How can anyone not like this place? One of my favorite spots in the city, feels a little bit like a…read moresecret. A special little secret hill. Make your way to the top to be rewarded finely with the fantastic view. Do some soul searching, watch the sunset. Say hello to somebody. Make a connection.

I honestly thought I had reviewed this magnificent park before- yet I am now!…read moreThis hidden gem is your reward after walking up the hundreds of gorgeously mosaic tile steps. The views are breathtaking. You can see the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin County, Salesforce Tower (basically you see this wherever you are in San Francisco), the coast & much more. I love all the sand at the top of the park. There gorgeous succulents lots of chert rock and stairs on the other side that you can choose to descend. This is another spectacular free destination to enjoy in San Francisco.

I have visited Fort Mason very much..you know the buildings. I have been to the Aquatic Park…read moreMaritime area by bike. Today I ventured out of the house all the way to the Fort Point area to visit Black Point. San Francisco has so many interesting hidden spots to visit by walking, biking, etc. On the weekend, if you are a tourist in a hometown. I have been here for over 10 years. Black Point is where the Civil War(Union) fought and stationed some cannons and a peak to lookout. Black Point has views of Fort Mason below and Alcatraz. Today, a history tour guide from the Friends of Civil War at Alcatraz met us at Black Point to give us a short talk on the Civil War engagement at Black Point at Fort Mason park. There is a military history lesson here. Secret spots--that you have to find on a weekend or so..

Its a point of interest when visiting Fort Mason park in SF. The trails that lead to it are…read morebeautiful and pictures of the bay area and I would recommend coming here during the day when it can be appreciated more. At night there are no street lamps so don't come here then. A little hidden from the main path but can be easily found if you just follow the signs. A nice little place to sit down and have a snack, full of history for sure. Very close to the hostel up the hill where I was staying. I actually walked down here before going to bed once before I left.

We did the summit loop. 3.1m in 2hrs. Parking is $6. The parking machine is a bit troublesome with…read morecredit card payments but just keep trying. Eventually it will go through. Or bring cash and use the envelope provided to pay. There's 3 parking lots. Go to the 2nd parking lot as it's closer to the beginning of the trail. We went on a Saturday. Parked at 10:50am and there was plenty of parking. Fairly easy I would say. There's only a few sections of shaded areas so a hat is a must. There's also a few stops with bench seating to soak up the views or have a snack. Watch out for poison oak.

Took the summit loop hike up and went down Radio Rd on the way back down. Overall the hike was a…read moregood workout with the incline up and had a beautiful view. The only downside was that it was a bit rocky so just go at your own pace to avoid tripping. Lots of parking whether you want to park near the entrance or go up at the top. Bathrooms are clean and well kept. A lot of picnic tables as well. Just remember to bring a jacket bc it is pretty windy.

Not that many people have heard of Forest Hill in San Francisco besides the Muni Station. It's a…read morecute hillside neighborhood with really nice houses that feels removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. There are many staircases in the neighborhood to make it about a one hour 1.5 mile walk. It's best to start at the Pacheco Stairs (121 steps) about a 5-minute walk from the Muni station. These stairs are the most grandiose and look very inviting to the neighborhood with wide space and planters and benches placed at the entrance. From here you can find your way through the neighborhood meandering around different stairs from the stairs off Castenada (300 steps separated on 3 different legs) Quintana (path between 2 streets), Oriole Way (86 steps with views of Mt. Sutro), 8th Ave (30 steps), Ventura Ave (25 steps), Sotelo Ave (90 steps), Castenada Ave (76 steps). An app like All Trails can guide you on where the stairs are. For a longer hike I'd recommend adding the trails at Laguna Honda which is across from the Station. For a list of more SF hikes and walks: https://bit.ly/43PhQtL

I am adding this review of the Forest Hill Stairway Walk(s) because they are a popular tourist…read moreattraction for folks who are into urban hikes. (They are listed on other sites and there is a whole book, an old school paperback, dedicated to these excursions.) I see people walking around the neighborhood looking for the many steps to traipse up and down (some carrying that book). The address I have listed is for the association clubhouse, a rental venue so an altogether different subject with its own Yelp entry, but it is the best specific location to list, and from there you are 30 seconds away from the "Grand" staircase on Pacheco, which lives up to its name -- and also overlooks the largest planter for flowers I have ever seen in a private residential area. It happens my wife lives here. (I live in Queens, New York City. That's just modern life for you.) We walk along these sidewalks regularly, with our little dog. I go up and down the stairs often, and I've probably experienced every one of them several dozen times, and those closest to the house more than a hundred times. This is exactly what you think it is: stairways in a neighborhood. Forest Hill has pillars marking the entrances, not gates; the very wide streets were once private and they curve around deliberately not corresponding to the city grid; and the residences are unique, not just the same model repeated again and again and again. The Grand staircase is a sight. There are many others, some more obvious than others. It's not in our interest to tell lots of folks to come into a quiet part of town to traipse around. But it is not likely that this review will have that result since this specific attraction has a specialized following. You have to want exercise. It's also a pleasure which would have been wasted on me earlier in life; it's a contemplative stroll if you are by yourself or sociable saunter in the company of those who share the interest. It's not an activity, however, that most people are likely to rank at the top of their list if they are coming to the Bay Area. The MUNI runs to a station which leads right to stairs, and a climb up those will persuade you this isn't as casual as it might seem because most of these are steep rises (or descents). Parking is not difficult but requires a residential permit for more than two hours. This activity, the totality of it, could be completed in an hour. You could try to get to every single set of stairs. Others have generated lists and posted them to the web (not all are complete). If you do this, you may wish to check out nearby Golden Gate Heights, which sits above Forest Hill, and while not as fancy has its own additional stairs culminating in a little park. Or if you want a long outing, head to Forest Knolls -- that is a walk I have done only a couple of times, because now you are talking many miles -- and onto Mt. Sutro or over to Twin Peaks; put together with Forest Hill, you could easily do a half dozen miles or more with impressive vertical gain, which would take hours. For stairs in particular, don't miss Grand View Park, which is nearby and lives up to the name, with epic stairs (if you can run up these non stop without losing your breath you are quite an athlete; I can walk up without pause, trailing the dog, but I can't run these); and the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. An alternative is to come up from Golden Gate Park, a mile north, but be warned that that is a trudge I have done many times telling myself I am a better person for it, because it is a full mile of a steady slope upward with approximately 500 feet of gain. If you put together all of these pieces, you could create a route of ten miles, easy, and spend the better part of the day.

It was super windy as I'm sure it often is, but the views of the Golden Gate Bridge are amazing…read more Lots of areas to sit and play or picnic. Bathrooms relatively close by down near the playground. I didn't see it, but read that food trucks are near by most days. If you are in the area, go take in the views.

If you're looking for the spanking new park with the same name over in the Presidio, you're in the…read morewrong place. Instead, this is a nice community-driven park on a rather awkward spot on a steep downslope of Potrero Hill at Pennsylvania and 25th. Formerly a local dumping ground, the park was built over the southern portal of the Caltrain tunnel. The challenge in achieving bucolic nirvana is the heavy car traffic coming off and onto the 280 freeway cuts into the desired tranquility of the park. Dominated by fully exposed blacktop pavement, it provided absolutely no shade on the unseasonably warm day we visited. Jamie W. and I came here mostly to see Aileen Carr's artistic mosaic tiles under the benches. Check. RELATED - Exploring Potrero Hill? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2LXfohU

The Glen Park Greenway is a short path that goes from Brompton to Burnside. English lvy and Fennel…read moreplants line the walk. It's very short so nothing to come out of your way for but it's good for an add on to Glen Canyon Park or walking around after dinner in Glen Park. Checkout the beautiful Burnside Mural and mosaic stairs. The stairs are done by the same artists that designed the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. To make the walk longer take the Burnside steps up to Dorothy Erskine Park which has great views of Excelsior. From here, loop around with the stairs on Hamerton, this walk is a little over a mile.

Yes, it is possible to find a park not yet in Yelp in the Yelp city of origin, San Francisco! I was…read morewandering near our AirBnB practicing my hill climbing skills and came upon this strip of peaceful, green parkland. To my surprise, if wasn't yet in Yelp! I had a nice walk along the path and could see someone is planting new plants all over the place! The park is below street level so it's quite quiet even though traffic is zooming by. Life is good with relaxing peaceful green parkland in the city! Life is great when you are first!

Excellent! I'm so glad I read this review. Prior to finding about this entrance up to Mt. Sutro…read more-which is closer for me- I would go up through UCSF to hit one of the trails. Bravo Randy! And like he said, there are a LOT of stairs to master, but it's all worth it. And once you reach Crestmont Dr. and find the entrance to the woods there is an actual "Welcome Mat" right at the start of it. Quite a lovely touch, thank you anonymous person who put it there! Definitely check out this mostly unknown stairway.

At 355 stairs over 2 landings it's definitely challenging and almost as strenuous as the Filbert…read moreSteps however it's in a more quiet nondescript residential area that I wouldn't go out of my way to do these stairs like I would for Filbert. I tend to come here when I want to mix up my Mt. Sutro route which is my favorite hike. The West Ridge Trail starts at the bottom of Crestmont street down a little way from where the Oakhurst steps end. There are also some other staircases in this neighborhood like Blairwood, Glenhaven Lane, and Ashwood for a dedicated staircase walk.

All stars given are for the incredible view from here. It's absolutely awesome! 360 degrees of…read moremagnificence. This isn't however a park, it's really just a rock. I followed the instructions to drive up the steep Lakeview Ave and it's a dead end where there is access to a hilly rocky area that offers spectacular views. It really feels like someone's steep backyard that's not usable for development. There are fenced backyards of surrounding houses that you can easily see from the rock. If it wasn't for the views, the place isn't worth it: the ground is really trashed badly, and it's very sad. Broken glass, needles, trash everywhere. It's designated as 'Significant natural resource area' that apparently contains sensitive plant and animal species. Unfortunately stoned human species are unable to keep up with any of that. Saw plenty of bagged but not removed dog poop. If you went to all that trouble of bagging it, why not complete the next logical step in collecting after your animal? Anyway, I would caution strongly against allowing any kind of pet to walk on these grounds. Fortunately, we saw a lady carrying her doggie underarm while climbing the rock (for the views!) and did the same. Wise move! Too much of broken glass, sharp pieces of varying shapes and sizes covering the ground everywhere. This alone would and should have lowered my rating to 2 stars, but the views! Darn views. See for yourself - videos and photos uploaded. Enjoy without having to step on the dirt!

Come up here for a breath of fresh air... Bring the doggy for a mini-hike... Greet the fellow…read moreneighbors taking a morning stroll... Take an escape from the everyday stresses of life... Hike with a friend, a partner, or by self... and enjoy the beautiful views of the Ingleside district... PLACES OF INTEREST: [360° views of the SW parts of the city.] CONVENIENCE: **** [Easy to find... if u can get to Orizaba street, just head all the way up the hill... that BIG ol' rock u see, that's it!] AMBIANCE: *** [Lots of houses surround the area, not too great for photo opps. Rocky, grassy, not too muddy. Quiet area... good for clearing the mind. And if it's sunny in the area, the views are GREAT! Not sunny? Well... that's SF for ya!] DIFFICULTY LEVEL: ** [2 out of 5... easy climb. Can do in flip-flops... just be careful.] PRICE: FREE! OVERALL: **** [4-stars... A neighborhood gem and a great SF find!] Nuff said. [#15 of 100 YELP CHALLENGE 2013]