Stairways are Heaven
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Stanyan Stairs

6/22/2017

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A favorite high-up stairway (66 steps) descends from Clarendon but doesn’t go all the way down to Belgrave. The homes have a Stanyan address.

Hadn’t visited for several years; the gate at the top was half open, so down I went. 

The old main stairway has some rickety wood handrails and some that had been reinforced. There are homes on either side along its length. What I wouldn’t give to live here … 

This is a public “street.” A big green sign at the top reads “STANYAN 1300” with an arrow. Otherwise if not already familiar with the area, you’d assume the gate just led to a private home. 


It’s an up-and-back like Russian Hill’s Fallon Place. There’s a big wood slab at the foot. 

 Clarendon connects Twin Peaks with Mount Sutro. It starts at Tank Hill Park on the east side, where it connects with Twin Peaks Blvd. It continues west for Mount Sutro Forest and the Forest Knolls neighborhood. 

The Midtown Terrace neighborhood and Sutro Tower to the left beckon to the hiker. A beautiful area but Clarendon needs crosswalks and/or skyways here. 

There’s one skyway further along at the foot of Ashwood Lane in the Forest Knolls neighborhood (over to Midtown Terrace), but one would be appreciated at the crossover from La Avanzada to Johnstone/Mount  Sutro’s trails. 

There is supposed to be a new trail now completed in this area but I’ve yet to see it. Where are the trailheads? 

Starting out at upper Iron Alley (above the steps), connecting with Graystone and continuing west. Passing Pemberton stairway’s last, older block: first pic


Checking for blackberries at the foot of Tank Hill. Crosswalks are also needed for crossing Twin Peaks Blvd. over to Tank Hill Park. Difficult to dash over from Graystone: 2, 3

A house on Clarendon I’d like to have: 4, 5

The “hidden” Stanyan stairs up and back: 6 thru 12

Continuing up into Mount Sutro Forest, passing the top of the unmarked Belgrave trail (my own name for it). This one starts at the west dead-end of Belgrave. It’s steep, beautifully wild, and you may notice a homeless encampment or two: 13, 14

This time stayed on the road for the Fairy Gates Trail: 15, 16, 17

Back out again to do the lower Historic Trail in its entirety - out to Stanyan: 18 thru 23

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1 Pemberton's last block up to Crown
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2 Looking north from the foot of Tank Hill
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3 South steps off Twin Peaks Blvd/Clarendon to Tank Hill Park
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4 Mount Sutro Forest in distance
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5 Clarendon Ave.
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6 "Hidden" Stanyan stairway down from Clarendon
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7 66 steps
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8
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9 Does not run thru to Belgrave
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10
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11 Back up to Clarendon
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12 Top at Clarendon
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13 Belgrave trail below
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14 Top of Belgrave trail at Johnstone
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15 Fairy Gates Trail
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16
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17
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18 Lower Historic Trail
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19
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20
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21
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22 Down to Stanyan
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23 East tailhead for lower Historic Trail is just past 17th St. on Stanyan
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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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