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3.13.2023

Tales From the Trails: Hidden Neighborhood Gems

NGS wrote a recent post about her walks around her neighborhood and I was mentioning to her how I really have gotten to know some fun places near me due to walking and running. I have lived in Oakland for about 11 years now and have lived and worked in San Francisco on and off for about 25 years, and through those years I have found so many fun little alleyways and stairways and incredible views. 

In Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco, there are a lot of little stairways or walkways where it is sometimes unclear whether or not they are on someone's property or not, but if you are brave enough to take them, you can find some wonderful shortcuts and some really fun things. You can probably find a map of where they are and follow that if you want to, but I kind of like just stumbling upon them; it's an adventure! Here are a couple of my favorites from each city. 

Oakland

Buena Vista Ave / Broadway Terrace - This may be cheating a little, as there are maybe ten different sets of stairs in this little neighborhood. It is like a Choose Your Own Adventure book and each time I go that way, I find something new! Also this neighborhood is up high and you can sometimes get some great views of the city and beyond! Google map

Yellow denotes stairs/paths.


Van Sicklen to Elbert St. via Trestle Glen - This neighborhood is nice and this path is hard to find, so I kind of felt like I was trespassing at first! However, it does get you through to higher ground and is a fun little clandestine route through someone's "backyard." Google map




Berkeley

Rose Walk - This path is about nine miles from my house and I found it on a run when I was trying to get approximately 20 miles total. I was looking for a turnaround spot and did not want to keep going down La Loma, which was the street I was on. It's a cute little path that you may even miss if you are coming from La Loma, but once you get on it, you go down the hill to Euclid where you can then turn right and check out the Rose Garden before turning around to go home. Google map



Indian Rock Path - This was another one where I just wanted to find a turnaround on a long run and I stumbled on this path. Not only is the path fun and tiny and green, but at the top of the path is Indian Rock, which I of course climbed up to see what kind of view was at the top. I was not disappointed, as you can see all the way to the city and the Marin Headlands. Google map



San Francisco

There are entire websites and books dedicated to the stairways in San Francisco, so I am not going to try to outshine them! However, here are two I frequent often. 

Greenwich Steps - If you walk along the Embarcadero going northbound, when you look up and see Coit Tower directly above you, turn left and you will be taken to a fabulous set of stairs that leads up to Coit Tower. Not only is the destination a good one, with a view and everything, but the stairs themselves lead through a neighborhood garden path and make you wonder how the people living here get their groceries home! Google map



Chestnut Street Stairs - These are not really "hidden" but they do provide a good bump in your heart rate and a rewarding view of Fisherman's wharf and Alcatraz when you get to the top. Also this has nothing to do with stairs, but if you are just looking for a run to do, going down Chestnut is fun and there is a public bathroom at the library that I have utilized often. I like to run down along the Embarcadero/Marina and then back on Chestnut for some variety. Google map

Here are a few extra photos of cool things that were not included in the list above: 

Brigeview Path

This Mormon Temple lets you cut through their property.


This sign changes from time to time.

SF alley to Transamerica tower.

Where have your walks taken you? Do you have any fun nooks, crannies or oddities in your neighborhood? 

10 comments:

  1. Wow! There are no hidden treasures like this in our neighborhood. We have a lot of parks and green spaces, and that's an utter joy, but there are no stairs to amazing views or anything like that! Thanks for sharing your finds with us!

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    1. Well this is the joy and the bane of living in a hilly area; you definitely get some exercise! I keep finding more and more too and sometimes it really surprises me, because I have run/walk past them for years sometimes without noticing!

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  2. Love this. I don't feel like there are a lot of "hidden treasures" within walking distance (but there are LOVELY spots, including a popular woods trail that we can connect to right from our back yard), but we're within driving distance to some incredible places. Nova Scotia is a gorgeous province and I feel like we've seen sooooo much of it in the last few years with the kids. We started a goal of visiting as many lighthouses as a family as possible and that really helped get us out the door. Of course, en route to all these lighthouses, we happen upon other really cool things.

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    1. Trails and lighthouses and other fun things along the way are totally part of the Hidden Gem club! That is why I love traveling and that includes places both far and near, because there are always such fun things to stumble upon, even when you think you know where you are going! I know you probably found a lot of nooks and crannies on your trip to Rome!

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  3. I love this! I probably live in the flattest place on earth, so there would be no hidden staircases near me. But I do feel like I've found some fun little paths and trails in my neighborhood that I never would have found if it weren't for running. I've also been using the AllTrails app to find trails in my area, and who knew??? There are a lot of them, and they're fun to explore and run on. Once again, I never would have found these if it weren't for running (well, and the app.)

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    1. I have done the same thing when looking for trails. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I lived in Gainesville for a while and I wanted to find new running routes and I found lots of fun trails to run on! It was fun to explore places I did not even know I was looking for!

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  4. This is Lisa! I remember checking out those hidden stair paths on my first trip to SF. I did a ton of research ahead of time. I thought it was a cool way to explore the area!

    We don’t have as many hidden features in our neighborhood. There is a nice area along the creek that feels like a hidden gem as there isn’t a paved running or biking path. You have to go down an embankment to get to it. Phil and Paul discovered it last May when Paul was quarantining after getting Covid. But the best feature of our neighborhood is the geese with costumes that change seasonally!!

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    1. That is a perfect hidden gem! I found some places like that when I was in Austin; I wanted a non-road running route and I found the coolest creek path with pretty much nobody on it and little private swimming holes and cool little nooks! I was so glad I took the time to explore rather than just running around Lady Bird, which is nice, but having something a little different felt special.

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  5. What great photos these are! How lovely to find such treasures!

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    1. Yes, it does keep the walks and runs a little more fun and exciting! You never know what you may find around the next corner.

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