Stairways are Heaven
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Stairways are Heaven

Lovers Lane to Park Presidio

5/9/2012

1 Comment

 

I tend to gravitate to the Presidio's west side more often for hikes, but the east and middle definitely have their charms too. For instance, to enter the park via the Broadway trailhead near the Lyon stairway is a real treat, and the Simonds Loop steps are also on the extreme east side.

From the Lovers Lane trailhead into the park, you can wind along the Mountain Lake Trail on the south side a short distance until you reach the newly renovated El Polin Spring picnic area and then up to Inspiration Point Overlook. This time stepped down from Lovers Lane after a few yards onto a favorite sandy trail that's just below the Mountain Lake Trail, across from the beginning of the Wood Line forest sculpture. 

Meandered along to the west in the thick sand and warm sunshine and along a trail that during blackberry season provides good yields. Soon was looking out over El Polin from a trail above. A couple of ducks were diving in the northernmost pond when I got down there. There's the old stairway down and a longer, steeper one up the west slope that will take you to the Ecology Trail which curves around to Inspiration Point Overlook. First pic: a view from above, showing the older, shorter stairway down from the south slope. 

For a change, however, headed north through the residential area where I discovered yet another new neighborhood garden in a space between homes near El Polin on McArthur near Wallen (second pic). Went up a few steps from Wallen (just because I'd always only passed by it before without ascending). But there was no real trail there, just pine needles and tall grasses; it was short and then I was on Quarry Road, the next residential street up. At Quarry and Barnard are 36 steps to Moraga at the Main Post and the newly opened Inn at the Presidio. There's now a plaque on the front: "Historic Homes of America. National Trust for Historic Preservation."

You can continue west straight through the Main Post to the steps that lead up to the Post Chapel. Detoured this time to the temporary Visitor Center (just past the Disney Museum), but found it closed (hours: Thursday-Sunday, 10 to 4). 

Headed back uphill (aromas of freshly cut grass and eucalyptus) towards the front of the Post Chapel (love the architecture; third pic) and round to one of my favorite trails. This one zigs and climbs through sun-dappled, birdsong-y woods at the south side of the cemetery up to the Cemetery Overlook. 
In the distance the Bridge was mostly blanketed in fog (fourth pic). The Overlook steps (98 or so, fifth foto) will take you back into the forest again and down to the Park Trail. 

At the top of the golf course, continued south downhill to the Mountain Lake Trail (also an excellent area during berrytime). This trail takes you under a highway overpass and around Mountain Lake (a groupwalk and several redtail hawks seen). 

If you exit the park here, you can walk all the way south to Golden Gate Park on the island trail that divides Park Presidio. You do have to cross each of the E-W streets, but then can get back on the greenway. This time just went from the park to the bus stop on California.

Picture
El Polin Spring from a trail above. Older steps to right.
Picture
Neighborhood garden near El Polin Spring
Picture
Post Chapel
Picture
Fog and bridgetop from Cemetery Overlook
Picture
Cemetery Overlook steps down to Park Trail
1 Comment
Daphne
5/9/2012 05:58:59 pm

The first time I tried to view these pics not all of them showed up so the server was just a bit slow. These are nice pics. The post chapel is old Spanish architecture and might even be made of adobe. I've seen a lot of old and newer homes built in the Spanish style with the red clay tiles on the roof. There's an upscale housing development featuring mny homes with the Spanish tile roofs. Very attractive architecture. Zorro would approve of that balcony.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

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

    Archives

    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011


    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.