One Bernal-hike a couple of years ago led me from my beginning at Fair (up from Mission) several blocks to Bernal Heights Park on Esmeralda that consisted of mostly stairs. Esmeralda's steps are twice interrupted by a bit of street on the way up. Bernal has narrower streets than the rest of the city; the distance between flights is so short that I'm inclined to call all of Esmeralda north, from Coleridge straight ahead to the park, one continuing stairway series.
Inspired to revisit this one after receiving a (2012) San Francisco stairs-and-slides photo-calendar (put out by Zephyr Realty) called "Chutes and Ladders" that had a photo of Esmeralda's double slide. So today ascended all of it, then just continued down the hill's south slope from the park. An effective way to warm up on a chilly day.
This time started up from the west side instead of the Fair stairway: from the J-Church Metro's closest stop on 30th and Dolores two or so blocks from the foot of the hill. Coleridge is the first cross-street up from Virginia. Turn left to the Coleridge Minipark between Virginia and Fair. Crossing the street here, the first series of steps begins Esmeralda to one side of a white house (first pic).
This first flight climbs to 100 Lundys/50 Esmeralda from Coleridge: 61 steps. The next stairway can easily be seen from the top (second pic) and invites you to keep going up: Lundys to Prospect.
From 100 Prospect, the next shady flight will take you to 100 Winfield/200 Esmeralda (third pic). This is the section of Esmeralda with the slides in the micropark. There are 77 steps this time, with the last part of the stairway running alongside the double slide (pics 4, 5).
One more short non-stairs walkup, the last stairway in full view across Elsie, the next street.
At Elsie 100 and Esmeralda 300 the steps continue into Bernal Heights Park. This longer part is called the "Esmeralda Corridor" on Google Maps: 122 or so steps. At the top of the stairs you'll step out onto a park trail (pics 6, 7, 8, 9).
Pic 10: A park trail.
So 260 steps in all for Esmeralda's north side.
Now in the park, curved round to the west (view of Twin Peaks and the rest of the world) to the Labyrinth (11th pic). Mile Rock Beach (Lands End) is not the only park with a Labyrinth to walk. Across from the Labyrinth you'll see a treehouse and a stairway starting down alongside a home (12th pic: at the top of the Andover stairway). This one consists of around 60 concrete and wood steps with a few steppingstones in the center: down to 100 Andover's north dead-end for cars at 100 Powhattan (last pic).
From here, a short distance downhill to Cortland 500 and Andover 300, the library and The Good Life Grocery.
Precita Eyes Muralists have commenced work on the library's new mural.
Inspired to revisit this one after receiving a (2012) San Francisco stairs-and-slides photo-calendar (put out by Zephyr Realty) called "Chutes and Ladders" that had a photo of Esmeralda's double slide. So today ascended all of it, then just continued down the hill's south slope from the park. An effective way to warm up on a chilly day.
This time started up from the west side instead of the Fair stairway: from the J-Church Metro's closest stop on 30th and Dolores two or so blocks from the foot of the hill. Coleridge is the first cross-street up from Virginia. Turn left to the Coleridge Minipark between Virginia and Fair. Crossing the street here, the first series of steps begins Esmeralda to one side of a white house (first pic).
This first flight climbs to 100 Lundys/50 Esmeralda from Coleridge: 61 steps. The next stairway can easily be seen from the top (second pic) and invites you to keep going up: Lundys to Prospect.
From 100 Prospect, the next shady flight will take you to 100 Winfield/200 Esmeralda (third pic). This is the section of Esmeralda with the slides in the micropark. There are 77 steps this time, with the last part of the stairway running alongside the double slide (pics 4, 5).
One more short non-stairs walkup, the last stairway in full view across Elsie, the next street.
At Elsie 100 and Esmeralda 300 the steps continue into Bernal Heights Park. This longer part is called the "Esmeralda Corridor" on Google Maps: 122 or so steps. At the top of the stairs you'll step out onto a park trail (pics 6, 7, 8, 9).
Pic 10: A park trail.
So 260 steps in all for Esmeralda's north side.
Now in the park, curved round to the west (view of Twin Peaks and the rest of the world) to the Labyrinth (11th pic). Mile Rock Beach (Lands End) is not the only park with a Labyrinth to walk. Across from the Labyrinth you'll see a treehouse and a stairway starting down alongside a home (12th pic: at the top of the Andover stairway). This one consists of around 60 concrete and wood steps with a few steppingstones in the center: down to 100 Andover's north dead-end for cars at 100 Powhattan (last pic).
From here, a short distance downhill to Cortland 500 and Andover 300, the library and The Good Life Grocery.
Precita Eyes Muralists have commenced work on the library's new mural.
Esmeralda & Coleridge, foot of the stairway
Esmeralda at Lundys Lane
Esmeralda between Prospect & Winfield
Esmeralda Slides and Stairway
Top of Esmeralda's Slides
Esmeralda Corridor, Elsie to the Park
Esmeralda Corridor, Elsie to the Park
Esmeralda Corridor, Elsie to the Park
Top of Esmeralda into Bernal Heights Park
Bernal Heights Park
Bernal Heights Park
Top of Andover steps at Bernal Heights Park
Andover & Powhattan. Steps up to the park.
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