There's an old song by Creedence Clearwater Revival which first two lines make me think of certain favorite hiking destinations. The lyrics that start "Up Around the Bend":
"There's a place up ahead and I'm goin'
Just as fast as my feet can fly"
Marietta Drive is one of these places: a charming divided street in the Miraloma Park 'hood of east Mount Davidson, way up there.
After a short distance along Marietta, there's an opening between homes with access to a steep, rocky, green cliffside openspace. Curvy O'Shaughnessy, far below, divides the east edge of the mountain from the west side of Glen Canyon with Diamond Heights stacked up across the canyon, as in oh-whatta-view. First six pics, the last showing the foot of Onique stairway (about 346 steps: Berkeley to Topaz in Diamond Heights) from afar.
Various short dirt trails will lead you to rocks where you can sit or stand to contemplate the vast view (but watch out for dog poop). A delight to behold is the swing hanging from the lone tree just off Marietta. This place is one of those magical spots where I could just perch on a rock for a while and not wanna get up, especially on a warm, sunny day.
Also enjoy (understatement…) the route I took today (though not direct and quite steep) so much that I headed back down to Glen Park exactly the same way. I have multiple favorite houses around here on Mangels, Nordhoff, Baden, and Melrose. The hole in the ground is still there where a little house collapsed several years ago at the top of the Joost-Baden Minipark at Mangels & Nordhoff (benches here).
From Mangels, turned on Congo, then Stillings, curling round to Teresita and finally Marietta. Again, steep, winding and uphill all the way. Hillwalkers take note.
At 100 Stillings/600 Congo at Malta and Stillings you can see the openspace off in the distance but there are still several blocks to curve around before you get there. How cool would it be if a long stairway climbed up the slope from the dead-end of Valletta Ct. below (at the end of Malta).
The top of Detroit is near Vista Verde & Stillings. Passed near the top of the long Detroit stairway on my way up (185 steps, seventh pic). Vista Verde's downhill and not through. Continue on Stillings and turn right for curvaceous Teresita and a gorgeous view of Mount Davidson Park's east side.
On Teresita, you'll pass Los Palmos and Foerster, then the end of Molimo. (If you were to continue on Molimo you could eventually access one of the trails up to Mount Davidson Park's openspace, but this is some distance away.) The #36 Teresita bus that passed me as I climbed ever higher goes up to the park, then swoops down to the Forest Hill Metro station.
At Teresita and Molimo are right-turn and 20 mph signs where Marietta begins. Marietta here has various plants along its center divide and some very short stairways (each with just a few steps) from lower to upper. I love this time of year when yellow oxalis, one of my favorite wildflowers, decorates front yards and green hillsides.
From my beginning, the Glen Park BART station, turned west on Bosworth in the Glen Park neighborhood and up the Hamerton stairway (eighth pic, 67 steps). Hamerton has benches off the stairs in two places.
At the top of Hamerton (ninth pic: love the trees here) is the east end of the Sunnyside-to-Westwood-Highlands street Mangels (Mangels 000/Hamerton End). This is a favorite viewspot of mine: all along the ridge here that sorta divides the east Sunnyside 'hood from Glen Park's west edge, with a tasty view of Glen Park/Diamond Heights to the north (next pic: from Burnside's last block, not through down to Bosworth from here).
My route took me around the south side of Dorothy W. Erskine Park (off Baden & Martha, 11th pic). The north side of this little park rises above Bosworth in Glen Park: 12th pic. This way I stayed on the highside (and there was no crossing O'Shaughnessy).
Pics can give one a good idea of how all this looks, but best to see it for yourself. (No, I'm not recommending climbing up the rocks from O'Shaughnessy, but have seen others do this while I watched from a Canyon trail).
Oh to live up here ... or anywhere along this route… Mangels is roller-coaster-like further west near Sunnyside Park: last pic.
"There's a place up ahead and I'm goin'
Just as fast as my feet can fly"
Marietta Drive is one of these places: a charming divided street in the Miraloma Park 'hood of east Mount Davidson, way up there.
After a short distance along Marietta, there's an opening between homes with access to a steep, rocky, green cliffside openspace. Curvy O'Shaughnessy, far below, divides the east edge of the mountain from the west side of Glen Canyon with Diamond Heights stacked up across the canyon, as in oh-whatta-view. First six pics, the last showing the foot of Onique stairway (about 346 steps: Berkeley to Topaz in Diamond Heights) from afar.
Various short dirt trails will lead you to rocks where you can sit or stand to contemplate the vast view (but watch out for dog poop). A delight to behold is the swing hanging from the lone tree just off Marietta. This place is one of those magical spots where I could just perch on a rock for a while and not wanna get up, especially on a warm, sunny day.
Also enjoy (understatement…) the route I took today (though not direct and quite steep) so much that I headed back down to Glen Park exactly the same way. I have multiple favorite houses around here on Mangels, Nordhoff, Baden, and Melrose. The hole in the ground is still there where a little house collapsed several years ago at the top of the Joost-Baden Minipark at Mangels & Nordhoff (benches here).
From Mangels, turned on Congo, then Stillings, curling round to Teresita and finally Marietta. Again, steep, winding and uphill all the way. Hillwalkers take note.
At 100 Stillings/600 Congo at Malta and Stillings you can see the openspace off in the distance but there are still several blocks to curve around before you get there. How cool would it be if a long stairway climbed up the slope from the dead-end of Valletta Ct. below (at the end of Malta).
The top of Detroit is near Vista Verde & Stillings. Passed near the top of the long Detroit stairway on my way up (185 steps, seventh pic). Vista Verde's downhill and not through. Continue on Stillings and turn right for curvaceous Teresita and a gorgeous view of Mount Davidson Park's east side.
On Teresita, you'll pass Los Palmos and Foerster, then the end of Molimo. (If you were to continue on Molimo you could eventually access one of the trails up to Mount Davidson Park's openspace, but this is some distance away.) The #36 Teresita bus that passed me as I climbed ever higher goes up to the park, then swoops down to the Forest Hill Metro station.
At Teresita and Molimo are right-turn and 20 mph signs where Marietta begins. Marietta here has various plants along its center divide and some very short stairways (each with just a few steps) from lower to upper. I love this time of year when yellow oxalis, one of my favorite wildflowers, decorates front yards and green hillsides.
From my beginning, the Glen Park BART station, turned west on Bosworth in the Glen Park neighborhood and up the Hamerton stairway (eighth pic, 67 steps). Hamerton has benches off the stairs in two places.
At the top of Hamerton (ninth pic: love the trees here) is the east end of the Sunnyside-to-Westwood-Highlands street Mangels (Mangels 000/Hamerton End). This is a favorite viewspot of mine: all along the ridge here that sorta divides the east Sunnyside 'hood from Glen Park's west edge, with a tasty view of Glen Park/Diamond Heights to the north (next pic: from Burnside's last block, not through down to Bosworth from here).
My route took me around the south side of Dorothy W. Erskine Park (off Baden & Martha, 11th pic). The north side of this little park rises above Bosworth in Glen Park: 12th pic. This way I stayed on the highside (and there was no crossing O'Shaughnessy).
Pics can give one a good idea of how all this looks, but best to see it for yourself. (No, I'm not recommending climbing up the rocks from O'Shaughnessy, but have seen others do this while I watched from a Canyon trail).
Oh to live up here ... or anywhere along this route… Mangels is roller-coaster-like further west near Sunnyside Park: last pic.
Canyon trees below, Diamond Heights across
O'Shaughnessy below
Diamond Heights across the Canyon
Glen Canyon below, Diamond Heights across
Twin Peaks center, top in distance
Foot of Onique stairway, Diamond Heights, right
Top of Detroit street/stairway center, top
Hamerton stairway, Bosworth to Mangels
Top of Hamerton stairway. View of Glen Park and Diamond Heights to north
Burnside & Mangels. Glen Park/Diamond Heights to north
West side of Dorothy W. Erskine Park
Dorothy W. Erskine Park above Bosworth in Glen Park
Mangels with Sunnyside Park to the left
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