Stairways are Heaven
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Partial Sutro Stairwalk

5/17/2014

1 Comment

 
San Francisco's Mount Sutro has several stairways with over 100 steps. The Medical Center Way stairs that ascend from behind the hospital buildings on Parnassus total about 136. 

Farnsworth Lane: 149. 

Around on the south, east, and west sides, the Forest Knolls neighborhood has Ashwood (109 steps), Blairwood (337), Glenhaven (167), and the longest, Oakhurst Lane (353-ish). 

Ashwood Lane, pix 1 thru 7.

At the top of Ashwood Lane, Glenhaven Lane, my next to-do stairway, necessitated a short walk to the east: 8 thru 16. 

At the top of Glenhaven was going to descend Blairwood Lane from its top at Crestmont. However, before reaching this got distracted by the rough dirt trailhead up into the forest from Christopher & Crestmont. 

If those who so delight in destroying our beautiful, healthy trees want to do something really useful for once, I’ve long thought they should construct some stairs up this slidey trail for the convenience of us hikers (and Forest Knolls neighbors) to more easily access the forest’s trails. The Christopher trailhead is steep and I’d think they could easily construct steps without harming any trees, at least on the lower part. It’s short but seems steeper than the Crestmont trailhead several blocks to the west.

While hiking about in the forest certainly noticed lots of fallen logs and other dry forest debris from the so-called “management” of the forest lately. 

Even though I’ve long fantasized about some new meandering, looping trails on the part of the mountain that looms over Laguna Honda Reservoir, that vast part that’s fenced in with the “No Trespassing” signs all over, I’d be afraid, after seeing all the tree-felling thus far, that those who'd currently be in charge of such trail extensions might not know when to quit. If there existed management dedicated to preserving and protecting the area, however, I’d think this could be done, using all the taxpayers’ money now being wasted on chopping down trees to instead get permission from the Water Dept. (etc.) and wind some scenic trails around up there. 

Trails wandered today were parts of the Historic, the West Ridge (pic 17), the summit (pix 18, 19, 20), and down the East Ridge Trail (21, 22, 23). 

From there along Medical Center Way on the pedestrian walkway, with views down to the Fairy Gates (pic 24), Edgewood, and (lower) Historic Trails, for my third long stairway of the day, the steps (pix 25 thru 31) descending from the parking lot to behind the medical buildings on lower Medical Center Way, and out to Parnassus. 


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1. 17 steps down from Clarendon and a walkway to start
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2. Ashwood climbs between homes and a school
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3. Ashwood Lane up to Warren in Forest Knolls
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4. That's a school to the left
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5. Nearing the top
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6. Looking down from near the top of Ashwood
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7. Top of Ashwood Lane
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8. Glenhaven in distance at the end of Oak Park Dr.
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9. Glenhaven Lane starts up
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10. Stairway garden
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11. Partway up
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12. Glenhaven climbs to Christopher & Crestmont
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13. Continuing up
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14. Glenhaven gardensteps
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15. Nearing the top
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16. Sutro Tower from Glenhaven Lane
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17. West Ridge Trail
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18. Summit-time
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19. Sutro's Summit
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20. A summit trail
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21. East Ridge Trail switchback
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22. East Ridge Trail
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23. East Ridge trailhead across from the Aldea Center
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24. Fairy Gates Trail descends from Medical Center Way
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25. Medical Center Way steps down from the parking lot
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26. Stairway down behind UCSF medical buildings
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27. Steps continue down
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28. Behind the medical buildings is a stairway
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29. Descending amongst wildflowers
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30. Wood and wildflowers
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31. Foot of the stairway at Medical Center Way
1 Comment
Daphne & JoJo
5/17/2014 09:24:23 pm

Like the natural log seating at the East Ridge Trail switchback, good spot to take a breather? The critters must have been busy foraging or taking a siesta! Love all the Wildflowers, looks like a beautiful walk on a perfect day. Thank you for sharing.

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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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