Truly Terrific: Tiled to Tiled Stairway Walk

Join us for a walk of San Francisco’s iconic tiled stairways featuring special guests. Relax afterward at Glen Park Station! Be dazzled by five (or four!) of San Francisco’s beautiful, truly iconic, tiled stairways featuring handmade tiles and mosaics. The walk will start at the Lincoln Park Steps, at the western end of California St., and continue through the lively Richmond District to Golden Gate Park. We will continue to Golden Gate Heights for the Hidden Gardens tiled stairway and the 16th/Moraga tiled steps, and then walk up the perfectly named Grandview Hill. After a lunch stop at West Portal Playground, we will head for the “Dragon’s Tale” tiled stairway at Miraloma Elementary School. A walk down rustic Glen Canyon will take us to a stop at Burnside’s combo mural and tiled steps, followed by a short amble along the Glen Park Greenway, where you will see the newly installed mosaic pillars of the Bosworth pedestrian bridge. Relax afterward at Glen Park Station, a cozy bar known as Glen Park’s living room. This walk will be led by Karen Rhodes, co-founder of the Crosstown Trail , and Alexandra Kenin who has mapped 900+ San Francisco stairways . SPECIAL GUESTS : The extraordinary duo, Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher, masterful mosaic artists for all five stairways featured in this walk, will share how the designs are created and artwork completed. Alice Xavier, community leader for 16th/Moraga stairway, the first tiled stairway in San Francisco, will greet walkers with stories of the steps, from the hatching of the idea to its realization. And Renee Berger, organizer of SF Stairway Month and community leader for the Burnside Steps, will tell you about the special combination of a mural and tiled steps that together celebrate the history of Glen Park. WALK DETAILS: Moderately strenuous, some hills, mostly pavement with dirt paths and uneven terrain in Glen Canyon. There will be a lunch stop and a restroom break along the route. Bring water and pack snacks/light lunch. Walk is accessible to public transit both at start point and at the end. TOTAL DISTANCE : 8 miles, or 6 miles if joining the group at Mother’s Meadow. There will be an opportunity to see either 5 tiled stairways or four. Group 1 will start at the Lincoln Tiled Steps and meet up with Group 2, joining for the rest of the walk. GROUP 1: FIVE TILED STAIRWAYS WALK MEET UP POINT: Meet at 9 a.m. at the Lincoln Park Steps, end of California St. past 32nd Ave. Arrive 15 minutes early to use the nearest restroom at the DuPont Tennis Courts, 336 31st Ave., a 5-minute walk away. GROUP 2: FOUR TILED STAIRWAYS WALK MEET UP POINT: Meet at 10:15 a.m. at Mother's Meadow restrooms, 573 MLK Drive in Golden Gate Park, to join the group arriving around 10:30 a.m. from the Lincoln Park Steps. This event is a part of the third annual SF Stairway Month which is hosted by the Civic Joy Fund and organized by Glen Park Beautiful. The event is also a part of the inaugural Walktober, a month-long celebration of guided walks in San Francisco hosted by the Crosstown Trail.