Stairways are Heaven
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Hidden McLaren Steps

4/18/2014

6 Comments

 
Passing on recent pix (1 through 8) of a McLaren Park stairway that some SF stairway walkers may not be familiar with. The longest in the park with 195 steps, it starts up at the dead-end of Campbell Ave. in the Visitacion Valley neighborhood. It's set back a bit from the street, thus slightly “hidden.”

It climbs past Visitacion Valley Middle School and up to Visitacion Ave. When you reach the top, continue up steep Visitacion to divided Mansell. 

South of Mansell is the Visitacion Valley neighborhood. North of Mansell, to the east of the park, is the Portola ‘hood. 

From the foot of the stairs, this time downhilled on Campbell a couple of streets to Delta. Left on Delta to the next street up, Tucker, and onto the skinny, steep, rough concrete walk (seven steps to start), pix 9, 10, 11.  

At the top of this pathway, the next cross-street up is Tioga, then Wilde. Turn left on Wilde to Ervine for a steep curving trail into the park, the old observation tower above. You can’t see the stairs until you’re partway up (about 56, pix 12, 13, 14), at the top of which are a couple of Philosopher’s Way musing stations and viewbenches: 15, 16.

Pic 17: Seriously steep trail off the stairway, also up to the viewbenches. 

Especially love the south, openspace part of McLaren with big sis San Bruno Mountain across, everything green and wildflowery now at both parks (pic 18). 

What is this flower (pic 19) seen south of Mansell? 


Unfortunately one of the nearby musing station plaques had been graffitied-upon; hope there are ways to remove the paint from the artwork.  

Check out these daisies all over the place, just north of the tennis courts: pic 20, Bernal Hill in distance. 

Pic 21: Another of the musing stations. 

A favorite trail descends to Lake McNab that starts a short distance below the tennis courts, north of Mansell. It’s steep, switchbacked, hard-packed dirt: 22 thru 26. 

Critters seen: a squirrel (too far away), a lizard (too fast), and this guy: last two pix. 

McLaren is around 318 acres and the third largest park within SF city limits. However, since the Presidio’s a national park, some people don’t include it when talking about acreage, even though it’s larger than Golden Gate Park. So one is likely to hear city park McLaren still spoken of as being the second largest SF park.  

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1. Stairway starts down from Visitacion Ave. San Bruno Mountain in distance.
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2. Down from Visitacion Ave.
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3. Visitacion Ave. down to Campbell
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4. 195 steps
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5. Continuing down
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6. Down into the Visitacion Valley neighborhood
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7. Alongside the school and out to Campbell Ave.
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8. "Hidden" stairs at dead-end of Campbell
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9. Delta pathway, Tucker to Tioga
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10. Rough spot
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11. Up to Tioga
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12. Stairs ahead. Trail up from Wilde into the park.
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13. 56 steps up to benches, musing stations, and picnic tables
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14. Visitacion Valley below
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15. One of the musing stations with top of stairway just behind
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16. Viewbenches south of Mansell
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17. Steep trail up from the stairway
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18. San Bruno Mountain in distance with Vis Valley below.
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19. What is this flower? Seen only in McLaren.
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20. Daisies on the lawn. Bernal Hill in distance.
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21. Another musing station
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22. Trail down to Lake McNab
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23. Bernal Hill in distance, upper left corner
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24. A favorite trail
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25. Switchbacked trail down to Lake McNab
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26. Trailsign climbing back up
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27. Looking for lunch
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28. Long-legged beauty
6 Comments
Stephen Marsalese
4/18/2014 12:15:11 pm

Thank you for sharing, that was pretty amazing!

Reply
Daphne
4/19/2014 04:38:41 am

195 steps is a lot of steps. I'll have to look in one of my plant books to see about identifying that interesting flower. This looks like a pretty area to hike in and not crowded at all. Do you know what kind of bird this is? Judging by it's long legs, it's some sort of wading bird. Is there a lake or is the bay close by? Very pretty and the bird allowed you to get pretty close. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Richard Crooks
4/22/2014 01:39:28 am

What a great sight. San Francisco is such a beautiful city and has so much to offer everyone.

Reply
Tony Holiday
4/22/2014 02:27:13 am

It sure does. All our parks are such viewtiful treasures and we're so lucky to have 'em.

Reply
Shannon link
9/7/2014 07:48:11 am

thanks for this great post! looking forward to exploring. the flower is gazania - they grow a lot by a park near my work in menlo park, and i see it rarely in sf.

Reply
Tony Holiday
9/7/2014 09:48:00 am

Thanks. Never heard of it before now!

Reply



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    I like meandering around on San Francisco's park trails and public stairways, sometimes taking photos, and enjoying nature and the outdoors.

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