Blog Archives

Saddle Up

11/22/2012

San Bruno Mountain Park (first pic: from Old Guadalupe Trail), open only until 5 p.m. now that it gets dark earlier, was warm and sunny today. First along the Bog Trail (pics 2 and 3) to the Meadow (fourth pic) and onto the Saddle, a 1.9 mile loop.

About halfway along the Saddle is the lone bench with a view of McLaren Park below across Visitacion Valley. (fifth pic).

Next five pics: Various spots along the Saddle Trail.

As I neared the end of the Saddle, heading out to the Old Guadalupe Trail near the Crocker trailhead, my beginning, could smell delicious cooking aromas wafting from the homes on South Hill Court.

Taken from Old Guadalupe Trail

Bog Trail

The Meadow with trailhead for Saddle Trail ahead

McLaren Park from Saddle Trail

Alta Vista from Saddle Trail

Alta Vista from Saddle Trail. Mount Sutro and Twin Peaks in distance.

A view from the Saddle Trail

Saddle Trail

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Random Wanderings

11/15/2012

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Today's was another of my meandering, feets-take-me-where-you-will Presidio hikes, into the park from 10th Avenue at Mountain Lake Park (a park-within-a-park). First two pix: Mountain Lake Park trees.

Mountain Lake Park is getting a new restroom building. Winding round on the Mountain Lake Trail, the wood benches on the east side of the lake are gone now. So is the nearby short offshoot trail with its blackberry bushes and the graffitied foundation of a small building. Now this spot is completely chainlink-fenced and bare due to the ongoing extensive renovation of the lake and area around it.

Curving to the west to the trail fork and onto the upper trail here, continuing uphill with the golf course on both sides. Finally out at the Park Trail, but crossing the street to continue left on one of the longer secluded forest trails around here.

Out at Wright Loop (third pic) which short, curvy street has one large home on it (fourth pic). Where the trail meets this paved road, there's a sign saying not to disturb the resident but to continue downhill (to the Fort Scott neighborhood). Nearby Wisser Court is the narrow street to take to the community garden. Fifth pic: up to the garden. Sixth pic: garden flowers.

Down through the playground and continuing east behind the residences, crossed under the highway overpass and onto the Park Trail to the west this time (seventh pic). Then up the stairway (98 or so steps) through the forest to the Cemetery Overlook (next two pics) with several barking dogs following me, the dogs' walker below calling them back.

Out at the overlook's south entrance and up the Bay Area Ridge Trail (10th pic) past the Spire sculpture (last pic: top of the Spire).

Crossed the street at the golf course buildings where a walker's trail leads out of the park at Arguello, so as to avoid walking through the golf course parking lot.

Mountain Lake Park

Out at Wright Loop

Wright Loop

To Fort Scott Community Garden

Fort Scott Community Garden

Park Trail

Cemetery Overlook

Bay Area Ridge Trail above Arguello

Andy Goldsworthy's Spire

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Midcity Stairway Parks

11/14/2012

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Today's was a vigorous two-park hike, my starting point the northwest slope of Buena Vista Park. Uphill on the elevated west sidewalk this time, heading south to the newer stairways and the gardeny trails that cross W-to-E on the park's south slope as you head down the main stairway.

Wound around to Upper Terrace where Buena Vista West meets Buena Vista East, with a short detour up an older wooden flight (36 steps) and back down again. This very old park near Haight-Ashbury shops has lots of stairways and trails and is the taller of today's two hills. Corona Heights Park is a few blocks away: first pic, taken from a bench in Buena Vista Park, showing Corona's westside steps.

The south side of Buena Vista was renovated several years ago and there's now one newer main stairway (171 steps: next three pics). It climbs from the elevated concrete sidewalk that runs all around the park nearly to the summit. At the top of the steps there's a green "Keep dogs on leash … No littering" sign. Along the way are east-west trails with retaining walls you can sit on (fifth pic). The stairway continues down to the foot of the park (sixth pic).

Headed over to Corona Heights Park from the foot of this stairway, east on Buena Vista East to Park Hill, then steeply down to Roosevelt and 15th St.

Same stairway counts today as I got on earlier hikes for Corona's stairways old and new. From the west entrance at Museum Way and Roosevelt, near the dog park, you can see the foot of a 100-step wood stairway (seventh pic) that curves around to the rocky summit (eighth pic). At the rocks, I curved round to the south side (ninth pic) and again got 41 steps up here to a short trail. This turned into another stairway with 62 steps that came out at the now TWO benches at the top of the main eastside trail. Another bench, green, has been added across from the older one.

Some of this park's trails and stairways were given facelifts a few years ago also, but the main east stairway is still the same most of the way down: rocky and uneven. Watch your step down this long section (10th pic). You'll pass one more bench on the way down. There are 130 steps from the benches down to the foot at the east side of the Randall Museum (the side with the live animal room). More steps lead up to the nature museum.

Out of the park on the steep, switchbacked ramp (last pic). This will take you down to States St. in the Corona Heights neighborhood. Descended on States to Castro and 17th this time.

Earlier strolling the short distance between the bus stop at Masonic & Haight and the north side of Buena Vista Park: discovered a new little shop called "Happy High Herbs" and was intrigued enough to stop in for a look. Glad I did: it sells hard-to-find specialty herbs in small bags, like ho-shou-wu, guarana, and cat's claw, difficult to find (except online). Must return next payday for some of these goodies to use in my morning smoothies. There's also a store in Berkeley.

Happy High Herbs at 1391 Haight (at Masonic)

[email protected]

www.sfhappyhighherbs.com

Corona Heights Park as seen from Buena Vista Park

Southside main stairway, Buena Vista Park

Up the main stairway, Buena Vista Park south

Steps meet an E-W trail, Buena Vista Park

Down to the foot of the main stairway, Buena Vista Park

100 steps up the west side, Corona Heights Park

Ol' Rockytop (Corona's summit)

Starting down Corona's east side

130 steps for main eastside stairs: benches to foot of Randall Museum

The zigzaggy ramp from the park down to States St. in the Corona Heights 'hood

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Edgehill Views

11/9/2012

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Edgehill Heights is a tall, skinny hill between Mount Davidson's north face to the south and Forest Hill to the north. Looking west, the stilthouses up here have an oceanview (first pic). To the east you can see Twin Peaks' west side: Midtown Terrace. Twisty, narrow Edgehill Way, the main street, circles around at the top. Sometimes there are no sidewalks at all; sometimes on only one side.

From the Forest Hill Metro station, crossed Dewey to ascend Edgehill's Pacheco stairway (second pic: 27 steps, directly across from the much longer Pacheco stairway that climbs Forest Hill), continuing on the short trail at the end of the stairway up to divided Garcia (third pic: looking back at the Grand Pacheco).

Up 10 more steps to upper Garcia, continuing east this time to Knockash Hill (this is the name of the short street), near Ulloa, to access Edgehill Mountain Park from this side. This side of the little park has an old wooden sign; the other trailhead doesn't. It's peaceful and sun-dappled here with a few benches and one main trail (fourth pic).

Out of the park at its east end onto Shangri-La Way (fifth pic). This very short street (no street sign seen for this) turns into Edgewood Way after a few yards where the "critter wall" Guardians of the Hill reside (next three pics). Passed a view-to-die-for home with a "Sale Pending" sign on it and nearby major construction of another high-home.

Headed east again to visit the view-wall that's above the park, Mount Davidson Park's northside forest trees across and busy Portola below (next two pics). The low wall has a black-barred safety fence along part of its length, with a sign advising Fall Danger, Keep off the Wall. At the end of the fence is one of my favorite houses up here. To one side of the house, the shady road heads west above the park and below the backyards of a few homes.

From Kensington down to Dorchester, west of the park, is a concrete walkway that includes a couple of short stairways, cross-streets Granville and Allston. The path can be clearly seen on Google Maps, where it's called "Pub Park" (last pic).

Edgehill Stilthouse looking West

Pacheco stairway

Forest Hill's Pacheco stairway from top of Edgehill's Pacheco steps

Edgehill Mountain Park

West trailhead for Edgehill Mountain Park from Shangri-La

The "Critter Wall"

Guardian Eagle

Edgehill Way's resident bear

The view-wall at the top of Edgehill Way

Mount Davidson's northside from Edgehill Way view-wall

Pub Park walkway from Dorchester to Kensington

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Sutro Stairtrek

11/7/2012

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Today it was up one side of Mount Sutro and down the other. I like to vary my excursions in the Forest Knolls 'hood and Mount Sutro Openspace Reserve (first two pix, taken from Mount Davidson Park). Sometimes I descend the long Oakhurst stairway (today got a count of 353 steps, Warren to Crestmont), and sometimes up it all the way, to then continue into the forest.

So off the bus at 7th Ave. & Lawton in the Inner Sunset to start the long trek up, crossing the street, passing the entrance to Garden for the Environment, and uphill to Warren (not Locksley: this is not through).

Several steepish blocks along winding Warren you'll see the foot of the Oakhurst stairway ascending to your left, set back slightly between two buildings. (Next four pix. First of these taken near a short sidewalk that connects with Oak Park's east end).

One trail into the forest from Crestmont starts up just to the west of the top of Oakhurst (seventh pic). These secondary trails don't have trailmarkers on Crestmont like they do higher up on the main forest trails.

However, this time turned right to look for another short-but-steep minor trail up from Christopher. Several blocks east, curvaceous Crestmont meets Christopher.

The last time I took this particular one, a few years ago, kinda slid down part of it. I'd like to see some steps and a trailmarker here and where the other steepish trails climb up from Crestmont.

So curving around on Crestmont, past Devonshire, and just past the top of the Blairwood stairway, saw a trail and scrambled up, thinking this was the one. Turned out not to be the trail I'd been seeking, and one not taken before. Upon reaching the top of it, started down before I realized I wasn't quite on the main trail but on an offshoot just below it.

So back to the main trail and on a bit further, then there was the "Historic Trail" / "Christopher St." marker I'd been looking for (with homes seen below on Christopher). This trail is east of the top of the Glenhaven stairway.

From the Historic Trail, continued to the summit on the South Ridge Trail. An excellent map on the summit bulletin board near the meadow/benches very clearly depicts both these short-but-steep secondary trails up from Christopher and the one near the top of Oakhurst that I've taken most often into the forest. The map shows all the stairways, main and secondary trails, and streets in the area. Will ascend the other scrambler next time.

Down from the summit on the East Ridge Trail, crossing upper Medical Center Way, chose the Edgewood Trail out to the south dead-end (for vehicles) of Edgewood Ave. Cars can get up to Edgewood midway along the redbricked street via Belmont, a short street that turns onto Edgewood from Woodland or Willard, uphill from Parnassus. I'd take any of the (large) woodsy homes along Edgewood, but my favorite in the 'hood is the big brown one partway down the Farnsworth stairway (149 steps).

The next couple of pix seek to encourage hikers up from the north/northeast slopes: the two main stairways to access the forest trails. First, the "hidden" steps (135 or so) whose foot on lower Medical Center Way can be found a little way behind the UCSF hospital buildings that front on Parnassus. This one will take you up to a permits-only parking lot near the trails.

Second, the Farnsworth Lane stairway that climbs from Willard to Edgewood Ave. There are two trailheads into the park from Edgewood, one directly across from the top of the Farnsworth stairs at Edgewood's north end.

Last pic: Trailhead for the Edgewood Trail at Edgewood Avenue's south end, the one I took today.

If you choose to trek steeply up Stanyan to where it meets upper 17th Street, the newer trailhead for the (lower) Historic Trail is easily seen between homes on the west side of Stanyan. Today was looking down from the Edgewood Trail to the lower Historic.

Bicycles are allowed on all of Mount Sutro's trails.