Blog Archives

Two to BB

12/25/2018

West along Lincoln, above the Batteries to Bluffs Trail and Pacific overlook to start: 1 thru 12

Continuing along Lincoln past the west Batteries to Bluffs trailhead: 13 thru 22

Down the main Sand Ladder to Baker Beach: 23 thru 46

Baker Beach: 47, 48

Up the shorter Sand Ladder: 49 thru 56

West to the new boardwalk and over to the beach bus stop: 57 thru 63

1 Batteries to Bluffs Trail below

8 Pacific Overlook

20 West trailhead for Batteries to Bluffs Trail

22 Across the street, Connector Trail to Immigrant Point Overlook

23 Lincoln trailhead for the Sand Ladder to Baker Beach

26 Looking back

39 Sometimes more of an obstacle course than a stairway

49 The shorter Sand Ladder

50 About 45 steps

59 The new boardwalk

63 Bus stop bench

0 Comments

South Route

12/25/2018

0 Comments

Into Twin Peaks Park from the south end of Twin Peaks Blvd. and Portola Dr. Views from the east, closed-off part of the Blvd., then around to the west, descending alongside the reservoir. Finally crossing Clarendon and up to Mount Sutro Forest, downhilling along the road and the north stairway behind UCSF medical buildings.

Starting up the trail at Twin Peaks Blvd. and Portola Dr.: 1 thru 7

Second section has steps: 8 thru 18

The third trail section has only four very old wood steps at the top: 19 thru 26

Trailing along the closed-to-vehicles part of Twin Peaks Blvd. to the view area: 27 thru 44

The view area: 45 thru 49

Across the Blvd. to the west trail and downhill alongside Twin Peaks Reservoir to Marview in the Midtown Terrace neighborhood: 50 thru 55

Over to the dead-end of Palo Alto. Sutro Tower above to your left: 56 , 57, 58

Down La Avanzada, the forested road to Sutro Tower: 59, 60, 61

Crossing Clarendon to Mount Sutro Forest and following the pedestrian walkway along the road: 62 thru 68

136 steps down and out to Parnassus: 69 thru 74

1 Glenview & Portola with the trail above

2 Twin Peaks Bl;vd. up from Portola Dr.

7 At the end of the first section you'll see a park sign and a crosswalk

9 Steps start up here

18 Top of second section

20 Creosswalk for the third section up

23 Top of Midcrest Way upper right

28 Mount Davidson left, distance

29 Starting round the east side, closed off to vehicle traffic

35 Steps down to Crestline

36 Steps up Eureka Peak

50 Westside trail

54 Down to Marview

55 Looking back

56 Sign at east trailhead for trail around Sutro Tower

57 Palo Alto west dead-end for vehicles

58 Crossing to La Avanzada

59 La Azanzada

60 La Avanzada

62 Fairy Gates Trail below

0 Comments

Waves

12/24/2018

0 Comments

A recent short hike on a foggy day at Land’s End: 1 thru 5

126 steps down to a trail that will take you up to the Sutro Baths ruins cvavetop: 6 thru 9

Trail to the cavetop viewspot: 10, 11, 12

Cavetop views: 13 thru 16

142 steps up for more views: 17 thru 37

Around to the first overlook: 38 thru 44

59 steps to the upper parking lot overlook: 45 thru 50

Back down again, passing Miley Forest, circling back to El Camino del Mar and 48th Ave./Point Lobos: 51 thru 56

48 59 steps

49 Upper parking lot overlook

51 Fort Miley Forest from the foot

0 Comments

North to South

12/23/2018

0 Comments

Starting a north to south Presidio hike at the bridge area: 1, 2

Part of the Battery East Trail and down the 153 steps: 3 thru 12

Old road now only for cyclists and pedestrians: 13, 14

Continuing past Crissy Field Overlook: 15 thru 20

Down past the stables: 21 thru 28

Up to Park Trail: 29 thru 34

Park Trail meets the 98 steps to the Cemetery Overlook: 35 thru 49

Cemetery Overlook area: 50 thru 54

Out at to the residences: 55 thru 61

Crossing over Washington and continuing south: 62 thru 68

3 Battery East Trail

8 153 steps

9 Wild roses

10 Looking back

13 Cyclists and pedestrians only now

15 North Fort Scott neighborhood upper left

18 Old pet cemetery, center

21 Stables to left

24 Looking back

29 Take me home, country roads

32 National Cemetery from Park Trail

35 98 steps to Cemetery Overlook

0 Comments

Vermont Kansas San Bruno

12/5/2018

0 Comments

Potrero Hill's Vermont: 1 thru 20

Foot of Vermont where a stairway climbs into McKinlety Square Park: 21 thru 24

I Like the lower part of McKinley Square Park best. A view down to the roofs of SF General.

At the south dead-end of Kansas St. is a stairway and “hidden” homes below. Stairs continue down, more steeply now, to 22nd Street. Started up from 22nd and Vermont: 25 thru 36

Kansas: 37 thru 43

Now to Potrero Hill Community Garden on San Bruno Ave. at 20th: 44 thru 57

The gate has never been locked when I've visited. You can take your time wandering round this garden with a view.

San Bruno Ave.: 58 thru 64

The blue pedestrian bridge and minipark on the east side (San Bruno), the Benches Garden: 65 thru 69

On the other side of the bridge is Utah and 18th St. where there is another minipark, Fallen Bridge Park. Also recommended for urban explorers.

2 To right, stairs into McKinley Park

21 Steps up to McKinley Park

0 Comments

Joy Moultrie

12/4/2018

0 Comments

Holly Park: 1, 2,3

Bocana: 4 thru 7

Powhattan: 8

Moultrie, Powhattan to Bernal Heights Park: 9 thru 13

43 Carver was recently sold and now looks so forlorn and neglected with her beautiful front garden reduced to dirt. The twins looked sad. Are they gonna be okay?

43 Carver front and side: 14, 15

Mayflower Garden: 16

Crossing the street at Bradford, Mayflower continues as a gardenspot but still does not seem to run thru to the next street below, though listed as a trail/street on Google Maps. didn’t attempt to go all the way down: 17, 18

Bradford: 19, 20, 21

Bernal Heights Blvd.: 22

Rosenkranz at Bernal Heights Blvd.: 23

Powhattan: 24, 25, 26

Franconia: 27

Mayflower steps to Holladay: 28, 29

A THEN pic from 2005 of Joy stairway, looking down from the Brewster guardrail: 30

Now there are newer residences blocking the view down, and the openspace next to Joy is in danger of disappearing.

A sign says “Pending Development.” In my perfect world there’d be a community garden here.

Joy: 31 thru 43

Foot of Esmeralda stairway: 44

Franconia: 45

Powhattan: 46, 47

Prentiss: 48 thru 53

1 Holly Paek

4 Bocana

8 Powharran

9 Moultrie up from Powhattan

10 Part steps, part trail up to the park

11 A favorite

14 What happened here?

15 Side view of 43 Carver

16 Mayflower

17 Still Mayflower

19 Bradford

22 Bernal Heights Blvd.

23 Rosenkranz at Bernal Heights Blvd,

24 Powhattan

27 Franconia

28 Mayflower steps to Holladay

30 THEN: 2005. Joy from Brewster

31 Joy;s foot

36 Sign to right says "Pending Development"

37 Another favorite: 18 Joy

38 !!

44 Foot of Esmeralda steps

45 Franconia

46 Powhattan at Peralta

47 Powhattan

48 Prentiss

49 Prentiss

52 Minipark

0 Comments

Edgewood Avenue Route

12/2/2018

0 Comments

Just above Parnassus on Willard, Farnsworth Lane’s 149 steps climb to redbricked Edgewood Avenue.

Straight ahead from the top of the stairs is a trail behind homes on the west side of the street. This will take you to a parking lot where you can then continue to Mount Sutro’s trails.

Also from this trail, an offshoot trail leads downhill to connect with the 136 steps of the much used north stairway that descends to Medical Center Way, behind the UCSF medical buildings.

This hike, however, does neither. It continues south on Edgewood to its dad-end for vehicles and the Edgewood Trail.

Farnsworth Lane: 1 thru 9

Edgewood Ave.: 10 thru 13

Looking down from the end of the street: 14 thru 17

Edgewood Trail: 18 thru 40

Up to the road: 41, 42, 43

Aldea Community Center: 44, 45

Back along the road: 46 thru 49

This time down to the above mentioned parking lot (permits only) for the steps down: 50 thru 60

1 Foot of Farnsworth at Willard

10 Edgewood Ave,

21 Looking back

46 Crossing for the North Ridge Trail

48 Down for the Edgewood Trail

49 Crossing for the Historic Trail

50 Top of the north stairway

56 Up to the trail behind Edgewood Ave. homes

60 Looking up from Medical Center Way

0 Comments

Fran Rutledge

12/1/2018

0 Comments

From Holladay in east Bernal Heights, Joy’s foot: 1

The Rutledge stairs start up from Holladay. There was no gate this time but it still shows up on Google Maps.

Rutledge up to Mullen: 2 thru 14

Construction on a mew residence was nearly completed: 15, 16

What it replaced, THENs: 17, 18

Continuing up to Brewster: 19 thru 22

The blue house at the top of the stairs used to be yellow: 23, 24

Brewster at Rutledge: 25 thru 29

Crossing Brewster to Wolfe Lane Community Garden and Miller/Dogpatch Memorial Garden. Google Naps shows two garden names. The north strip is Wolfe and the larger section to the south, with the stairs up and the benches, tables and chairs, is Miller/Dogpatch.

Miller-Dogpatch is an open stairgarden and unlike last visit to Bernal Heights Community Garden didn’t have to worry about being locked inside.

Up through the south garden to the top: 30 thru 49

The Nice Neighborhood Garden sign at the top, Franconia, has been here for years: 50

Franconia’s present stairgarden dates from 2004.

THENs from just before the transformation: 51, 52, 53

A THEN of the same area from around 1972: 54

NOWs: 55 thru 65

Franconia: 66, 67

Franconia meets Esmeralda and Peralta and Esmeralda steps descend: 68 thru 78

Up Mayflower from Franconia to Peralta. You’d think the steps starting up at the side of a residence belonged to the home. But this block is a rough trail, including some steps alongside a residence on the north side.

So this is actually a through “street.” But though the higher block I ventured partway down another day didn't seem to run thru, it is listed as a trail on Google Maps as well. Mayflower is a strange “street.”’

Esmeralda up to Peralta on Mayflower: 79. 80, 81

Powhattan: 82

There goes the neighborhood…new residences along Powhattan: 83