It's a steep trek up 17th Street to tiny Mount Olympus Park from the Eureka Valley/Castro Metro stop. Was reminded of my too-long absence by a couple of Facebook posts about recent hikes up here.
Thought if the #37 Corbett/Twin Peaks bus was coming within a few minutes I'd take it partway up, but "16 minutes" on the readout persuaded me to hoof it.
Monument stairway, its foot at 17th, is nearly up to Clayton, just past the corner grocery (first pic: 17th & Roosevelt) and the "17% grade" sign. Wish all the steeper streets had this kind of grade infosign; is this the only one of its kind in the city? The 82 concrete steps ascend to Upper Terrace (pics 2, 3, 4).
Continued to the park on "Back Alley Way" (fifth pic). Never knew the name of this before Google Maps (no street sign). At the end is the east-facing railed view-walk. Across is the little park, 30 steps to the top layer, concrete benches on all sides (pics 6, 7). The west side has a view through the trees to Mount Sutro. Other good views include Tank Hill and Twin Peaks.
Some pix of the Triumph of Light statue in 1947, 1950, and 1955, still intact back then, courtesy of FoundSF:
http://www.foundsf.org
http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Mt._Olympus
On the way down, another stairway (88 steps, eighth pic) across from the park (east side) will take you to (again) Upper Terrace (pic 9). Upper Terrace is another of those streets that curves around. When on Stanyan and Edgewood Ave. to/from hikes on that side of Mount Sutro, I never fail to admire Mount Oly from a distance. The Ashbury Heights neighborhood is also close to parks Buena Vista and Corona Heights.
From the foot of these stairs at (lower) Upper Terrace continued north to Clifford Terrace and down this steep street to Roosevelt. Across the street is a stairway that descends from Roosevelt to Lower Terrace (pics 10, 11). Had I wanted to go down Vulcan Stairway, this would've be a good one to take. Instead counted the stairs down (42) and back up to continue on Roosevelt.
Roosevelt curves to the east and continues past the top of Masonic and the top of the Roosevelt-to-States/Levant stairs (pic 12), a short distance from Corona Heights Park's west entrance at Museum Way & Roosevelt.
The park's main west stairway has around 99 steps (pic 13). 14th pic: The rocky summit area. This time turned right partway up to follow a shorter stairway (61 steps) and trail around the south side (15th, 16th pics). Twenty more steps will take you to the upper bench at the top of the main eastside steps (17th pic). This long one (130 steps, pics 18, 19) is wood, steep and uneven. At the foot there's now another of those newer park trail infosigns.
The foot of the stairs is near the Randall nature museum's east entrance, so passed through the animal room to murmur a greeting to the quails, chickens, and ravens, and out the front door to see if the steep switchbacked ramp (down to the park's playground, community garden, and tennis courts) had reopened. It's walkable again, the new restroom building down there completed. So to the States St. entrance via the ramp and continuing downhill to Castro where the #24 Divisadero runs.
Thought if the #37 Corbett/Twin Peaks bus was coming within a few minutes I'd take it partway up, but "16 minutes" on the readout persuaded me to hoof it.
Monument stairway, its foot at 17th, is nearly up to Clayton, just past the corner grocery (first pic: 17th & Roosevelt) and the "17% grade" sign. Wish all the steeper streets had this kind of grade infosign; is this the only one of its kind in the city? The 82 concrete steps ascend to Upper Terrace (pics 2, 3, 4).
Continued to the park on "Back Alley Way" (fifth pic). Never knew the name of this before Google Maps (no street sign). At the end is the east-facing railed view-walk. Across is the little park, 30 steps to the top layer, concrete benches on all sides (pics 6, 7). The west side has a view through the trees to Mount Sutro. Other good views include Tank Hill and Twin Peaks.
Some pix of the Triumph of Light statue in 1947, 1950, and 1955, still intact back then, courtesy of FoundSF:
http://www.foundsf.org
http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Mt._Olympus
On the way down, another stairway (88 steps, eighth pic) across from the park (east side) will take you to (again) Upper Terrace (pic 9). Upper Terrace is another of those streets that curves around. When on Stanyan and Edgewood Ave. to/from hikes on that side of Mount Sutro, I never fail to admire Mount Oly from a distance. The Ashbury Heights neighborhood is also close to parks Buena Vista and Corona Heights.
From the foot of these stairs at (lower) Upper Terrace continued north to Clifford Terrace and down this steep street to Roosevelt. Across the street is a stairway that descends from Roosevelt to Lower Terrace (pics 10, 11). Had I wanted to go down Vulcan Stairway, this would've be a good one to take. Instead counted the stairs down (42) and back up to continue on Roosevelt.
Roosevelt curves to the east and continues past the top of Masonic and the top of the Roosevelt-to-States/Levant stairs (pic 12), a short distance from Corona Heights Park's west entrance at Museum Way & Roosevelt.
The park's main west stairway has around 99 steps (pic 13). 14th pic: The rocky summit area. This time turned right partway up to follow a shorter stairway (61 steps) and trail around the south side (15th, 16th pics). Twenty more steps will take you to the upper bench at the top of the main eastside steps (17th pic). This long one (130 steps, pics 18, 19) is wood, steep and uneven. At the foot there's now another of those newer park trail infosigns.
The foot of the stairs is near the Randall nature museum's east entrance, so passed through the animal room to murmur a greeting to the quails, chickens, and ravens, and out the front door to see if the steep switchbacked ramp (down to the park's playground, community garden, and tennis courts) had reopened. It's walkable again, the new restroom building down there completed. So to the States St. entrance via the ramp and continuing downhill to Castro where the #24 Divisadero runs.
1. 17th & Roosevelt
2. Foot of Monument stairway to Upper Terrace
3. Monument steps to Upper Terrace
4. Monument stairway to Upper Terrace
5. Back Alley Way to Mount Olympus Park
6. Mount Olympus Park steps
7. Mount Olympus Park today
8. Doorway art off the east stairway
9. East stairway from Mount Olympus Park to Upper Terrace
10. Clifford Terr. & Roosevelt down to Lower Terrace
11. Clifford Terrace & Roosevelt down to Lower Terrace
12. Roosevelt to States/Levant
13. Main westside steps, Corona Heights Park
14. Summit rocks area
15. South trail below summit rocks
16. Steps around the south side
17. Down to main eastside stairway
18. Down the main eastside steps
19. Eastside stairs
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