The western portion of the mountain was enveloped in morning fog; a cold wind was blowing, and rain was falling. The western part of San Francisco is the foggiest area of San Francisco, especially in the summer. Fog from the Pacific Ocean barrels into the Sunset District and then hits the western flank of Mount Sutro. On this hike, the eastern side of the mountain was not only less foggy, but there was also no wind nor rain.
After we had descended the eastern flank of the mountain, we went to La Boulangerie de San Francisco on Cole Street for some java and pastries. We then walked through the Cole Valley and Corona Heights neighborhoods and took a Muni Metro F-Market & Wharves streetcar from Castro Street/Market Street to Fisherman's Wharf. After which we took a little stroll in Fisherman's Wharf and proceeded to walk on Columbus Avenue through North Beach. We finished the hike in the Financial District.
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The map shows an overview of the location of the combined hiking route & streetcar route.The distance traveled by foot was approximately 7.5 miles (12.1 kilometers). The distance traveled by streetcar was about 5.5 miles. The total distance traveled was approximately 13 miles. The cumulative elevation gain was 1,155 feet (352 meters). Included on the map is a GPS generated track of the route, which includes walking and streetcar data plus mile markers. Click on the image to see the full-size map.
This graph shows the elevation changes encountered during the hike. Click on the image to see the full-size chart.
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The Forest Hill neighborhood. Click on the picture to see the full-size photograph.
A pathway in Forest Hill. Click on the picture to see the full-size photo.
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Climbing the west side of Mount Sutro. The view is looking northwest, and Grand View Park is barely visible in the fog. St. Anne of the Sunset Catholic Church can be seen on the far right. The large church has a red facade. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.
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Cranking up Oakhurst Lane during the ascent of Mount Sutro. The view is looking east. Click on the image to see the full-size photo.
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The summit of Mount Sutro is at an elevation of 909 feet. From the late 1950s through the 1960s, this was the location of Nike Missile Radar Acquisition site SF-89C. This radar site was the eyes for Nike Missile Launching site SF-89L, which was located at the Presidio Army Base. The missile launching and radar acquisition sites were approximately 2.5 miles apart. They had a line-of-sight view of one another. Donna took this picture as I am looking at current location information on a Garmin GPS device. A GPS has proven to be indispensable when I am traversing terrain. It is the difference between knowing where you are in relationship to where you are going, and getting lost.
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Descending the Greenbelt Trail on the eastern flank of Mount Sutro. Click on the image to see the full-size photo.
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Looking at Bernal Heights Summit, as seen from the Corona Heights neighborhood. The view is looking southeast. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.
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The intersection of Market Street and Castro Street. We will board an F-Market Streetcar at this location and take the streetcar to Fisherman's Wharf. The view is looking south. Click on the image to see the full-size photo.
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This map shows the route we took on the ascent and descent of Mount Sutro. Click on the image to see the full-size map.
“A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.”-Dorothea Lange
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