parking lot

69 136 steps

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CB and BB West

10/20/2017

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China Beach and Baker Beach are both GGNRA. China Beach is below the Sea Cliff neighborhood, between the Presidio and Lands End.

China Beach’s main stairway has 104 steps; the several other stairways have 20 and 21.

Baker Beach’s west stairway has 37 steps, east Sea Cliff down to west Baker Beach.

Down to the China Beach stairway: 1, 2, 3

China Beach main stairs and view from. There’s a bench 69 steps down: 4 thru 20

The beach and picnic area: 21 thru 65

Back up again, a few locks east to the Baker Beach stairs. There used to be more foliage at the gate area but now it’s bare at the top. However, there’s now a better view down to the beach: 66 thru 76

4 Top of the stairs

5 104 steps

11 69 steps down

71 Baker Beach west

75 Back up again

76 37 steps

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Even Worse

10/4/2017

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From the top of the Fort Miley forest, around the north parking lot of the VA Hospital to see if the picnic area below the parking lot had been reopened.

Nope. Still the same closed signs at both ends of the stairways descending. But it looked even worse this time, with more black plastic down there — whatever it’s covering.

Some of the plants didn’t look like they were thriving from where I was, but then they never did seem to really do very well all the years this spot has existed. Yet the regular upper Lands End greenery around them appears healthy.

IS this the GGNRA’s responsibility? If so, wonder if they plan to repair and reopen before next rainy season?

Again, some views from above: 1 thru 15

Slightly east to the Battle of the Bulge Trail and down to the Legion of Honor parking lot: 16 thru 21

47 steps from the west edge of the parking lot down to the El Camino del Mar Trail: 22 thru 25

And out to the upper parking lot overlook: 26, 27