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Local authors and city explorers present 34 of San Francisco's best stairway walks in this guidebook that includes walk descriptions, directions, detailed maps, and at-a-glance route summaries, as well as photographs and a comprehensive list of all 600-plus public stairways.
List of contents
- Yerba Buena Cove, Telegraph Hill & Chinatown
- Telegraph Hill & North Beach
- Nob Hill
- Russian Hill South
- Russian Hill North
- San Francisco Architectural Signatures
- Fort Mason
- North Waterfront: A Segmented Metamorphosis o’er Land & Sea
- Pacific Heights
- Walk Forward, But Always Look Back
- Presidio Wall & Marina Waterfront
- Fort Winfield Scott in the Presidio
- Lands End
- Sutro’s Legacy for All Time
- Golden Gate Heights
- Lead Thread on a Sugar Sack
- St. Francis Wood
- Mount Davidson
- Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Discover the Fog & Light of San Francisco
- Edgehill
- Chert, Hideaway Paths & Open Space
- Forest Hill
- Marienbad in San Francisco
- Forest Knolls
- Grading & Sliding, Fog & Drip
- Twin Peaks Foothills
- Upper Market
- Narrow Streets, Privacy & Quiet Among the Planets
- Corona Heights
- Trees, Rocks & Underground Wiring
- Eureka Valley
- Dolores Heights
- Potrero Hill
- From Ship Building Through Dot-Com to Biotech
- Bernal Heights East
- Bernal Heights West
- Diamond Heights, Fairmount Heights & Glen Canyon Park
- Follow the Curve, Follow the View
- McLaren Park & Excelsior
- Four Hills
- Views, Views, Views! A Hop from Hill to Hill
- Sunnyside
- The Blue Greenway
- Upper Haight
- Dogpatch
- Noe Valley
- Golden Gate Park
- Marshall Beach
- Take the Trail, It’s a Stairway
About the author
Mary Burk has been walking the stairways of San Francisco since the 1980s. While searching the city and its hills, Mary discovered Adah Bakalinsky’s book and quickly fell in love with Adah’s unique way of bringing the city to life.
Mary and Adah first met at a book event for the fourth edition of Stairway Walks at the San Francisco Main Public Library. The two became fast friends, bonding through a deep interest in exploring the city on foot. Adah shared with Mary how every walk has its own rhythm, and the two began improvising walks together from there. In the ninth edition, Mary continues the writing, and the two continue walking the routes together.
When not out walking, Mary works as a software consultant and enjoys swimming and cooking. She shares a home with her husband, her two cats, and their 15-year-old catfish.
Summary
The essential San Francisco travel guide for walkers and hikers
Hundreds of public stairways traverse San Francisco’s 42 hills, exposing scenic vistas and linking colorful, diverse neighborhoods. Local authors and city explorers Mary Burk and Adah Bakalinsky present 34 of the best stairway walks that the City by the Bay has to offer. Explore well-known and clandestine corridors, from Lands End to Bernal Heights to Telegraph Hill. Absorb the California city’s sights and sounds while discovering its architecture, history, pop culture, and horticulture.
Stairway Walks in San Francisco has something for everyone, whether you want to see a unique neighborhood, find an inspiring exercise route, or go on a sight-seeing adventure. Each walk features all the information you need, including a description, directions, map, and at-a-glance summary. Plus, the comprehensive appendix lists every one of San Francisco’s 600-plus public stairways. The guidebook has been an essential tool since 1984. Now fully updated in its 9th edition, Stairway Walks in San Francisco is for residents and tourists alike who wish to adventurously uncover the city’s well-known treasures and unexpected delights.
