Stairways are Heaven
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Nob to Filbert and Greenwich

11/29/2015

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​Starting from Nob Hill, diagonally east across to Telegraph Hill. First Joice, 67 steps, Pine partway up to California. The altar, halfway up, has been there for years. First four pix. 

Utilitarian stairways (both sides) down from the Stockton Tunnel, California to Stockton in Chinatown. About 40 steps: 5, 6

Hang Ah, a Chinatown alley between Clay & Sacramento, Waverly & Stockton, two of several tile-art plaques on a building: 7, 8

Past the Beat Museum on Broadway and up the first long one, Broadway to Vallejo, the Peter Macchiarini Steps. Kearny is the steep street in the middle; so steep it’s not thru for vehicles at Vallejo, but cars are able to access it partway up from Fresno: 9, 10, 11  

From here, continuing uphill on Vallejo to the top of the 97 Vallejo steps. Used to live here (pic 12), top of the stairs. Here’s how the steep concrete center slab used to look when I lived there: a THEN, pic 13, 1970s, and NOWS: 14, 15, 16 

Up from the foot of the Vallejo stairs, 49 for Montgomery partway to Union: 17, 18, 19

Filbert east, Sansome to Pioneer Park, 380 steps: 20 thru 34

Pioneer Park: 35, 36, 37

The gardeny Greenwich stairs just north of Filbert, 386 steps from Sansome to the east side of the Coit Tower parking lot: 38 thru 48


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1. Joice's foot at Pine, Nob Hill
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2. Partway up to California St.
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3. Halfway up
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4. Between Powell & Stockt0n
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5. Nob Hill down to Chinatown
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6. To Stockton St, in Chinatown heading north
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7. One of several wall-tiles on a building near Clay St,
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8. Hang Ah in Chinatown
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9. Peter Macchiarini east sidewalk steps
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10. Looking down from Vallejo
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11. I've always liked this building: Vallejo and Kearny
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12. Top of Vallejo garden stairs
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13. THEN, 1970s, steep concrete slab with side stairways
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14. Just below the wall
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15. Near the foot at Montgomery
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16. Center garden with zigzag stairs
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17. Between Green and Union
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18. 49 steps
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19. Street sign for Montague at top
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20. Many years ago this part used to be wood too
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21. Nice design
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22. Stairs start just off Sansome
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23. Concrete into wood
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24. First offshoot Napier Lane to right
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25. A friendly resident
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26. THEN, 1972, 224 Filbert
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27. NOW: 224 Filbert
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28. THEN: 224 Filbert, side, 1972
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29. NOW: 226 (top) and 224 Filbert
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30. THEN: 226 Filbert, 1972
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31, NOW: 226 Filbert
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32. Looking down from the Darrell sign
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33. Filbert steps dividing upper and lower Montgomery
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34. Filbert above Montgomery
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35. Top of Filbert east at Telegraph Hill Blvd. Pioneer Park above
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36. More steps into the park
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37. Park stairs
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38. Greenwich steps start down from east side of Coit Tower parking lot
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39. Brick steps for the first block down to Montgomery
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40. Red brick now
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41. Just above Montgomery
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42. Greenwich at Montgomery
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43. Below Montgomery: second block down
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44. Right turn here
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45. Off the main stairs/walk, a deck and garden paths
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46. Looking up
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47. The walkway turns into stairs again
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48. Down to Sansome
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Elk to Portola

11/15/2015

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... Nearly to Portola and on the way back up to Christopher Park.,

Crossing Diamond Heights Blvd. at Sussex & Elk: 1, 2, 3

Onto the east main canyon floor trail under the tree  canopy: 4, 5


Continuing north nearly all the way up to Portola, passing the norih climbing-rocks stairs: pic 6, 68 steps. 

Partway up the newer trail that extends to Portola: 7, 8, 9, 10

On the way back, up the 68 south climbing-rox stairs: 11 thru 16. 

Up the main eastside trail, about 90 steps: 17 thru 27. This curvy upper trail comes out at Christopher Park in Diamond Heights next to the shopping center. 
Picture
1. Down the steps at Elk & Sussex
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2. Into Glen Canyon Park from the Glen Park neighborhood
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3. An older stairway up to Elk
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4. This footbridge over Islais Creek used to have two sdes
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5. There's another trail across to the west (right)
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6. Good-looking wood steps climb up to the rocks
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7. Will this short section of trail ever get some steps?
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8. Diamond Heights stilt-homes in distance
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9. Trail out to Portola
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10. Northernmost trail up to Portola
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11. Stairs to south side of the climbing rocks
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12. Climbing and curving
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13. Beloved climbing-rocks to left
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14. When I was there a group was running up and down these
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15. About 68 steps
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16. Love these Trees at top of the two stairways
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17. This trail climbs to Christopher Park
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18. Trail to right
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19. Looking up
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20. Curvaceous viewtrail
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21. Up to the bench
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22. About 90 steps
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23. Three-way trail
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24. The viewbench
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25. Trail to south connects with longest park stairway down from Crags Ct. garden
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26. Top connects with Christopher Park
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27. East Canyontop view at edge of Christopher Park
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Oakhurst into the Forest

11/8/2015

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Uphilling a few blox on Warren in Mount Sutro’s Forest Knolls neighborhood to the foot of the mighty green Oakhurst stairway (about 353 steps). There are 162 steps to the dead-end of Oak Park. Continue to the top at Crestmont, first 9 pix.
 
Turn left at the top of the stairs. A block or so to the north, curving round on Crestmont, is the foot of the elusive West Ridge Trail up into Sutro Forest. There’s no trailmarker for it on Crestmont, a couple of old steps to start, and It’s steep: 10 thru 14

The first part of the West Ridge climbs to the Historic Trail. You can continue up the West Ridge for a delightful summit shortcut. 

This time winding to the left on the Historic. Disappointed to see so much clearing-and-chopping. They’ve apparently also eradicated the little patch of Miner’s Lettuce that used to grow in a certain place up here all year round (the plant is normally seasonal, showing up in the parks during winter and spring months). It’d been there since the beginning of time. Hopefully they didn’t get the roots and it’ll reappear with more rain.


Continuing on the Historic to a rock just offtrail where I like to stop for a bite to eat.

Soon seen below are the medical buildings and Medical Center Way. 


The upper Historic: 15 thru 29 

The end of the trail descends to the road where a short distance from here are trailheads for the North Ridge, Fairy Gates, and East Ridge: 30, 31, 32

From the Fairy Gates trailhead down to the Edgewood Trail and out to the south dead-end of Edgewood Ave. Pix 33 thru 39 

Three or so blocks downhill on Edgewood (past the top of Belmont) to its north dead-end for vehicles and the 149 Farnsworth steps: pic 40

But instead of descending on Farnsworth, a few yards west from the top of the steps and the swing (pic 41), onto a trail just behind the homes on Edgewood Ave. Partway along is a trail downhill. A lot of hacking has been done in this area too: pic 42 

Go down this and you’ll soon come to a very old wood stairway with 16 steps: 43 thru 47

This connects with the longer one (138 steps) that descends from the parking lot, the stairway I’m always going on about: 48 thru 52

Last pic: Aldea residential area netween Behr & Johnstone with steps between the two streets, the residences and the community 
center.  

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1. Foot of Oakhurst at Warren
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2. Starting up
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3. Warren to Crestmont
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4. Looking down at rooftops on Warren
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5. 162 steps up to the dead-end of Oak Park
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6. Continuing up from the opening out to Oak Park Dr. (right)
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7. About 353 steps
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8. Sutro Forest above
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9. Top of Oakhurst at Crestmont
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10. Starting up from Crestmont, the West Ridge Trail has no trailmarker
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11. View north from the West Ridge Trail
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12. West Ridge Trail
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13. West Ridge Trail
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14. Steeply up ahead is the Historic Trail
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15. West Ridge Trail down from the Historic
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16. View north from the upper Historic Trail
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17. Winding around
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18. A log to sit on
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19. Always be sure to look up
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20. Just offtrail, a sittin' rock
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21. View of the trail from the rock
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22. Curving around
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23. Medical Center Way below
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24. Winding round the Magic Mountain
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25. Road below to the right
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26. Nice rocks!
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27. More nice rocks
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28, Historic Trail
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29. Out to Medical Center Way
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30. Up from the road, the North Ridge Trail climbs to the summit
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31. Trails above and below
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32. Medical Center Way winds around
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33. Switchbackin' down to the Edgewood from the Fairy Gates Trail
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34. Edgewood Trail
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35. Love this trail!
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36. View of part of the lower Historic Trail out to Stanyan
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37. Looking up from Edgewood Trail
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38. Edgewood Trail
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39. Trailhead at Edgewood Ave.
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40. Edgewood Ave. near top of Farnsworth stairs
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41. The swing at the top of the Farnsworth steps
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42. Trail behind homes on Edgewood Ave. South to the parking lot.
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43 16 older steps
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44. Connector steps
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45. Down to the longer stairway
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46. Short stairway to trail behind houses on Edgewood Ave.
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47. Offshoot steps from the main Medical Center Way stairs
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48. Stairs from the parking lot down to Medical Center Way
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49. About 138 steps
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50. At the foot of this stairway you will be behind the medical buildinga on Parnassus
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51. Down to the foot at Medical Center Way
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52. Looking back up
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53. Steps and walkways connect residential streets Behr & Johnstone
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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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