San Francisco Parks and Recreation,
San Francisco County
In brief:
Easy 0.44 mile hike to the top of San Francisco's highest hill.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This less than 1/2 mile hike is easy. Trails are nicely graded, though
they can be overgrown with vegetation.
Exposure:
More shade than sun.
Trail traffic:
Moderate.
Trail surfaces:
Dirt trails and fire road.
Hiking time:
Less than 1 hour.
Season:
Nice any time.
Getting there:
From northbound CA 1 (19th Avenue) in San Francisco, bear right onto Junipero
Serra. Drive to the (confusing) junction with Portola, and bear right
onto Portola. Drive about 0.7 mile, then turn right onto Marine (same
junction as Miraloma). Drive one block on Marine, and turn right onto
Lansdale. Drive one block and turn left onto Dalewood. Drive one block
uphill on steep Dalewood to the park entrance (a gated fire road) on the
left side of the road. (Note: feel free to consult a map and create your
own directions. There are many streets that reach the park, but you'll
need a map unless you're familiar with the neighborhood.)
GPS Coordinates* for Trailhead:
Latitude
Longitude
(* based on Google
Earth data, shown as degrees, minutes, seconds)
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, pay phone, stores, and restaurants back off of Portola, in the West
Portal neighborhood, or on Portola near the insection with O'Shaughnessy
Boulevard. No camping.
Trailhead details:
Abundant side of street parking in a residential neighborhood. The number
36 bus stops right in front of the park. No entrance or parking fees.
No facilities. No designated handicapped parking, and trail access for
wheelchairs is obstructed. Read about cautions
for urban hikes here.
Rules:
Park is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Dogs permitted.
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco and Vicinity map to get there.
• Stairway Walks in San Francisco, by Adah Bakalinsky (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a uselfull map and suggested hike.
• Trails of the Coastside and Northern Peninsula (map) is
a great guide (available from Pease
Press).
Mount
Davidson, at 927 feet, is the
highest point in San Francisco. Mount Davidson Park is often overlooked
as a hiking (or really, walking) destination; all most people know about
this parcel of land is that it's the hill with the cross on top. Although
the cross and the land immediately surrounding it no longer belong to
the City of San Francisco, the whole mountain top is laced with trails
and one wide fire road. Some paths lead down to the edges of the park,
and if you really get the itch to explore Mount Davidson, you might want
to drive on the streets that circumnavigate the mountain and look for
steps leading uphill.
The 40 acre park has expansive views south
to San Bruno and 
north
to the city skyline, but I enjoyed visiting Mount Davidson on a foggy
summer day. The sound of the wind blocked noise from the surrounding city,
and all that I could hear was sporadic bird song. Soft pale billowing
fog wrapped around the mountain, making me feel far from San Francisco.
Start at the park gate and head uphill on
the main trail, a broad dirt fire road. A eucalyptus forest obstructs
any views. Blackberry bushes are common, and there's a lot of red elderberry,
ivy, and cotoneaster. Small paths depart from both sides of the trail;
all are options if you're like to explore, 
but
for the quickest trip to the top, stay on the gently graded main trail.
At 0.24 mile, the trail ends at a broad bare spot. A break in the tree
cover permits views of the downtown skyline to the north. A rough path
continues downhill, but turn around and head toward the cross. Look for
an unmarked small path to the left. After a few steps the trail splits;
stay to the right. The narrow path squeezes through blackberry and cotoneaster.
After descending on some stone steps, the path meets the main trail. Turn
left and return to the trailhead.
Total distance: 0.44 mile
Last hiked: Friday, June 8, 2001
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