Stairways are Heaven
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Three New Stairways

6/7/2014

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Actually I’ve discovered four new stairways in Glen Canyon Park so far. The fourth is the 24 steps (first pic) that lead to a walkway (second pic) in the south part of the park from the playground and tennis courts area.

The three wood ones aren’t yet completely walkable. When these unfinished stairways are completed will do staircounts ’n pix for each. 

Glen Canyon is a six or so block walk from the Glen Park BART station. Over Bosworth at the Lippard skyway, pic 3, passing the Burnside stairway from Bosworth down to Paradise, pic 4. 

The lower Canyon is the place to find plenty of damselflies. Butterflies too; and birdsong.

From the Canyon floor just past the boardwalk, took the 61 steps up alongside the stairway on the south side, the one that still has that annoying black fencing all along its length, tall grasses and wildflowers now on the other side, pic 5.

This was to check on a favorite trail to see if it was still there; it is. Had earlier noticed an area surrounded by more of that black fencing, but whatever this is turned out to be below the aforementioned trail. 

This trail (pic 6) passes under some trees and eventually curves up to Christopher Park at the Canyon’s east rim next to the Diamond Heights Shopping Center. 


Continued up the trail, noticing ahead two new partly constructed wood stairways winding down from the uppermost trail that’s just below Christopher Park. Looks like they’ll merge at the main trail: 7 (north), 8, 9 (south).

Last time I was here, the steps of the old main stairway, the park’s longest, that steeply descended into the canyon from its east edge had been removed. There are now some new steps that start down, but I hit an orange-plastic-fenced dead-end. As of this post one can’t go up this way to get to Christopher Park (pix 10, 11). Will check back in a month or so. Steps may actually start at the edge of Christopher Park now instead of a little way down. 

Down the stairway on the north side of the climbing rocks (68 steps: 12 thru 19) and back into the lower Canyon, moving north: 20, 21. 


Up to a higher trail, pic 22. Between the two trails that descend to the Canyon floor from here, noticed this sign re notice to apply “pesticides” (pic 23). 


Upon crossing the creek on the way to the northern trail I like, the black fencing was still there. This delightful berrytrail (24, 25) has been cleared a bit more since my last visit but still hits an impenetrable tangle just past the end of the school playing field’s chainlink fence. A park infosign states that a trail extension is planned out to Portola and up Twin Peaks. Hoping they’ll leave us hikers some treelimbs to step over, reach up to, sit on, and duck under. 

Out of the park on the old wood stairway up to Elk (38 steps, pic 26), crossing over onto Sussex at Diamond Heights Blvd. in upper Glen Park, a favorite neighborhood. 

Sussex & Van Buren, pic 27.


Ohlone Way, a short alley from Sussex down to Surrey, pic 28. 


Onto Lippard from Surrey, in front of a house here is this new attraction: pic 29.

A half-seen mural on the side of a house at Lippard near Chenery, pic 30; a cactus bloom, same home, last pic.  


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1. New, completed, stairway in Glen Canyon Park
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2. Steps lead to this new walkway that curves around to the main trail
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3. Skyway over Bosworth at Lippard. Diamond Heights in distance.
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4. Burnside stairway down from Bosworth to Paradise
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5. Steps on the south side of the rocks
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6. Trail continues under some trees
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7. Unfinished new stairway down from the east side
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8. New stairway starting down from trail below Christopher Park, center
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9. New stairway down to main trail
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10. Ongoing renovation of main stairway/trail descends from Christoper Park
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11. New steps replacing old ones starting down from Christopher Park
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12. There's a stairway on each side of these rocks
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13. Top of stairway on north side of the climbing rocks
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14. Down on the north side of the rocks
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15. Partway down
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16. A view from the stairway
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17. Down to the Canyon floor
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18. Wide spot
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19. Foot of the steps
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20. Main lower trail
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21. To sit on and step over
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22. A higher trail
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23. The offending plants mentioned are poison oak, fennel and perennial pea
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24. Blackberry blossoms on the northernmost trail
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25. Please leave this tree limb as is!
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26. Older stairs up to Elk in Glen Park
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27. Sussex and Van Buren, Glen Park. Diamond Heights above.
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28. Ohlone Way at Surrey
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29. Surrey & Lippard upcoming attraction
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30. Side-house mural, Lippard near Chenery
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31. A cactus bloom, Lippard near Chenery
1 Comment
Daphne
6/7/2014 11:26:08 pm

The steps will be very nice when completed going by your pics of the new steps. They look very nice and blend well enough with their surroundings. Love the steps and benches nature has provided (pics #21 and 25). Like to see neighborhoods offering free library boxes. Love the mural and beautiful cacti blossom. Looks like you're going to have lots of blackberries pretty soon, something to look forward to. Thank you for sharing and doing all the walking : )

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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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