These being … two stairways between the park and the Visitacion Valley neighborhood and one winding trail from just below divided Mansell down to Lake McNab: 56 steps, 195 steps, and six switchbacks for the tall-grass trail. Love tall grasses and other unmowed vegetation alongside trails.
Disembarked the crosstown #29 (taken from the stop at the Balboa Park BART) at the top end of Visitacion Ave. and divided Mansell near the Overlook parking lot (first pic), and thru the picnic area to descend the first stairway. At the top of it are viewbenches and a couple of “musing stations,” part of the Philosopher’s Way 2.7-mile trailwalk: 2, 3, 4, 5.
The 56 stairs are only at the top part; you then continue down a winding openspace paved walkers’ trail to the top of Ervine & Wilde in Vis Valley.
Over to Delta from Wilde to the roughly paved skinny walkway. The pedestrian pothole got filled up with rocks since my last visit, but this steep, narrow pathway could seriously use a stairway here, more than the seven or so at the foot: 6 thru 10.
When I reached the foot of the long stairway at the top/dead-end of Campbell, noticed a sign advising of construction starting here on April 24. There are some orange flexifences here now. Be nice if parks’ websites could give us an artist’s rendering of changes planned so we’d have an idea of what planned construction is supposed to produce: 11 thru 21.
From the top of the steps, up steep Visitacion to cross Mansell into the northeast side of the park where this third favorite trail now has one of those new green park-rules signs at its upper trailhead: 22 thru 32.
At the foot, at McNab Lake, hung out a short time watching some ducks (pix 33, 34, 35), then started back up again to Mansell, trekking a steeper trail this time partway up: 36 thru 40.
Lake McNab and this trail are near the Portola neighborhood's west edge, with a delightful view of Bernal Heights’ southside.
Just below Mansell and the tennis courts: 41, 42.
Disembarked the crosstown #29 (taken from the stop at the Balboa Park BART) at the top end of Visitacion Ave. and divided Mansell near the Overlook parking lot (first pic), and thru the picnic area to descend the first stairway. At the top of it are viewbenches and a couple of “musing stations,” part of the Philosopher’s Way 2.7-mile trailwalk: 2, 3, 4, 5.
The 56 stairs are only at the top part; you then continue down a winding openspace paved walkers’ trail to the top of Ervine & Wilde in Vis Valley.
Over to Delta from Wilde to the roughly paved skinny walkway. The pedestrian pothole got filled up with rocks since my last visit, but this steep, narrow pathway could seriously use a stairway here, more than the seven or so at the foot: 6 thru 10.
When I reached the foot of the long stairway at the top/dead-end of Campbell, noticed a sign advising of construction starting here on April 24. There are some orange flexifences here now. Be nice if parks’ websites could give us an artist’s rendering of changes planned so we’d have an idea of what planned construction is supposed to produce: 11 thru 21.
From the top of the steps, up steep Visitacion to cross Mansell into the northeast side of the park where this third favorite trail now has one of those new green park-rules signs at its upper trailhead: 22 thru 32.
At the foot, at McNab Lake, hung out a short time watching some ducks (pix 33, 34, 35), then started back up again to Mansell, trekking a steeper trail this time partway up: 36 thru 40.
Lake McNab and this trail are near the Portola neighborhood's west edge, with a delightful view of Bernal Heights’ southside.
Just below Mansell and the tennis courts: 41, 42.
1. Steps to the picnic area. Overlook parking lot right.
2. Philosopher's Way musing stations with a view south
3. Big sis San Bruno Mountain across with Visitacion Valley below
4. Starting down
5. 56 steps then a paved trail continues down to Wilde & Ervine
6. Top of Delta's narrow walkway
7. The pothole's been filled with rocks
8. Delta's pedestrian pathway
9. About seven old steps at the foot
10. At the foot of the Delta walkway, continue down and turn right on Campbell
11. Park trails infosign at the top of Campbell
12. McLaren Park's longest stairway
13. A newer park-rules sign has been added near the foot of the stairs
14. 195 steps
15. Campbell up to Visitacion Ave.
16. Trail to the right is supersteep. Trust me on this.
17. A bit of shade along this openspace staIrway
18. Different stairstyle partway up
19. Nearing the top
20. Looking back down from the top
21. Visitacion Valley Middle School to right below
22. Bernal Hill in distance to right
23. Another one of those newer parkrules signs at this upper trailhead
24. Starting off to the east
25. First switchback
26. Narrow trail with grass on both sides
27. Portola neighborhood below
28. Continuing down to the lake
29. Another good switchback
30. Dry and uneven
31. 'Nother one to the north
32. Nearing the foot, a hiker-icon sign up ahead
33. Hi guys!
34. McNab Lake's island left
35. A few picnic tables
36. Starting back up again
37. This is good 'n steep
38. Lake McNab's public restroom building below, upper left
39. Again, take my word for it - this is another steep trail
40. Trudging higher. Twin Peaks upper left corner
41. This guy's been here a long time as has his nearby buddy the dolphin
42. Daisies near the tennis courts just below Mansell
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