Golden Gate Park & Mosaic Stairs Hike

Sunset District is the largest district in the city and Irving Street and 9th Avenue is the center of all the action. It has a neighborhood feel with a variety of different cultural restaurants, bars, book stores, bakeries, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, clothes and shoe stores, a tattoo parlor, wine bar, the largest Video store, and even a Magic shop. After exploring Irving Street you travel up the majestic Moraga Stairway, then up several more stairways, visiting Grand View Park, Hawk Hill and Turtle Hill, east of 14th Avenue at Santiago. Views of the Sunset and Golden Gate Park and beyond. Travel into Golden Gate Park and out to Stowe Lake, Pagoda and waterfall and up to Strawberry Hill and the great views of the park and the city.

Hike Route: Starting point, Enter Golden Gate Park JFK Drive, Left side of Beach Chalet, Dutch Windmill on Left (Queen Wilhelmina Garden), Continue on JFK Drive past the Buffalo paddock, then Spreckles Lake (Toy boats) Waterfall, (R) into Stowe Lake, towards the waterfall, up stairs to Strawberry Hill, down the same stairs, circle Island, out the same side of the park, then Right back on JFK Drive past and visit the Rose Garden, then continue on JFK Drive, then (R) De Young Museum (explore Music concourse & Academy of Sciences) and exit on the other side, (L) Martin Luther King Drive, Right go out straight on 9th Ave, (stop for Lunch at cafe) then Right on Irving Street, then Left on 15th Avenue, up Hidden Stairway, then Left on Lawton Street, Right on 15th avenue, Lest on 14th Avenue, then Right up the stairs to Grand View Hill, (Break Grand View Park) Then down the stairs continue down Mosaic stairway and continue straight on Moraga street, Right on 19th street, and enter Golden Gate Park, left on Martin Luther King Drive, past the Dutch Windmill, exit Golden Gate Park, then Right on Great Highway pathway pass the polo fields and return to the starting point.

Level: Intermediate plus
Total Distance: 9.8 miles loop
Hiking Time: 4 - 5 hours
Elevation: 398 feet Mosaic Stairway, 404 feet Strawberry Hill, Grand View Park 666 feet, Total Elevation over 1000 feet
Information: Free Parking along Ocean Beach, Dogs on leash Restrooms bottom Beach Chalet, and scattered throughout Golden Gate Park.

GPS Coordinates for Trailhead:
Latitude: N 37. 769487° Longitude: W -122. 510179°

Meeting Point: Parking Lot along the Great Highway, next to Ocean Beach. I will park as close as possible to Lincoln Way.

Map:https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/pressreleases/2015/Muni%20Map%202015.pdf (SFMTA – includes all City Transit information)

Golden Gate Park Map: https://goldengatepark.com/map.html

Directions:
From 101 take exit 1B to merge onto US-101 N/Central Freeway toward Golden Gate Bridge, continue Octavia, then Left Fell street, Left at Stanyan street, Right on Lincoln Way and Right on the Great Highway, on the Right is the Beach Chalet, park across the street near Ocean Beach.

Carpooling Link: (Sign up here)
https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/fn47ky

Carpooling Procedures:
No negotiating in the comments, Add yourself to the carpool link, then contact the the driver or rider directly...

Thank you .......

Legal Disclaimer: Under what we are about Section
https://www.meetup.com/Urban-and-Bay-Hikers/