At first glance this 1,480 acre destination may seem to blur the boundary between town and country, but when I spent some time rambling through the Presidio, I found sharp contrasts. Hiking paths that terminate at paved street intersections. Patches of native plants mixed throughout acres of invasive and non-native vegetation. Pigeons and seagulls, hummingbirds and hawks. History, views, tourists and locals. The Presidio seems to have it all; some would say it's the park that couldn't say no. Partway through a transition to civilian life, this former military installation is home to an astounding inventory, including a golf course, human and pet cemeteries, early San Francisco historical buildings, stables, tennis courts, playgrounds, bunkers, batteries, forts, houses, offices, memorials, exhibition halls, restaurants, beaches, a lake, forests, and fields. Residential and business tenants are moving into the Presidio, and this section of San Francisco has potential to become a perfectly planned community, where residents can stroll from their reasonable-priced rental units along shaded wildflower-lined paths to a lecture, movie, or even back and forth from work. But if special interests have their way, overcommericalization and development will destroy the last significant open space in the city.
     It's impossible to go for a hike in the Presidio without spending quite a bit of time walking along roads. There are three major out-and-back trails and one loop, and many minor paths and shortcuts, but there are almost no trail markers, so navigating can be quite an adventure. Coastal Trail, departing to the north from Baker Beach, offers the best views of the ocean, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Marin Headlands. The out-and-back Bay Area Ridge Trail segment cuts a broad swath through the Presidio, beginning at the Arguello Gate and meandering 2.5 miles (one way) to the Golden Gate Bridge, on its way to Marin. Juan Bautista de Anza National Historical Trail is just one tiny part of a massive historical trail stretching from Mexico to San Francisco. The path, which begins in the Presidio near Mountain Lake, is kind of an organic monument to de Anza's expedition from Mexico to the Bay Area. Lastly, there's a 1.80 mile loop combining Ecology Trail, sidewalks, and historic Lovers' Lane, a suitable introduction to the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Presidio (past and present).
     Start at Inspiration Point, where a new parking lot and interpretive area were built in 2001. You'll likely be drawn to the viewpoint, where on a clear day you can see the bay, Angel Island, and Alcatraz. There's a young garden of labeled native plants, consisting of California coffeeberry, coyote brush, California buttercup, blue-eyed grass, checker-bloom, oatgrass, purple needlegrass, and melicgrass. Look for a generically signed trail departing downhill on the south side of the parking lot, and walk down the stairs. After a short descent, you'll reach a T junction. Turn left.
     Fences protect serpentine grassland on the right. According to an interpretive sign, this small grassy area is the last San Francisco home to the native wildflowers tidytips, Presidio clarkia, and Marin dwarf flax. Plan a visit in April for the peak of the bloom. As the wide trail angles across the hillside, you'll pass through an area undergoing restoration, where you might see park staff and volunteers working to replenish the grassland with native plants. Ecology Trail (unsigned throughout) descends to a junction at 0.13 mile. Turn left.
      There's a thick stand of redwoods on the right and a few toyon shrubs, but most of the vegetation along this multi-use trail is non-native, with eucalyptus, Monterey pine, acacia, and broom dominant. Monterey cypress, a California native, is also present, but like the imports, these cypress trees were planted between 1886 and 1897 by the US Army. Unsigned paths cross and depart from the trail, but it's easy enough to stay on course as the trail gently descends. At 0.38 mile, the trail reaches a junction with a substantially-sized trail, and it's a gamble to pick the correct path. Stay to the left. There's a short somewhat steep stretch, and then at about .41 mile, a gated trail sets out to the right. Continue straight. Fennel, nasturtium, and blackberry, all edible plants, are common along the trail. At 0.51 mile, you'll reach an unsigned multiple junction. Bear right, and at 0.52 mile, you'll reach the end of the dirt trail, and a paved street, Funston. Continue right (straight) on Funston.
     After just a few yards, you'll reach a yield sign at the junction of Funston and Moraga. To continue straight on the sidewalk you must turn left and cross Funston, then turn right and cross Moraga. This will place you in front of an interpretive sign on Officers' Row. Home to commissioned officers and their families, these 12 pretty wooden houses add historical interest to a stroll down this flat block. At 0.65 mile, you'll reach the junction of Funston and Presidio. Turn right onto Presidio. Presidio heads downhill, then curves to the left at 0.74 mile, at the junction with Barnard. Carefully cross the street and look for a generically signed paved path a few feet from the street signpost.
     The path squeezes between some towering eucalyptus, then crosses a tiny creek on an old bridge (circa 1885) and enters Tennessee Hollow. This broad grassy, bowl-shaped meadow may remind you of a college campus back east. The path, straight as an arrow, crosses MacArthur at 0.83 mile, and heads uphill. According to an interpretive panel, this paved path, Lovers' Lane, is a historic trail, used by soldiers as a direct route to the mission 3 miles southeast as early as 1776! Although Lovers' Lane is lined with forests of eucalyptus, cypress, pine, and ornamentals, traffic on nearby busy Presidio Boulevard is audible and visible to the left. After a short but steep ascent, Lovers' Lane crosses Liggett just before a junction with Clark Street, at 0.94 mile. Continue straight as paved Lovers' Lane continues a climb. With houses on the right this "hike" really starts to feel like a neighborhood walk. The trail leaves the houses behind, and the Presidio Gate is just barely visible straight ahead, but instead turn right at 1.08 mile, at an unsigned but obvious junction with Ecology Trail (this is just past a likely-looking but false shortcut path).
     This section of the Presidio is heavily used by professional dog walkers, and well-worn paths crisscross the ground. The vegetation is a jumble of planted acacia, eucalyptus, pine, and cypress. A shortcut path feeds in from the right, then you'll reach the first in a series of confusing junctions. At each, bear right, aiming to generally descend parallel to the street running at the edge of the Presidio, to the left. You'll pass a sports field, cross a parking lot, and reach a sloping sandy hill. There is little ground cover, and dogs footprints were everywhere on my visit. Stay to the right as you ascend, and look for a few straggly clusters of lupine on the left just before you head back into a forest of eucalyptus. The trail levels out and you'll reach a junction at 1.64 miles. Turn left.
     If you're here in winter, you might be lucky enough to catch a small plum tree in full fragrant bloom, on the left. The wide trail ascends, with a tangle of blackberry vines on the left, and the grassy slopes of Inspiration Point on the right. After a few steps back under tree cover you'll reach a junction not far from Arguello Boulevard, at 1.70 miles. Turn right. The trail descends to a previous encountered junction at 1.76 miles. Turn left and retrace your steps uphill back to the trailhead.

Total distance: 1.78 miles
Last hiked: Friday, January 18, 2002

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