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Sunnyside Steep

11/18/2016

First from the Glen Park BART, up from Bosworth for Hamerton’s 66 steps, The stair landings were free of litter this time: first three pix

At the top, another steep block to the east dead-end of Mangels for a hike in the Sunnyside neighborhood.

At Baden there’s a south entrance to Dorothy W. Erskine Park: 4, 5

And a west entrance out of the small park, around to the Glen Park side near Bosworth.

Revisited two small gardenspots. The first is entered off Teresita and there’s a way out at the foot of it to Verna. 19 steps: 6, 7

The second is entered off Melrose, with the sign “Melrose/Detroit Botanical Gardens” visible from the sidewalk. Same as it used to be with no way out to Detroit (above the stairway), and no stairs for this little garden: 8, 9

Sunnyside Playground’s west entrance is off Foerster.

Heading east uphill for the park’s main stairway. The stairs, railings painted blue some years ago when the park got a makeover (pic 10, 2005), alternate with a paved walkway. 36 steps to the top of the second flight with 64 total out to Melrose: 11 thru 16

To the top of the Baden and Joost Street Minipark that starts down from Mangels where some years ago a small older house collapsed. There’s still a vacant lot here. This is a narrow stair-park down to Joost with 55 steps: 17 thru 23

West a couple of blocks to the top of Detroit, Mount Davidson’s longest stairway at 185 steps down to Joost: 24 thru 30

Down from Joost is a north entrance to the Sunnyside Conservatory with 36 steps: 31 thru 38

These next were taken in 2005 before the Conservatory renovation: 39, 40, 41

From 2009, with then-mayor Gavin Newsom in attendance, at the Conservatory reopening party: 42, 43, 44

13 steps down to Monterey out of the park: 45

145 Circular: 46. 47

1 Hamerton up from Bosworth

2 Hamerton halfway up

3 66steps

4 Baden and south entrance to Dorothy Erskine Park

5 Into the park from the Baden entrance

6 Out of the garden at Verna

8 Birdbath at Melrose/Detroit Botanical Gardens

9 Melrose/Detroit

10 THENL Sunnyside Playfground 2005

11 Uphill from the playground for the steps

13 64 steps

17 Top of minipark at Mangels

18 55 steps

19 Joost and Baden Street Minipark

23 Joost Ave.

24 Top of Detroit stairs

25 Jppst partway down to Hearst

26 185 steps

27 Monterey Blvd. Cross for the last block

28 Last flight down

31 Down from Joost, 36 steps

39 THEN: 2005

40 THEN: 2005

41 THEN: 2005

42 THEN: 2009

43 THEN: 2009

44 THEN: 2009

45 Down to Monterey

46 Circular Ave.

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Billygoat and 3

11/13/2016

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First stairway after a short uphill trudge from the 30th and Noe bus stop was from 30th down to Day with 46 streps: 1, 2, 3

At the foot of this one is a short sidewalk that leads to the second Day stairway, this up from Day to Castro with 63 steps: 4 thru 7

Billy Goat Hill Park is directly above with 17 steps to start, then a curving dirt trail to an old concrete bench.

Continuing up, 31 steps so tar at the top of the second flight.

I got 81 steps for all three flights: 8 thru 25. Out to Beacon.

A couple blox south on Beacon to the top of the Harry stairway (238 steps): 26 thru 47

The 30 Harry house has some of the same kinds o rust-colored metal sculptures in its front yard as does the house I posted about recently between 27th and the Duncan-Castro Openspace.

30 Harry has a giraffe and flower artworks.

Harry stairway:

At he foot of Harry, crossed the street (Laidley) to the top (south) end of Noe and down to where I started.

1 30th down to Day

2 46 steps

4 Castro to Day, Noe Valley

5 63 steps

8 Billy Goat Hill Park

9 Dirt trail between first and second flights

10 Second flight up ahead

11 Bernal Hill in distance

12 Starting second flight

14 Remnants of the swing that used to be here

15 30th & Castro below

17 Diamond Heights in distance, center

18 View north - Noe Valley

20 Last flight up

21 81 steps for the park

25 Beacon - south now to Harry

26 Top of Harry

27 238 steps

32 30 Harry

47 Harry at Laidley

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Some BVs

11/10/2016

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Buena Vista Park is a tall hill with multiple stairways, very short to the park’s longest, on the south side, at 170 steps.

Starting out off Haight, the first short stairway was occupied on the west side so started up on the east with 11 starter-steps.

The next walked was 23 up to asmall, fenced playground: First pic

There were more downhill stairs from here: Second pic

Trudging uphill on one of the wider paved trails, soon came to an older wood one with 134 steps nearly up to the summit: 3 thru 6

A north view: 7, 8

West now to the old stone stairs. 41 to the grassy summit openspace: 9 thru 12

Could use a stair repair here: 13

Down from the summit: 14

Down the south slope now to the top of one of the park’s newer stairways with 170 steps: 15 thru 25

This beauty alternates with E-W trails, some wood, with low walls to sit on. Shady, peaceful.

Walkway circling the park, slightly elevated from the street, and 10 newer steps down to a crosswalk: 26 thru 29

These are only a few of the stairways here. A beautiful park to explore with gorgeous old trees. After reaching the foot of the south side, downhill a few blocks to Roosevelt, curving round to the ramp in Corona Heights Park that descends steeply to States St.

Fortunately the ramp has been left open and accessible. The Randall Museum is getting a huge makeover. The lower part of the park, the part with the tennis courts and kids’ playground, is apparently still open.

Down the zigzag ramp to States in the Corona Heights neighborhood: 30 thru 33

1 23 steps to a small playground

2 More steps on the lower north side

3 Starting up a long older one

5 134 steps

7 A north view

10 41 steps

12 Summit openspace

15 Park's longest stairway starts down

16 170 steps down the south side

17 East-west walkways

26 Slightly elevated from the street

27 10 steps

30 Corona Heights Park

33 Down to States St. in Corona Heights neighborhood

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Two Midtowns

11/8/2016

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Off at the #37 Corbett/Twin Peaks stop on Crestline at the top of the long Vista Lane stairs and up the old wood stairway (93 steps) into Twin Peaks Park: First two pix

At the top of these, from the eastside trail just over the low wall (pic 3), noticed they’ve already started the park overhaul. The east side of the Blvd. is now blocked off to traffic.

Now if they’d only retire those two public toilets that are frequently out of order and that have that wash-cycle every time someone exits. They either do not work at all or the door has to be pried open from the outside and/or won’t lock from the inside. The park deserves better than this what with all the tourists AND locals who frequent this park.

I did see a cop car patrolling the area. Good - hope they’ll do the same at Lands Emd.

East-edge trail and Twin Peaks viewplace: 4 thru 12

Moving towards the west side so as to descend alongside the reservoir, noticed some brush has been cleared on the other side of the guardrail. You can now walk there - safer than walking on the car side: 13

Down the trail to Marview. It’s unmarked but now more easily seen from the road: 14, 15, 16

There are a couple of stairways in the Midtown Terrace neighborhood I hadn’t walked im years. No street sign noticed for either flight, but they can be seen on Google Maps. I’ve always counted these as one continuing stairway, but …

he Marview to Clairview flight has 42 steps: 17 thru 21

Continuing uphill, Clairview to Farview, 55 steps: 22 thru 28

At the top of the higher flight and on the short walk leading out to Farview, stop and look up. Way up. Looming above Farview is Sutro Tower and the forested hill it sits on. You can’t see the tower trail from here as it’s hidden by trees.

Back out to Marview. Instead of the tower trail this time (pic 29, east trailhead), into the forest at La Avanzada from the dead-end for vehicles fence at Palo Alto: 30

This is the north trailhead for the trail around Sutro Tower, onto La Avamzada just above Glenbrook: 31, 32

From here it’s short distance to scary Clarendon. As in a curvy two-way street with no crosswalks, speedbumps or skyways - just a couple of “islands.” If they’re going to create a new trail up from Clarendon into Sutro Forest, how about making it safer to cross this street from the Midtown Terrace side, hmmm?

I’d love to see all major parks have their own websites that explain in detail changes to the parks, trail closures, estimated completion dates, etc.

Safely across Clarendon looked up to see a fence and a bunch of goats working behind it. Spoke to them but they were too busy munching away to pause and say hi: 33, 34, 35

Views from the pedestrian walkway alongside Mount Sutro’s Medical Center Way: 36 thru 41

Wondering why they thought it necessary to remove that nice little wooden bench from the pedestrian walkway. Put it back, please - it wasn’t in anyone’s way.

Shortcut stairs alongside a building down to the parking lot where the stairway is: 42

Descending from the permits-only lot to behind the medical buildings, then out to Parnassus and the #43 bus stop. 136 steps. I see more hikers ascending this way these days; hardly ever used to: 43 thru 49

1 Up from Crestline

2 93 steps

3 Twin Peaks Blvd. east and the east trail

13 Westside brush has been cleared

14 Trail down to Marview in Midtown Terrace

15 Down alongside the reservoir

16 Looking back

17 First flight up

18 42 steps

22 Second flight, continuing up

23 Up to Farview

24 55 steps

28 Now look up!

29 East trailhead for the tower trail up from Marview

30 Palo Alto to La Avanzada

31 North trailhead for trail around Sutro Tower

32 North trailhead off La Avanzada

33 Goats at work

36 North Ridge trailhead

37 Fairy Gates trailhead

38 Looking down from the road

41 Edgewood trailhead

42 Shortcut stairs alongside a building

43 Down from permits-only parking lot

44 136 steps

46 Behind UCSF buildings

49 Looking back up

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Halloween Stairwalk

11/6/2016

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Remembered a certain Presidio stairway from years ago; missed it during my last Fort Scott neighborhood/nursery hike.

So having a general idea where it was, searched Google Maps for the exact streets.

Off the #28 bridge-bus, east of the bridge to the Battery East Trail:

Six steps at each end for the low overhead tunnel to start: first two

Battery East Trail and its curvaceous wood stairway (154 steps): 3, 4. 5, 6

Onward, circling round on this delightful old trail between vehicle streets: 7, 8

At the end of this, and before the overlook, crossed over to Hoffman in the North Fort Scott neighborhood.

The remembered stairway starts up from Hoffman a d climbs to Lendrum, where it soon downhills back to Lincoln and Crissy Field Overlook. 53 steps: 9 thru 14
Lots of straw wattles (erosion control) up here now: 15, 16, 17

Crissy Field Overlook: 18, 19, 20

Crossing back over, staying on Lincoln this time, nice view of the stables and hosses below, with a sidewalk for part of the way. Safe enough if you stay close to the guardrail until you get to the crosswalk for the Park Trail.

Park Trail: 21 thru 24

Follow the Park Trail until you see the foot of the forested stairway to the Cemetery Overlook, 99 wood steps meandering thru the woods. The steps are spaced widely apart with short stretches of dirt trail: 25 thru 34

Cemetery Overlook: 35 thru 39

Crossing Arguello to another stretch of forest: last one