Blog Posts

Sutro Bal

1/6/2020

Land’s End: 1 thru 6

Crossing at the crosswalk over to Sutro Heights Park: 7, 8

The viewplace: 9 thru 23

A view south: 24

Down the south side, the Balboa Natural Area: 25 thru 28

118 steps down to Balboa and back up again: 29 thru 50

Disappointed not to see any roses in bloom when back up in the main (north side) part of the park: 51, 52, 53

1 Stairway down from one of the overlooks to a parking lot

4 Land's End Lookout building

7 Crossing over into Sutro Height Park

25 Down a trail on the south side

28 Ocean Beach from the Balboa Natural Area

29 Top of the 118 steps down to Balboa

37 Looking back

39 A trail from the park to 48th Ave. with its sidewalk stairways

40 Looking back

45 Starting back up

51 Back up to the main, north side of the park

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No Kids

1/5/2020

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Glen Park Rec. Center and playing field below, down from Bosworth, near the #44 O’Shaughnessy bus stop at Elk & Bosworth: 1

West/south trail into Glen Canyon Park from Bosworth: 2 thru 10

Glenridge Cooperative Nursery School is in Glen Canyon Park. When I passed it this time no little kids were running all over. So went behind it, something I’d not done in years, to climb up the west slope.

Lots of picnic tables. The old wood steps are very wide. The trails still don’t appear to ascend all the way up to O’Shaughnessy on the west side: 11 thru 27

Westside trail continuing north: 28 thru 35

Crossing over to the east side, 68 steps up to the rocks: 36 thru 50

62 steps circle back down on the south side: 51, 52, 53

Continuing, north: 54 thru 62

Up 79 steps to the trail just below Christopher Park: 63 thru 73

N-S trail below Christopher Park: 74 thru 78

Christopher's playground area was getting a remake, fenced off, so detoured a bit to get down to Diamond Heights Shopping Center.

Circling round the back of the shopping center, passing this neighborhood stairway, Opalo Lane up to Gold Mine: 79, 80, 81

Last one (82): Powell/Market BART and Metro stations below in downtown San Francisco.

1 Glen Park Rec. Center down from Bosworth near Elk

2 Into the canyon from the south end

11 Behind Glenridge Nursery School

25 Starting back down

28 Continuing north

36 West trail turns east

37 Climbing up - 68 steps

39 Looking west - Mount Davidson side

51 Looking east

52 62 steps down this side

54 A north trail now

56 Looking back

58 Looking east - Diamond Heights side

60 Diamond Heights homes above

63 Another stairway ahead

64 79 steps

66 Looking back

69 Looking back

71 Looking back

73 A north-south trail just below Christopher Park

79 Opalo Lane

80 Up to Gold Mine

81 To the shopping center from Gold Mine

82 Powell/Market St. BART and Metro stations below in downtown San Francisco

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Henrycor

12/18/2019

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A home on Castro decorated for the holidays: 1

Henry homes, Castro to the steps: 2 thru 5

Henry stairway, a block or so west of Castro, has been designated a minipark: 6 thru 16

At the top is Roosevelt and a short distance ahead is a west entrance into Corona Heights Park.

Roosevelt: 17

Stairs ascend the west slope to near the summit rocks. This time winding round the south side. Stairs on this side too: 18 thru 32

This stair-trail circles down to the lone bench at the top of the main eastside stairway. This part has about 130 steps from the top bench to the foot and a park trailmap: 33 thru 57

At the foot, ahead are steps to the Randall Museum’s east entrance: 58

Randall Museum. Always lots of little kids around here: 59 thru 67

The steep ramp descends nearly to the States St. entrance on the south side of the park. Down here are tennis courts and a playground: 68 thru 82

States St. from the park exit back down to Castro: 83 thru 92

States & Castro is just a block uphill from the Castro Metro station.

Stairs to the station on the north side of Market: 93, 94

1 A home on Castro decorated for the holidays

2 Henry St. west of Castro. A dead-end for vehicles.

6 Henry stairway up to Roosevelt

17 Roosevelt

18 Entering the park from the west side

21 Circling round to the south

23 Looking back

24 A drizzly day

25 Summit rocks above

33 Down to the bench at the top of the main stairway W to E

37 Around 130 steps this side

43 Looking south

45 Looking back

46 Looking east

47 Looking back

51 Looking back up

53 Park trailmap

54 Foot of the steps

58 Steps to Randall Museum on the east side

59 Randall Museum, east side

60 Inside the Randall Museum

62 Randall Museum

67 Out to the ramp, west side

68 Top of the ramp

69 Tennis courts and playground below

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Trekkin BV

12/15/2019

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Entering Buena Vista Park at Buena Vista West off Haight: 1

Starting up the north side: 2 thru 5

For the first stairway taken this time, 64 steps, then a short space and some more for a total of 76: 6 thru 16

North side continuing up: 17 thru 28

41 old stone steps to the summit greenspot: 29 thru 34

The summit: 35 thru 39

Summit area and south: 40 thru 47

The main south side, newer, stairway (with E-W walkways) has 171 steps to the street, Buena Vista Ave. East. These are wood with metal tips and railings on both sides: 48 thru 73

Buena Vista Ave. East. The former St. Joseph's Hospital was built in 1928, delicensed in 1979, then converted into condos: 74thru 81
Back up again, an older, shorter, uneven wood stairway with no rails: 82, 83, 84

Meandering up, then down, eventually exiting the park at Buena Vista Ave. West: 85 thru 111

Downhill to Haight: 112, 113

Haight St. between the park and Masonic: 114 thru 120

1 Buena Vista Ave. West into the park

30 41 steps to the summit greenspot

35 Summit

39 Park map

48 171 steps for the main south stairway

74 An elevated walk encircles the park

76 Former St. Joseph's Hospital, now residences

82 Another stairway up the south side, older, shorter

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114 Haight St.

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EW Nov

12/4/2019

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Off the bus at 32nd Ave. and up the 52 Lincoln Park steps: 1, 2

East on the Coastal/Land’s End Trail: 3 thru 10

About 120 steps up the east side: 11 thru 17

Down 138 steps for the westside stairs: 18 thru 24

Continuing on the Coastal Trail: 25, 26

Top stairs down to Mile Rock Beach: 27

Continuing until reaching the connector (89 steps) up to the El Camino del Mar Trail: 28, 29

El Camino del Mar Trail out to the upper parking lot overlook: 30, 31

The upper overlook: 32, 33

Two overlooks connected by 59 steepish steps: 34, 35

Downhilling, Fort Miley Forest across: 36

Sutro Heights Park from the 38R Geary bus stop at Geary & 48th Ave.: 37

1 LincolnPark steps

2 Bench at the top of the stairs

6 Presidio in distance; China Beach center

11 East side steps

19 138 steps down the west side

27 Mole Rock Beach stairway down from Coastal Trail

28 89 steps up to El Camino del Mar Tail

30 El Camino del Mar Trail

32 Upper parking lot overlook (2010)

34 59 steps connect the two overlooks

36 Fort Miley Forest

37 View of Sutro Heights Park from 38R Geary bus (48th Ave.)

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Cemcircle

12/2/2019

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Into the Presidio through the Arguello Gate: 1, 1

Up a minor trail: 3

Near the overlook: 4

Into the National Cemetery Overlook: 5 thru 18

Down the 98 steps (easy) to Park Trail: 19 thru 31

Park Trail: 32 thru 41

Amatury Loop neighborhood stairway: 42, 43

Circling round back to Arguello: 44 thru 666

South on Arguello past Inspiration Point Overlook: 67, 68, 69

10 Right turn

18 Steps ahead

20 Stairs down to Park Trail

22 98 steps

30 Looking back

32 Park Trail

42 Amatury Loop

67 Out to Arguello

68 Looking across the street

69 Arguello in the park

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Alleylove

12/1/2019

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In the Glen Park neighborhood, three alleys and a few winding streets.

Diamond: 1, 2

Surrey: 3

Up from Surrey on the north side, steps ascend: 4

Penny Lane: 5 thru 41

Sussex: 42 thru 58

Diamond: 59

Poppy Lane east and west are just up from Sussex.

Poppy Lane east is not a thru alley: 60 thru 84

Across Diamond, Poppy west: 85 thru 105

Arbor: 106 thru 117

Ohlone Way south from Sussex to Surrey: 118 thru 132

Surrey & Lippard: 133, 134, 135

Crossing Lippard onto Thor and down to Chenery: 136 thru 140

Chenery: 141

1 Diamond

2 Diamond

3 Surrey

4 Penny Lane starts up from Surrey

7 Looking back down

9 Looking back

13 Looking back

35 Up to Sussex

41 Looking back

42 Now on Sussex

59 Diamond

60 Poppy Lane east from Diamond

77 Looking south

79 Starting back

85 Diamond at Poppy Lane

86 Diamond at Poppy west

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106 Arbor (?)

107 Arbor (?)

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118 Ohlone Way

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127 Looking back

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133 Surrey & Lippard

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136 Thor

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141 Chenery

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Wood Ecol

11/15/2019

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Andy Goldsworthy’s Wood Line south to north, just up from the Presidio's Lover’s Lane: 1 thru 8

Over to the east edge of the trail that descends to El Polin Spring.

The old wood stairway that used to be here (THEN, 2009 - pic 9) got covered up and replaced with an accessible zigzag trail (10 thru 15):

The circular concrete road down here (THEN, 2009 - pic 16 )was replaced with a boardwalk and benches (17), but the old willow tree is still here: 18

Another bench: 19

On the west side, 69 steps have replaced the shorter stairway, connecting with the Ecology Trail: 20, 21, 22

Ecology Trail: 23, 24, 25

The Ecology Trail climbs to Inspiration Point Overlook, now with a replacement stairway: 26 thru 30

Inspiration Point Overlook: 31, 32

1 Wood Line

9 THEN - 2009: Old steps down to El Polin Spring

10 NOW - Down to El Polin Spring from the east side

16 THEN - 2009: Circular road and old stairway

17 NOW - The boardwalk

18 NOW - The willow tree is still here

20 69 steps up on the west side connecting with the Ecology Trail

26 The old stairway got replaced

28 33 steps

29 Out at Inspiration Point Overlook

30 Looking down from the top of the stairs

31 Inspiration Point Overlook, off Arguello

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Since Last

11/13/2019

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This Russian Hill hike was to check out an area on the south side of George Sterling Park. There was work in progress next to the main stairway when last visited.

Waldo, Russian Hill, off Leavemworth: 1

Hyde: 2

Top of Greenwich north sidewalk (some steps). Greenwich here descends to a dead-end for vehicles at the top of the minipark: 3

Up from Hyde to George Sterling Park, one street over from the top of Lombard and on the cable car line: 4, 5

Alice Marble tennis courts at the top: 6 thru 10

27 steps down to the first landing of the main stairway: 11, 12

Right turn: 13 thru 17

Northwest steps down to Larkin: 18, 19, 20

A shorter flight: 21, 22

Down to another level: 23 thru 31

The main, longest stairway descends to Larkin: 32, 33, 34

What I was curious about - these new curvy bricked area and plantings between the main stairway and homes on the south side of the park: 35 thru 46

Back up again: 47 thru 50

Hyde St.: 51

Hastings off Hyde: 52, 53

Delgado off Hyde: 54

Hyde: 55, 56

Hyde & Vallejo Minipark from across the street: 57

Broadway Tunnel as seen from Hyde: 58, 59, 60

Lynch, Nob Hill: 61

Hyde, Nob Hill: 62, 63, 64

Pine Street, Nob Hill: 65, 66, 67

1 Waldo off Leavenworth

2 Hyde

3 Greenwich north sidewalk down from Hyde

4 Steps from Hyde into George Sterling Park

5 Looking down to Hyde St. and cable car tracks

6 Alice Marble Tennis Courts to right

8 View west

11 Top of the main stairway on the south side of the park

12 Looking back up

13 First level down

18 Northwest steps down

20 Stairs down to Larkin

21 Back up a short stairway to first level

23 Second level

28 Looking south to the main stairway

30 Looking back

32 Main stairway

33 Mn stairs down to Larkin

34 Looking back up the main stairway

35 The new bricked walkway to right

36 New plantings

47 Back up again

51 Hyde St.

52 Hastings off Hyde

53 Hastings off Hyde

54 Delgado off Hyde

55 Hyde Street

56 Hyde St.

57 Hyde & Vallejo Minipark from across the street

58 Broadway Tunnel - north side

59 Broadway Tunnel

60 Broadway Tunnel - view of the south side

61 Lynch off Hyde - now Nob Hill

62 Hyde

63 Hyde

64 Hyde

65 Pine, Nob Hill

66 Pine, Nob Hill

67 Pine, Nob Hill

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Bernal Short

11/12/2019

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On Bocana, one of Bernal’s former 1906 earthquake refugee shacks still being lived in: 1

A trail into the park from the top of Bocana: 2 thru 6

Bernal Heights Park west: 7 thru 11

Top of Moultrie, part steps, part trail — access from the park down to Powhattan: 12

Top of Amdover — stairs from the park to Powhattan. Steps alongside homes, a very short E-W path, and more steps: 13 thru 30

Powhattan: 31

Andover: 32 thru 35

Cortland: 36 thru 40