Tanks a lot

Downtown San Francisco view from Tank Hill

Folks who live in Cole Valley often shake their heads at the tourists who flock to the city overlook at Twin Peaks. Why fight for a parking space (and risk a broken window) when you could enjoy a nearly identical view from Tank Hill? The rock-studded knoll juts up from the edge of the Clarendon Heights neighborhood; access from unsigned steps on Clarendon Avenue and/or Belgrave Avenue. The vista isn't quite as stunning as Twin Peaks (which boasts 360 degree views), but it's a lovely place to visit and far less crowded than Twin Peaks.

Streets: Belgrave Avenue, Stanyan Street, and Clarendon Avenue
Neighborhoods: Clarendon Heights, Forest Knolls, and Parnassus
Length: entire walk is 1.6 mile loop
Character: residential
Starting coordinates:  37.761291°N -122.452012°W

Walk it:
Begin on Stanyan Street near the intersection with 17th Street. Look for steps (signed Interior Greenbelt) leading into Sutro Forest on the west side of the street. Walk up the steps and start hiking on a path initially squeezed between two houses. Historic Trail begins climbing through eucalyptus woods. Woodland Creek is shown on the map running downhill to the right; the creekbed is not visible from the trail. Ivy is very common and has choked away potential native plants, but volunteers are attempting to restore the woods with shrubs that might have thrived here before Adolf Sutro planted his forest. Historic Trail climbs steadily to a signed junction with Edgewood Trail at 0.43 mile. Turn left onto Fairy Gates Trail.

Historic Trail in Sutro Forest

A bit more climbing brings you to another signed junction at 0.5 mile. Turn left and remain on Fairy Gates Trail. The narrow path runs downslope from a private street on the right which accesses the UCSF Medical Center. In late winter, look for native osoberry here. Poison oak is also common, on and around the rock outcrops along the trail. Watch out for cyclists, as there is limited sight distance. At 0.66 mile, Fairy Gates Trail ends near the Chancellor's House, on the left. What a job perk -- that's some place! Turn left and walk on the sidewalk downhill to the intersection with Clarendon Avenue, at 0.76 mile. Turn left. A few big houses hang off the side of the hill at the edge of the forest on the left. Check out the house on the right side of Clarendon (oddly, with a Stanyan Street address) that was built in 2013 without a garage or driveway (google 1410 Stanyan if you're interested in the details). On the left side of Clarendon, pause at the gated and locked Stanyan Steps. The caption on the gate proclaims these dead-end steps a cul de sac. The steps access a handful of houses; are these the only locked "public" steps in the City? Continuing down Clarendon, enjoy the breaks in between houses that permit sneak views north. Better views to come! Just past the intersection with Twin Peaks Boulevard, turn left onto an unmarked set of wood steps. At the top, welcome to Tank Hill! A flat plateau, shaded by eucalyptus, leads to a bare rocky hillside with those promised awesome views. From the Golden Gate to San Bruno Mountain, it's a lovely panorama. The name refers to a water tank that once sat on this hill. When ready, look for a rough and rocky path descending from the northwest corner of the hill. Head down off Tank Hill to the end of Belgrave Avenue. Many big lovely homes here. Pass Shrader Street and continue on Belgrave to Stanyan (a path heads into Sutro Forest at the end of Belgrave but it deadends into poison oak). Turn right on Stanyan and retrace your steps back to the trailhead.