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Golden Gate Heights into Forest Hill

11/29/2014

This is a continuation of the previous “Some Not All” post, continuing to climb thru Golden Gate Heights, then down into the Forest Hill neighborhood.

51 steps up alongside this wall: 15th up to Pacheco, first two pix.

Next over, foot of the Mandalay Lane stairs: 3, 4, 5.

The openspace around Quintara’s 135 steps is now a gardenspot with planting flags all over: 6 thru 9. It starts out as a double stairway and merges into a single.

Now up Radio Terrace (pic 10) that curves round to Rockridge Dr. with Golden Gate Heights Park on one side, stone stairs up to the tennis courts.

Descending on Oriole Way, 97 steps to Pacheco near 10th: 11 thru 17.

Around 10th Ave. at the east dead-end of Quintara is where Golden Gate Heights magically turns into the Forest Hill neighborhood.

Through this very short picket-fenced walkway (pic 18), a dead-end for vehicles, and you’ve got totally different scenery. See between 43 and 51 Mendosa on the Forest Hill side on Streetview. The unique Forest Hills ‘hood (no lookalike tract houses here!) is on the lower part of the tall hill called Forest Hill, at the east foot of which is the Forest Hill Metro Station at Laguna Honda Blvd.

Having now emerged on divided Mendosa in Forest Hills, another stairway starts down at 10th and Mendosa, then to 9th, then to Santa Rita (upper part of the divided street) and San Marcos (lower part) with a unique little stairway dividing the two streets. The stairs continue down to Castenada, 206 steps: 19 thru 28. I've been calling this the "Castenada" stairway.

Last two pix: This stairway-walk (25 steps) descends from Pacheco to Ventura. No street sign. You don’t always see street signs on the curvy streets around here when you’re looking for one; reminds me of Sausalito. See 404 Pacheco for the top on Streetview.

1. 15th to Pacheco

2. Pacheco with 15th Ave. below

3. Foot of Mandalay

4. Mandalay Lane up to 15th

5. Mandalay's foot at 14th Ave.

6. We might now call this the Quintara Gardens

7. Foot of the Quintara stairway at 15th Ave.

8. 135 steps

9. Near top of Quintara stairway

10. Radio Terrace; Golden Gate Heights Park to right

11. Top of Oriole stairway at Cragmont

12. Mount Sutro across

13. Oriole house

14. Cragmont to Pacheco on Oriole

15. 97 steps

16. Down to Pacheco

17. Oriole's foot

18. Short walkway from Golden Gate Heights to Forest Hill neighborhood

19. Down from Mendosa to Ninth Ave.

20. Ninth Ave. to Santa Rita

21. Down to Santa Rita & San Marcos

22. Center: short continuing stairway dividing Santa Rita and San Marcos

23. Stairs dividing Santa Rita above from San Marcos below

24. Down to San Marcos

25. Last block, continuing steps down to Castenada

26. San Marcos to Castenada

27. Near foot at Castenada: 206 steps

28. Foot at Castenada

29. Pacheco to Ventura

30. Pacheco to Ventura

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Some Not All

11/28/2014

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The Inner Sunset’s Golden Gate Heights neighborhood is pure heaven for those of us who love our long stairways: one after another. Pix here are some of ‘em, not all.

Starting off at the foot of the 148 Hidden Garden Steps, Kirkham up to Lawton on 16th Ave. Pix 1 thru 4.

Continuing up the Hidden Garden Steps: 5 thru 16.

Next, the Moraga/16th tiled stairway, foot and near the top, pix 17 and 18, 163 steps.

At the top of the Moraga steps you can continue up the 144 zigzag stairs (19, 20, 21) to Grandview Park, San Francisco’s tallest sand dune.

And continue down the Moraga steps on the east slope of the hilltop park: 195 steps: 22, 23.

Passing the foot of Mount stairway (24, 25), then Ortega’s foot (pic 26).

Selma Way, Ortega to Noriega, has 153 steps: last three pix.

.... To be continued ...

1. Foot of the Hidden Garden Steps. 16th Ave. & Kirkham.

2. Now a tiled plaque too

3. Starting up the Hidden Garden Steps

4. 148 steps

5. Public stairway art

6. Partway up

7. Let's tile 'em all!

8. Reading the messages and names

9. Stairway turns

10. Looking down

11. Alongside the stairway

12. Another view down

13. Plantings on each side of the steps

14. Trees in distance are in Golden Gate Park

15. Top at Lawton

16. Top at Lawton

17. Foot of 16th & Moraga tiled steps (completed 2005)

18. Near top of Moraga/16th Ave. stairs

19. First bench on the west Grandview Park stairway

20. View west from partway up the Grandview Park steps

21. View south and west: Grandview Park zigzag stairs

22. Top of the east Moraga steps, view across to Mount Sutro

23. Down the east Moraga Stairmaster

24. Foot of Mount stairway

25. Foot of Mount steps

26. Foot of Ortega stairway

27. Selma stairway

28. 153 steps

29. Selma: looking down from top

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Russian Hill Northwest

11/27/2014

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Russian Hill Park/Russian Hill Open Space starts up from Bay Street with 159 steps that climb nearly to Chestnut, the upper wall/steps an excellent place to enjoy the Blue Angels.

The stairway continues up past the empty Francisco reservoir that's waiting to be turned into more recreational openspace. Its old wooden lid has been removed so far. Pix 1 thru 14, including two “THEN” pix from 2005 of a short pathway between the steps where you'd pass someone's little garden back then.

The Chestnut Street stairway from Larkin down to Culebra Terrace, Polk St. below: 116 steps, pix 15 thru 18.

32 Culebra steps up to Lombard: Last three pix.

1. North dead-end of Larkin. Stairs start down to left.

2. Stairs continue down at the view-wall at Francisco & Larkin

3. Stairs continue down at Francisco & Larkin

4. Old reservoir below, now minus its wooden lid

5. Reservoir and steps from the view-wall at Francisco & Larkin

6. Continuing down the Larkin stairs with the empty reservoir below

7. View from the stairs alongside the old reservoir

8. A THEN pic from 2005. Would love to see another garden here.

9. Another THEN pic from 2005: a small garden between steps

10. Steps continue down

11. Look at these trees!

12. 159 steps

13. Larkin steps down to Bay St.

14. Foot of Larkin steps at Bay St.

15. North top of the Chestnut stairway

16. South and north steps merge into one

17. 116 steps partway down to Polk St.

18. Foot of the Chestnut stairway. Culebra Terr. to right.

19. Culebra Terrace up to Lombard

20. Culebra Terr. down to foot of Chestnut stairway

21. Culebra out to Lombard

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Russian Hill West

11/26/2014

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Listening to the Wild Parrots above on this third Russian Hill hike. Originally from Telegraph Hill, these guys now call the whole city their home.

Michelangelo Playground is a tiny park between Filbert and Greenwich, Leavenworth and Jones, that has a community garden, benches, picnic tables (first pic), a playground, and an unlocked restroom. Note the latter convenience, please, considerably larger Mount Davidson Park!

Greenwich from Leavenworth to Hyde is a gardeny delight with benches and a fountain. Up a stairway from Leavenworth that alternates with a paved walkway (78 steps, pix 2 thru 6) to a dead-end for vehicles and a couple of sidewalk stairways up to Hyde (24 steps for the north side, pic 7).

Lombard of Crooked Street fame, beloved by tourists, Leavenworth up to Hyde, has sidewalk steps on each side of the redbricked curly street. Staircount: 245 south sidewalk steps, pix 8 thru 13; 248 north sidewalk steps: 14 thru 17.

At Greenwich up from Hyde are 27 steps into George Sterling Memorial Park on the south side. Counted 113 steps from the top, at the Alice Marble Tennis Courts, down to Larkin: 18, 19, 20.

There’s also a north stairway up into the park from Larkin with 92 steps to a pair of tiled benches, last pic.

1. Michelangelo Park below street level on Greenwich

2. Up from Leavenworth

3. Part steps, part gardenwalk

4. Greenwich between Leavenworth & Hyde

5. Greenwich up from Leavenworth for walkers only

6. Sittin' log

7. Greenwich sidewalk steps climb to Hyde

8. Top of Lombard's south sidewalk stairway

9. Down the steps alongside the infamous wiggly street

10. 245 steps for the south side

11. Lombard's south sidewalk steps from Hyde down to Leavenworth

12. Continuing down the south sidewalk stairs

13. On the north sidewalk steps now, looking across

14. 248 staircount for the north sidewalk steps

15. Lombard's north sidewalk stairway

16. Always lots of people enjoying these stairs and the redbricked street in the middle

17. Continuing back up the north side to Hyde and the cable car tracks

18. Top of the south George Sterling Park stairway

19. 113 steps on the south side down to Larkin

20. South steps

21. Benches at top of north steps up from Larkin

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More Russian Hill

11/25/2014

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This is a continuation of recent Russian Hill stairway hikes, moving east to west.

126 Green St. steps, up from Taylor and partway to Jones, first three pix.

33 Macondray Lane wood steps up from Taylor: 4, 5.

Macondray between Taylor and Jones: 6, 7.

Macondray from Jones west to Leavenworth, pic 8.

On the west side of Jones, down from Green, are 53 sidewalk steps to Macondray for its Jones to Leavenworth section. Pic 9.

On the east side of Jones is a two-block-long sidewalk stairway descending from Green to Union to Filbert, likely making it the city’s longest sidewalk stairway at 368 steps. It passes the entrance to the Jones-Taylor part of Macondray on its way up to Green: 10 thru 18.

Havens, its foot at Leavenworth, downhill from Union, has steps on both sides of the narrow alley gardenspot. It starts out as one stairway (73 steps), with more steps above, leveling out to a walkway to the dead-end (not through to Hyde). The fronts of the houses on the north side of the walk are on steep Filbert St. Back down again, now on the upper south sidewalk: 76 back down to Leavenworth: 19 thru 25.

Filbert from Leavenworth up to Hyde has sidewalk steps on each side. The street in the center is said to be one of our steepest drivable streets at 31.5 grade. The staircount: 117 on the south side, pix 26 thru 33. For Filbert’s north sidewalk steps got 120 steps: last pic.

1. Green St. stairs up from Taylor

2. 126 steps

3. Partway up

4. Macondray Lane steps up from Taylor

5. To the left of the Macondray steps

6. Macondray between Taylor & Jones

7. Macondray Lane between Taylor & Jones

8. Macondray Lane between Jones & Leavenworth

9. Sidewalk steps on west side of Jones between Green & Macondray

10. Foot of two-block-long Jones sidewalk stairway

11. 368 sidewalk steps on east side of Jones

12. Jones sidewalk steps from Filbert up to Green

13. Love the colors

14. First block: Filbert to Union

15. Continuing steeply up

16. Union up to Green

17. Top at Green

18. Top at Green

19. Havens up from Leavenworth

20. Stairs to left or straight ahead

21. Straight ahead under a tree

22. Upper steps

23. Walkway bench near the dead-end

24. Looking up from the bench

25. Near the end of the walkway

26. Foot of the south Filbert sidewalk steps

27. Filbert's south sidewalk stairway

28. Filbert's south sidewalk steps as seen from the north side

29. Near the top, south side

30. South sidewalk steps at the top

31. View of Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower from the top

32. Foot of Filbert at Leavenworth

33. Foot of Filbert's north sidewalk stairway

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Russian Hill East

11/24/2014

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Starting out with a Nob Hill sidewalk stairway: 192 steps for the west side of Taylor from Pine up to California, first pic.

Into Russian Hill's Ina Coolbrith Park 154 steps climb from Mason to Taylor, pix 2 thru 10. This is the total number on the south side; it's first a double stairway, then turns into south-only stairs partway up (69th step). On the north side are a couple of older apartment buildings.

At the top (pic 11) you'll see another stairway across the street, still the Vallejo stairs but these ascend to a grassy openspace with a view east: 103 steps for this part (12, 13, 14). Counting these as two separate stairways, but they do continue straight up the hill so could also just be considered as one superlong stairway.

From the minipark sidewalk stairs are on both sides of Vallejo out to Jones. Florence to Jones: 41 steps on the south side.

42 sidewalk steps on Vallejo’s north side from the openspace viewplace to Jones (pic 15) and 20 for each side of the unique double stairway down to Jones: 16, 17.

Short Florence St. off Vallejo (pic 18) dead-ends for vehicles at another stairway (54 steps) that descends to Broadway: 19, 20, 21.

Now for the Broadway Stairmaster: 169 sidewalk steps from Taylor partway up to Jones for the south steps: 22, 23, 24.

… And 165 north sidewalk steps, last two pix.

To be continued … more Russian Hill.

1. Taylor from Pine up to California sidewalk steps, Nob Hill.

2. Near foot at Mason, Vallejo steps into Ina Coolbrith Park, south side

3. Old and newer, north side, Ina Coolbrith Park near foot at Mason

4. Up the south stairs, Ina Coolbrith Park

5. South steps

6. Benches partway up; now one south stairway

7. Continuing up

8. More benches near the top

9. Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower in distance

10. Top of the park at Taylor

11. More steps continue up across Taylor

12. Vallejo steps continue from Taylor up to minipark

13. Vallejo from Taylor to minipark

14. Parking spot and grassy openspace at top of stairs

15. Northside Vallejo sidewalk steps down to Jones

16. Down to Jones

17. Enclosed steps down from Vallejo to Jones

18. Florence St. off Vallejo

19. Florence down to Broadway

20. Foot of Florence stairs at Broadway

21. Florence steps, center

22. Broadway's south sidewalk steps up from Taylor

23. South sidewalk steps, Broadway up from Taylor

24. Foot of Broadway's south sidewalk steps

25. Foot of north Broadway sidewalk steps

26. Foot of north Broadway sidewalk steps

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All Over the Park

11/6/2014

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Recently checked out the Presidio's enlarged Officers’ Club, the oldest building in the city (pic 1). It’s a nice re-do, but I miss the cozy little gift shop I used to like to stop in and browse. Still have a Presidio-logoed T-shirt I got there years ago. There were various nature and history books plus free maps and handouts.

The only other gift shops in the park I know of now are the Warming Hut and the newer one at the bridgeviewing area, the Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion. The Pavilion is great for tourist souvenirs; take your guests. But of the two I prefer the Warming Hut, a combination coffee shop, gift shop, and bookstore. To get there from the bridge area, head east on the Battery East Trail and take the stairway down (153 steps, pic 2) to Crissy Field.

So out the back way (the Ecology Trail is back here), curving around the Infantry Terrace neighborhood with its huge homes (pic 3). This 'hood’s tennis courts are below the residences; they take one of the old stone stairways down (pic 4).

Down from here and up the 56 stairs, pix 5, 6, 7, to the Post Chapel, onto the cemetery trail west to the overlook, a short, hilly trail hiked for years. Pic 8. Love the trail logs.

One can’t resist taking photos of the Batteries to Bluffs Trail as the scenery is always gorgeous, even to someone who’s been here hundreds of times. The stairway-trail (473-ish steps) is very photogenic and loves to have her picture taken: 9 thru 17.

For a change, partway up the Connector (pic 18), stayed on the short trail out to the residences: 19, 20. There are numerous ways into the Presidio Forest behind the buildings (last pic); not easy to pick just one. Would like to see these oceanview residences painted so they aren’t so drab. Think about viewing this hillside from Lands End, for example, and seeing different pastels or brights.

1. The Officers' Club is open again

2. Battery East Trail steps down to Crissy Field

3. Infantry Terrace neighborhood

4. Down to the tennis courts

5. Up these to the Post Chapel and cemetery trail

6. Up from the Main Post

7. Post Chapel at top of the stairs; trailhead is to left

8. East to west on the cemetery trail to the Cemetery Overlook

9. Batteries to Bluffs eastside. View Point center below.

10. Midtrail

11. Center, below, is the Marshall's Beach Trail

12. This trail goes up and down

13. San Francisco's largest park and longest stairway

14. Continuing over to the west side, about .07 mile

15. View from the westside

16. Westside up

17. Top at Battery Crosby

18. Starting up the Connector Trail from Lincoln, 208 steps.

19. Out at edge of the residences

20. Another way to Immigrant Point Overlook (turn right) or down to Lincoln

21. Presidio Forest above the Lobos Creek Valley Trail

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Sutro Baths Uppertrail Walkable Again

11/5/2014

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Down from the Lands End Lookout/lower parking lot overlook area, the first long stairway descended (first three pix, 128 steps) leads to the trail atop the cave, a popular viewspot.

The work along the Sutro Baths Upper Trail has been competed and the steps up from the cavetop viewplace are again walkable. Looks like they added a couple more steps while they were at it. This time got 143; earlier staircount was 141: 4 thru 11.

Moving east, view down from the upper parking lot overlook. The first pic is the way the steps looked in 2006. a THEN, pic 12,w hen the overlook didn’t exist. Since then the stairway has been changed twice; this is its current incarnation with a view down to the first Lands End overlook: Pix 13, 14, 59 steps.

Connector steps (89) to El Camino del Mar Trail from main Coastal Trail: 15. 16, 17.

Pic 18: Lands End Trail near Mile Rock Beach steps.

Mile Rock Beach midsteps down. Turn left for the beach. For a narrow trail around to the upper viewspot and the Labyrinth, straight ahead. Pic 19, 262 steps.

The main Lands End/Coastal Trail stairs up (138) next to the “Painted Rock” area: 20 thru 24.

East stairs, 119 or so: 25 thru 27.

East cliffside: 28, 29.

Along the Lands End Trail east to Eagle's Point Overlook, pic 30.

Lincoln Park steps down to 33rd Ave. Last two pix, 52 steps. Hopefully the additional tilework for this Outer Richmond Stairmaster will commence soon.

1. Lower parking lot overlook down to trail and Sutro Baths ruins

2. Trail to right at foot leads up to the cavetop

3. 128 viewsteps

4. This is the westernmost trailhead for the Coastal Trail

5. Additional steps were added in 2009

6. Cavetop viewspot below

7. 143 steps

8. Sutro Baths Upper Trail AKA Coastal Trail

9. Midtrail, continuing up

10. Fresh air, ocean waves, and a great workout

11. Top of Sutro Baths Upper Trail

12. THEN: The stairway to the upper parking lot as it looked in 2006

13. NOW: Steps to the upper parking lot overlook with first of two Coastal Trail overlooks below

14. From this view area you can continue east to the El Camino del Mar Trail

15. Connector trail between main Lands End Trail and El Camino del Mar Trails

16. Connector trail to El Camino del Mar Trail

17. Near top at El Camino del Mar Trail

18. Coastal/Lands End Trail near top of stairs to Mile Rock Beach

19. Turn left for beach; straight ahead for trail to upper viewspot and Labyrinth

20. West stairway on the main Lands End Trail

21. Another good workout: 138 steps

22. One of two welcoming benches along the "Painted Rock" stairs

23. Near the top - then there's another stairway down the east side

24. Top of the stairs

25. Starting down the east side

26. About 120 various types of steps down the east side

27. Logs here

28. Eastside cliffview at foot of steps

29. Another high-view

30. Continuing east on the Lands End/Coastal Trail

31. Lincoln Park steps at the east edge of the golf course

32. 52 steps and two benches looking forward to a future tilejob

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Bernal Heights Park

11/4/2014

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On the #67 bus (from the 24th/Mission BART station) as it climbed to the south up Bernal Hill towards the park, admired the Folsom street trees canopy.

Bernal Heights Park has rocky-dirt trails and lots of dogs. Used to walk my own up here years ago.

Started from the east side at Bernal Heights Blvd. (first pic) up to the old microwave tower, now called “Bernal Heights Tower” on Google Maps (pic 2). It’s fenced off but with colorful graffiti inside; a narrow trail encircles it. Pic 3.

Unobstructed views from the park on all sides: Pix 4 thru 14.

There’s also a Labyrinth: 15, 16, 17.

Two convenient stairways on the south side descend from the park to Powhattan. The Andover (62 steps, long a favorite) was the one taken this time: 18 thru 24.

Next to this is the shorter Moultrie stairway: 25, 26.

Moving east, Ellsworth to Gates: 15 wood steps.

The Prentiss sidewalk steps, Powhattan to Chapman, were added within the last several years: 27, 28.

Foot of another of the newer stairways up near the park on the south slope: Nevada & Powhattan up to Chapman, called Nevada Open Space on Google Maps, last pic.

Bernal Heights has more stairways than any other SF 'hood.

Love the Castro neighborhood’s new rainbow crosswalk as seen from the #24 Divisadero bus on the way back from my hike; let’s have more of these. Color my world!

1. Onto a trail from Bernal Heights Blvd. on the east side

2. Bernal Heights Tower at the summit

3. Base of the tower

4. Downtown SF in distance

5. A Bay view to the east

6. Looking down

7. Twin Peaks in distance to the left

8. Up to the summit

9. Another view to the east

10. Another north view

11. Bench near the summit

12. Summit view west

13. Summit view north

14. Descending to the south

15. The Labyrinth

16. Land's End is not the only park with a Labyrinth

17. South side near the Andover and Moultrie stairways down

18. Andover stairway down to Powhattan from the park

19. Andover steps descend to Powhattan

20. Andover steps turn to wood partway down

21. A through stairway to and from the park

22. Wood railings on the lower part

23. Down to Powhattan

24. Powhattan to Bernal Heights Park

25. Another way up, the shorter Moultrie stairs

26. Moultrie steps up to the park

27. Prentiss sidewalk steps up from Powhattan

28. Newer sidewalk steps on Prentiss up to Chapman

29. Nevada & Powhattan up to Chapman

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Canyon Newstairs Revisit

11/3/2014

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Back for another Glen Canyon hike to see if all the new stairways might now be walkable. Nothing but praise for the new, completed long one (184 steps) that descends curvingly from Crags Court Garden in the Diamond Heights neighborhood. It winds around to eventually end up at the main trail down below. First two pix, near the foot.

Started up another new one just before the old wood boardwalk begins, but there were only 18 steps, then a trail. No more steps seen so back down this time. Maybe more steps planned higher up? Pic 3.

The footbridge over Islais Creek just after the boardwalk, pic 4. It used to have two sides.

A couple of pix of what one of the newer stairways used to look like in 2004 and 2005 as rustic logs. Now there are 61 steps; it still has that black fencing around it as of this writing. At least it was open again; last time it was blocked off. THENS, pix 5, 6, and NOWS, 7, 8.

On to do the 79 newer steps to the uppermost trail that’s just below Christopher Park in Diamond Heights: 9, 10, 11.

South on this short, shady trail to check the main steps down from Christopher Park. Still unfinished though there’d been the addition of one short section of new stairway surrounded by one of those orange flexibarriers. 15 steps to our beloved viewbench with 49 (so far) down to the dirt trail that leads to the present orange fencing: 12 thru 18.

Well you can’t say I don’t keep checking. It’d be nice to see an online sketch of what’s planned for this park.