Urban Hiker SF

Name: Mint Hill Neighborhood: Duboce Triangle/Lower Haight   Elevation: 150 feet The history of Mint Hill is the history of the San Francisco Mint...or mints...there have been three in San Francisco so far, the last of which is the one on Mint Hill. The need for a mint in San Francisco came about due to the Gold Rush. At the time, there was so much gold flowing through the city that President James Polk asked Congress to allow for a new Mint to be built in the city, so that gold from California would no longer have to be sent to Philadelphia or New Orleans to be turned into coins. Congress voted for the creation of the new mint in 1852, and it was opened in 1854. The coins all bore the letter "S" for San Francisco. The mint remained in operation for just 20 years and was replaced wiht a second one in 1874. Then the second mint was then deemed too small in the 1930s, so a third mint was built in 1937 on a hilltop that's now called Mint Hill. This third ...

I'm on a mission to #hikeallofsf . These are the stories of my hikes . Hike Name: Lobos Creek Valley Trail Distance: 0.8 miles round trip Elevation: 50 feet Difficulty: Easy Time: < 1 hour Dog Friendly: Dogs not permitted Today's planned 5k turned into an unplanned half marathon around the northern neighborhoods of San Francisco. My friend Debbie and I awakened early to do a quick race on Crissy Field with the Dolphin South End Runners . When we found ourselves done by 9:30, we decided to take advantage of the day to keep exercising. We headed out on foot in the direction of the Legion of Honor, but with momentum ruling over us, we skipped the museum and continued walking to Ocean Beach...and back ( Strava proof of walk and Strava proof of 5k ).   While walking down Lincoln Boulevard, I realized we were heading right by a hiking trail I'd been meaning to visit, the Lobos Creek Valley Trail . At around 0.8 miles round trip, this is one of the...

I'm on a mission to #hikeallofsf . These are the stories of my hikes. _______________ ______________________________ _________ The Lake Merced Loop at 4.2 or 4.5 miles Hike Name: Lake Merced Loop Distance: 4.2 - 4.5 miles Elevation: <100 feet Difficulty: Easy to moderate Time: 1.5 - 2 hours Dog Friendly: Yes, on leash Hike Description Lake Merced is located in the Lakeshore neighborhood in the southwestern corner of San Francisco. The Lake Merced loop is not the most scenic hike in San Francisco, nor it is the most peaceful. Despite these negatives, what I like about this hike is that it carries a certain sense of accomplishment with it. It’s a good enough distance that you’re going to be walking for an hour to an hour and a half, and you get to circle an entire natural lake and bird habitat. Much of this route is flanked with busy roads - namely Lake Merced Boulevard, John Muir Drive, and Skyline Drive, so expect to hear some leve...

I'm on a mission to #hikeallofsf . These are the stories of my hikes. _______________ ______________________________ _________ Interior Greenbelt and Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve Hike Name: Interior Greenbelt and Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve Location: Twin Peaks Distance: 3 miles Difficulty: Easy - moderate One of the best moments on our Urban Jungles tours is when our hikers enter a eucalyptus forest behind Sutro Tower. I love to see people's eyes widen when they discover a vast expanse of green space right in the center of the city. And this is just scratching the surface... Between the northwest end of Twin Peaks and the southeast end of Golden Gate Park are two parks that combine to form 80 acres of eucalyptus forest, the Interior Greenbelt (19 acres) and Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve (61 acres). About Adolph Sutro Eucalyptus Trees on the Trail These parks were once the private land of Adolph Sutro , the mayor of San Francisco from 1894 to ...

I'm on a mission to hike all of SF . These are the stories of my hikes. _______________ ______________________________ _________ Area of detail in the Presidio My last hike all of SF post was about hiking from Fort Funston to the Cliff House . This post is about another great coastal hike, the Batteries to Bluffs Trail . This gorgeous bayside trail is short - 0.7 miles one way -  but still manages to pack a punch due to a large number of stairs. But don’t worry too much about the stairs, there is plenty to distract you. When you’re not staring at breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, or the Marin Headlands, you can learn about the historic gun batteries you pass on the cliffs.   S o what's with the gun batteries?   As a direct result of the Gold Rush, San Francisco's population exploded from 50(!) in 1844 to over 20,000 in 1850. With this mass influx of people and with San Francisco now on the figurative map, a joint...

I'm on a mission to hike all of SF . These are the stories of my hikes. _______________ ______________________________ _________   With my goal to conquer all the hiking trails of San Francisco, I first had to figure out a starting point. I wanted to tackle something big to get my momentum up, and chose to hike all the segments on and near the California Coastal Trail , or CCT. One day, the CCT will line the entire 1,200 mile coast of California, and today, it is over half complete. Within San Francisco's city limits, the trail runs from Fort Funston to the Golden Gate Bridge. I decided to break up the trail into a number of segments, and started by hiking from Fort Funston to the Cliff House. About Fort Funston See, I told you there were a lot of dogs. Fort Funston was originally built as a military fort in the early 1900s, and was named for the Major General Frederick Funston after his death in 1917.     Today, when San Franciscans thin...