I've long been used to taking BART to the Balboa Park station, then waiting above for the #43 or #29 to take me up to San Bruno Mountain or McLaren parks respectively.
Recently discovered a route change for the #29. Upon reading the digital arrival times at the shelter here, the crosstown #29 no longer stops where it did, with the several other buses across from BART. Asked a driver of another bus, then had to take his and one more to get me to the #29 that climbs to the top of the Excelsior neighborhood.
So first had to travel to Geneva and Mission, then disembark to take the #14 Mission east to Persia to wait for the #29 to show up on its usual route up to the park.
Relieved to see that the bus still goes thru the park on Mansell, both up and down. Back downhill it stops behind the Balboa Park BART.
A shorter than usual hike due to the dehydrating heat this day; was mostly near John F. Shelley, Mansell, and Visitacion Ave.
Last time I did the 195 Visitacion Ave. steps (down to the west dead-end of Campbell in the Visitacion Valley ‘hood), there was a notice of upcoming park work alongside the lower part of the stairs. Now there are orange flexifences; also saw one of those notices to apply pesticides. Maybe when El Nino finally shows up there’ll be evidence of their plantings.
The steps are open and walkable. But was put off by trash that’s been tossed alongside the steps and otherwise into the park along the vehicle streets. Such a turnoff to see litter and dumping that adds to the depressing desert-dryness of San Francisco’s third largest park.
Comparing the Presidio and McLaren, for example, you don’t see as much litter/dumping in the Presidio. Probably because most of Mansell and the park’s longest stairway are more isolated and the slobs know they can get away with it. But there’s no excuse for this in McLaren or any of our other parks.
The park’s longest stairway: 1 thru 11
Southside: 12, 13, 14
Recently discovered a route change for the #29. Upon reading the digital arrival times at the shelter here, the crosstown #29 no longer stops where it did, with the several other buses across from BART. Asked a driver of another bus, then had to take his and one more to get me to the #29 that climbs to the top of the Excelsior neighborhood.
So first had to travel to Geneva and Mission, then disembark to take the #14 Mission east to Persia to wait for the #29 to show up on its usual route up to the park.
Relieved to see that the bus still goes thru the park on Mansell, both up and down. Back downhill it stops behind the Balboa Park BART.
A shorter than usual hike due to the dehydrating heat this day; was mostly near John F. Shelley, Mansell, and Visitacion Ave.
Last time I did the 195 Visitacion Ave. steps (down to the west dead-end of Campbell in the Visitacion Valley ‘hood), there was a notice of upcoming park work alongside the lower part of the stairs. Now there are orange flexifences; also saw one of those notices to apply pesticides. Maybe when El Nino finally shows up there’ll be evidence of their plantings.
The steps are open and walkable. But was put off by trash that’s been tossed alongside the steps and otherwise into the park along the vehicle streets. Such a turnoff to see litter and dumping that adds to the depressing desert-dryness of San Francisco’s third largest park.
Comparing the Presidio and McLaren, for example, you don’t see as much litter/dumping in the Presidio. Probably because most of Mansell and the park’s longest stairway are more isolated and the slobs know they can get away with it. But there’s no excuse for this in McLaren or any of our other parks.
The park’s longest stairway: 1 thru 11
Southside: 12, 13, 14
1. Top of stairs at Visitacion. San Bruno Mountain in distance.
2. Just below Visitacion
3. Different kinds of stairs
4. 195 steps
5. You should see this area during "rainy season"
6. On the left is Visitacion Valley Middle School
7. Dumping to left. Hopefully removed by now.
8. The park's longest stairway
9. Between Visitacion Ave. and Campbell in the Vis Valley neigborhood
10. Another trailhead from Vis Valley is the west dead-end of Wilde/Ervine
11. Near foot of the stairway
12. Back up Visitacion Ave. to Mansell
13. Visitacion Ave.
14. John F. Shelley Dr.
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