Urban Hiker SF

I'm on a mission to #hikeallofsf. These are the stories of my hikes. ______________________________________________________ Hike Name: Juan Bautista de Anza Trail Distance: 12 miles! Elevation: negligible Difficulty: Difficult Time: 5-8 hours Dog Friendly: Yes, on leash   Hike Description Since most people have a day off on Labor Day, I decided to take advantage of that to assemble some friends and tackle one of San Francisco's longest hikes, the Juan Bautista de Anza Trail . While the trail is 1,200 miles long in total, it covers 12 miles in San Francisco. This route Marks where Lieutenant Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza led 245 men, women, and children on an journey to establish a settlement at San Francisco Bay between the years of 1 775 and 1776. Some trail highlights include Mountain Lake , Immigrant Point , and Rob Hill Campground , the only overnight campground in mainland San Francisco. The red dotted line on this site shows you the entire route. If y...

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...

A version of this blogpost was originally posted on Thrillist on 7/28/14: http://goo.gl/yIxexN San Francisco’s hills can seem like a cruel joke at the end of a hard workout, a long night, or let’s face it - even with a bag of groceries - but they’re also what makes our city unique. We can’t complain too much about our hills because they give us the views that give others city envy while making us proud to call San Francisco home. Get your ‘pano’ mode ready - here are 10 hikes with the best views in San Francisco.* 1. Mt. Davidson In a city of over 40 hills, Mount Davidson is the tallest of them all. The 0.44 mile hike to the top is easy, and you can choose an exposed or eucalyptus-covered route to take you there. Once at the summit, you can soak in the downtown views, or stand at the foot of the 103-foot cross featured in the ransom scene of Dirty Harry . Two popular entrances for the park are on Dalewood and Juanita Way. 2. Twin Peaks Twin Peaks may be five...

At the start of each Urban Hiker SF tour, we ask our guests if they have ever been on an urban hike. Most people either shake their heads 'no' or give us a slightly confused look. After posing this question to countless hikers, I realized that most people don't have their own definition of urban hiking.   For San Francisco, I usually define urban hiking as "exploring the stairways, hills, and hiking trails" of the city. But there aren't stairways, hills, and hiking trails in every city, so how else can we define urban hiking? I started thinking about this, and wanted to answer the questions of "What exactly is urban hiking?" and "How does urban hiking differ from other hiking and walking?"   Here are a few characteristics that, when put together, create an urban hike:   1. Urban environment   I may be stating the obvious, but an urban hike has to be in an urban setting. This is the main characteristic that sets urban hikes a...

I'm on a mission to #hikeallofsf . These are the stories of my hikes. _______________ ______________________________ _________     Hike Name: Presidio Promenade Distance: 4.4 miles Elevation: 200 feet Difficulty: Easy to moderate Time: 1- 2 hours Dog Friendly: Yes, on leash   For this #hikeallofSF post, I decided to explore the Presidio Promenade , an easy 2.2 mile paved walk that starts at the Presidio’s Lombard Gate and ends at the Golden Gate Bridge. I’ve hiked on many of the Presidio’s 25 miles of hiking trails, and was eager to see some new sites. An early gift - a first view of the GG Bridge This is a nice, easy walk suitable for hikers of all levels. The paved paths with minimal elevation are even great for people in wheelchairs or parents with children in strollers. When done as a roundtrip, the hike is 4.4 miles and leaves you in the Marina, an lively part of town for exploring restaurants and shopping. This hike starts at the Lomba...

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...