Thirty-six steps descend into Glen Canyon Park from Elk, the route recently taken for a south-to-north hike. The lower south part of the park is bare and depressing to look at with all that ongoing construction. Workers were also doing something up at the side of the guardrail where Diamond Heights Blvd. starts near Berkeley Way.
Disappointed to see that one of the big old trees on the main trail is now a stump. This is near a short set of wood steps leading up to one of the eastside trails (first pic). There are stumps and huge logs laying around.
When one has grown used to the certain look of a uniquely wild park over many years, it's difficult to get used to when people who should know better go to such extremes with their version of "park improvements." Treelimbs have been chopped off all the way along the lower trail as one moves south to north.
"My" beloved northeast trail has seen some clearing too since I last visited. Now it's easier (a bit too easy!) to navigate the lower trails. I liked it when it was overgrown and "hidden" and I had to crawl under tangles and branches to get to it. I'm now, however, able to look down at Islais Creek from this side of the trail (pic 2).
Changed my mind a while back about thinking it'd be cool if this trail could be cleared out to Portola (and thus up to Twin Peaks Blvd. and into that park as a continuation) because those in charge don't seem to know when to quit.
Was naively hoping for minimal clearing, no tree-felling, and a pedestrian skyway over busy Portola (yeah, right), as in just enough space for hikers to navigate without being chewed up alive by brambles, but hopefully leaving the across-the-trail treelimbs alone.
Instead of concentrating on eliminating trees alongside the trail, why not construct more skyways across curvy, dangerous-to-cross streets like O'Shaughnessy, Clarendon, and Portola, to name a few, so one can move easily and safely from one greenspace to another. They're spending taxpayers' money on the wrong things.
Thought they did a good job with the new Twin Peaks trail up from Portola, but so far am not impressed with the so-called "improvements" in the lower Canyon. Alongside the extended stairway on the south side of the popular climbing rocks (ascends from the lower trail near the fence and boardwalk), there's still that ugleee black fencing: pic 3. Take it down already!
Pix 4, 5, 6, 7: the newer stairway on the north side of these rocks; love this one.
At least now there are still some treelimbs to climb over on the extreme northside trail but who knows how long this'll last. Wish they'd stop trying to eliminate the remaining bits of wildness in our urban parks. Canyons are supposed to be "wild."
After viewing the mess they've made so far, I now hope this north end stays tangled and up-and-back after all, and I'm sure the resident wildlife will back me up on this. And not every trail on earth needs to be bike-friendly. The trail still, fortunately, doesn't go much past the school playing field gate (pic 8). Noticed a pile of old clothes and an old chair (pic 9) in the area this time. A campsite back there too?
Both northernmost trailheads are easier to see now (pic 10) from the trail above.
Out of the park climbing to the shopping center, first up 13 steps to Turquoise Way (no street sign seen when you get to this first Diamond Heights street, pix 11). The stairway continues directly across the street to Amber: 65 steps total to this second street up from the Canyon, pic 12.
At Amber it's a short walk (right turn), maybe a couple of blocks, to the next stairway up, Coralino (132 steps), that ascends to Cameo. Coralino is unnamed on the street but named and shown on Google Maps (maps). Pix 13 through 17.
Up Cameo to Duncan and the Little Red Hen community garden (last pic) at the Police Academy. The next street is Diamond Heights Blvd. (right turn) for the Diamond Heights Shopping Center and Christopher Park.
Disappointed to see that one of the big old trees on the main trail is now a stump. This is near a short set of wood steps leading up to one of the eastside trails (first pic). There are stumps and huge logs laying around.
When one has grown used to the certain look of a uniquely wild park over many years, it's difficult to get used to when people who should know better go to such extremes with their version of "park improvements." Treelimbs have been chopped off all the way along the lower trail as one moves south to north.
"My" beloved northeast trail has seen some clearing too since I last visited. Now it's easier (a bit too easy!) to navigate the lower trails. I liked it when it was overgrown and "hidden" and I had to crawl under tangles and branches to get to it. I'm now, however, able to look down at Islais Creek from this side of the trail (pic 2).
Changed my mind a while back about thinking it'd be cool if this trail could be cleared out to Portola (and thus up to Twin Peaks Blvd. and into that park as a continuation) because those in charge don't seem to know when to quit.
Was naively hoping for minimal clearing, no tree-felling, and a pedestrian skyway over busy Portola (yeah, right), as in just enough space for hikers to navigate without being chewed up alive by brambles, but hopefully leaving the across-the-trail treelimbs alone.
Instead of concentrating on eliminating trees alongside the trail, why not construct more skyways across curvy, dangerous-to-cross streets like O'Shaughnessy, Clarendon, and Portola, to name a few, so one can move easily and safely from one greenspace to another. They're spending taxpayers' money on the wrong things.
Thought they did a good job with the new Twin Peaks trail up from Portola, but so far am not impressed with the so-called "improvements" in the lower Canyon. Alongside the extended stairway on the south side of the popular climbing rocks (ascends from the lower trail near the fence and boardwalk), there's still that ugleee black fencing: pic 3. Take it down already!
Pix 4, 5, 6, 7: the newer stairway on the north side of these rocks; love this one.
At least now there are still some treelimbs to climb over on the extreme northside trail but who knows how long this'll last. Wish they'd stop trying to eliminate the remaining bits of wildness in our urban parks. Canyons are supposed to be "wild."
After viewing the mess they've made so far, I now hope this north end stays tangled and up-and-back after all, and I'm sure the resident wildlife will back me up on this. And not every trail on earth needs to be bike-friendly. The trail still, fortunately, doesn't go much past the school playing field gate (pic 8). Noticed a pile of old clothes and an old chair (pic 9) in the area this time. A campsite back there too?
Both northernmost trailheads are easier to see now (pic 10) from the trail above.
Out of the park climbing to the shopping center, first up 13 steps to Turquoise Way (no street sign seen when you get to this first Diamond Heights street, pix 11). The stairway continues directly across the street to Amber: 65 steps total to this second street up from the Canyon, pic 12.
At Amber it's a short walk (right turn), maybe a couple of blocks, to the next stairway up, Coralino (132 steps), that ascends to Cameo. Coralino is unnamed on the street but named and shown on Google Maps (maps). Pix 13 through 17.
Up Cameo to Duncan and the Little Red Hen community garden (last pic) at the Police Academy. The next street is Diamond Heights Blvd. (right turn) for the Diamond Heights Shopping Center and Christopher Park.
1. Main trail, southeast side
2. Northeast trail
3. Extended south stairway, center, up to the climbing rocks
4. A newer stairway up from the Canyon floor
5. Newer stairs to upper trails
6. North side of the climbing rocks
7. View from top of the newer stairway
8. School playing field gate at northeast trail
9. Northeast trail near school playing field gate
10. Trail into Canyon depths from a higher trail
11. Out of the Canyon into Diamond Heights 'hood
12. Amber down to Turquoise steps
13. Coralino Ln. up to Cameo
14. Coralino, 132 steps
15. Between Amber & Cameo
16. Continuing up Coralino stairway
17. Top of Coralino at Cameo
18. Little Red Hen Community Garden, Diamond Heights
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