The "Welcome to the Presidio" exhibit visited today is at the Presidio Trust Headquarters, 103 Montgomery, next door to the Disney Museum. Hours are 11 to 5, Wednesdays through Sundays, through 2013. This is over on the northwest side of the Main Post. One of the old stairways up from Crissy Field to the Main Post is still here but blocked off by a fence due to construction below.
The exhibit features some excellent color Then and Now pix. Here are a couple of mine of the Public Health Service District buildings that were rehabilitated in 2010. First is before the renovation of the homes on Wyman, 2008, as seen from Mountain Lake Park. Second is a NOW pic of one of the Wyman Ave. houses.
Found this online:
http://www.presidio.gov/about/Pages/welcome-to-the-presidio-exhibit.aspx
If you go to see the exhibit, there are a couple of papers to pick up with lots of info about San Francisco's largest park, including maps and history timelines. A few "by the numbers" quoted from one of these: 1,491 total acres … 433 historic buildings … 60 bee species … 30 butterfly species … 24 miles of trails … 18 years as a national park site … 8 scenic overlooks + vistas … 1 tidal marsh … 1 freshwater lake … 3,000 residents and 21 neighborhoods.
The Trust building is near the east side of the National Cemetery so up I went. To one side of the Post Chapel is a steepish dirt trail I've long loved that winds through the forest to the Cemetery Overlook (2009). Down the west side from the Overlook is another forested trail, this time a wood stairway, down to the Park Trail.
At the foot of this, crossed Park to a short trail that leads out to Wright Loop where a sign instructs hikers to descend to the next street. After briefly visiting the Fort Scott Community Garden off Wisser, up a favorite short trail to the east edge of Rob Hill Campground and across the street to Immigrant Point Overlook where the Connector Trail stairs descend to Lincoln.
However, it was now raining, with visibility nearly nonexistent and my glasses badly in need of windshield wipers, so decided to cut the hike short. Continued down the south side of Rob Hill on Battery Caulfield, past the dunes.
There's one spot on the west side of Battery Caulfield that could use a sidewalk, so to avoid too-close traffic, I like to detour into the Presidio Forest. You can take an upper trail that will get you off the street and still come out at Lobos Valley Overlook. You could also keep going through the forest down to the Lobos Creek Boardwalk Trail.
So what these brochures don't tell you is that the park also has the city's longest stairway, the Batteries to Bluffs Trail: 470-ish steps, third pic.
… and some other long ones that are must-treks for hikers and lovers of public stairways:
The Sand Ladder (over 250 steps), Lincoln down to Baker Beach (pics 4, 5);
Connector Trail (208 steps), Immigrant Point Overlook down to Lincoln (pics 6, 7, 8);
National Cemetery Overlook steps down to Park Trail (about 98 steps, 9th pic);
Mountain Lake Trail up to Marine Cemetery Vista Overlook (and out to Battery Caulfield Road), about 103 steps (counting the stepped boardwalk), 10th pic;
Battery East Trail steps (about 152), west end of Crissy Field Beach/Warming Hut up to the Battery East Trail (Golden Gate Bridge viewspots), pix 11, 12.
The exhibit features some excellent color Then and Now pix. Here are a couple of mine of the Public Health Service District buildings that were rehabilitated in 2010. First is before the renovation of the homes on Wyman, 2008, as seen from Mountain Lake Park. Second is a NOW pic of one of the Wyman Ave. houses.
Found this online:
http://www.presidio.gov/about/Pages/welcome-to-the-presidio-exhibit.aspx
If you go to see the exhibit, there are a couple of papers to pick up with lots of info about San Francisco's largest park, including maps and history timelines. A few "by the numbers" quoted from one of these: 1,491 total acres … 433 historic buildings … 60 bee species … 30 butterfly species … 24 miles of trails … 18 years as a national park site … 8 scenic overlooks + vistas … 1 tidal marsh … 1 freshwater lake … 3,000 residents and 21 neighborhoods.
The Trust building is near the east side of the National Cemetery so up I went. To one side of the Post Chapel is a steepish dirt trail I've long loved that winds through the forest to the Cemetery Overlook (2009). Down the west side from the Overlook is another forested trail, this time a wood stairway, down to the Park Trail.
At the foot of this, crossed Park to a short trail that leads out to Wright Loop where a sign instructs hikers to descend to the next street. After briefly visiting the Fort Scott Community Garden off Wisser, up a favorite short trail to the east edge of Rob Hill Campground and across the street to Immigrant Point Overlook where the Connector Trail stairs descend to Lincoln.
However, it was now raining, with visibility nearly nonexistent and my glasses badly in need of windshield wipers, so decided to cut the hike short. Continued down the south side of Rob Hill on Battery Caulfield, past the dunes.
There's one spot on the west side of Battery Caulfield that could use a sidewalk, so to avoid too-close traffic, I like to detour into the Presidio Forest. You can take an upper trail that will get you off the street and still come out at Lobos Valley Overlook. You could also keep going through the forest down to the Lobos Creek Boardwalk Trail.
So what these brochures don't tell you is that the park also has the city's longest stairway, the Batteries to Bluffs Trail: 470-ish steps, third pic.
… and some other long ones that are must-treks for hikers and lovers of public stairways:
The Sand Ladder (over 250 steps), Lincoln down to Baker Beach (pics 4, 5);
Connector Trail (208 steps), Immigrant Point Overlook down to Lincoln (pics 6, 7, 8);
National Cemetery Overlook steps down to Park Trail (about 98 steps, 9th pic);
Mountain Lake Trail up to Marine Cemetery Vista Overlook (and out to Battery Caulfield Road), about 103 steps (counting the stepped boardwalk), 10th pic;
Battery East Trail steps (about 152), west end of Crissy Field Beach/Warming Hut up to the Battery East Trail (Golden Gate Bridge viewspots), pix 11, 12.
1. THEN: Neglected former Public Health Service District homes on Wyman as seen from Mountain Lake, 2008
2. NOW: Renovated former Public Health Service District home on Wyman
3. Batteries to Bluffs Trail
4. Sand Ladder to Baker Beach
5. Sand Ladder's foot
6. Connector Trail, Lincoln to Immigrant Point Overlook
7. Connector Trail. Lincoln to Immigrant Point Overlook/Rob Hill Campground
8. Connector Trail steps to Immigrant Point Overlook/Rob Hill Campground
9. Cemetery Overlook down to Park Trail
10. Marine Cemetery Overlook steps and boardwalk
11. Battery East Trail stairway up from Crissy Field
12. Battery East Trail stairway down to Crissy Field/Warming Hut
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