Golden Gate Park and Inner Sunset Stairway Walk

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/2/f/9/event_23089913.jpegThis walk starts at the east entrance of the San Francisco Botanical Garden at 9:30 AM. After a walk around the garden, we'll later hike to the top of the island at Stow Lake, visit the beautiful tiled stairway at 16th Avenue in the Inner Sunset, and then walk up the steps to Grand View Park for a stunning panoramic view of San Francisco.

This out-and-back hike totals roughly 5-6 miles and involves lots of climbing -- first on the hill at Stow Lake, and later on the climb to Grand View Park. We'll pause on several occasions to enjoy the views, but this walk will be challenging for some: In addition to hill climbing, the stairs will number about 300-400 in total. So be aware there's some endurance required. Total time on this walk -- out and back -- will be about 3 to 3-1/2 hours.

Note: This is pending the weather conditions in San Francisco. If foggy, we'll do an alternate hike for this event, and reschedule the stairway walk.

The Plan
Suggested parking is along Martin Luther King Drive or Middle Drive. There should be plenty of parking available at this hour, but you may need to walk for 5-10 minutes.

At 9:30, we'll meet at the east entrance to the San Francisco Botanical Garden, which is free for SF residents, $7 for non-residents.

Next, we'll walk to Stow Lake, cross the bridge, and walk to the top of the island.

Later, we'll walk to 9th Avenue and continue to the 16th Avenue tiled steps. We'll then walk up the steps to Grand View Park, pause to enjoy the view, and then walk back to Golden Gate park via the same route.

Tentative / optional: Casual lunch at one of the restaurants near 9th and Irving.

Using Caution when Carpooling (https://www.meetup.com/Bay-Area-Arts-and-Outdoors-Meetup-Group/pages/Using_Caution_when_Carpooling/)