40mm scenes from across the city.
The Crosstown Trail in San Francisco takes you across the city diagonally from the southeast corner at Candlestick Point to the northwest corner at Lands End. Depending on how fast you hike and how many times you stop (don’t skip Mission Blue for coffee in Visitacion Valley!), it takes around 7 hours to complete the whole thing in one go.
It’s a great way to see parts of the city you might not usually have reason to visit, and there is no shortage of amazing views along the way.
A year ago, a boy invited me to hike the Crosstown Trail. I agreed. We spent twelve hours together that day—a truly epic first date.
We repeated that first date on the one-year anniversary a few weeks ago. The boy proposed at the end of the trail. This trail will always be so special to us.
the first leg: visitacion valley + mclaren park
The sun is shining. Morale is high. Good coffee is a 45-minute walk away. I love the first leg of this hike!
the second leg: glen canyon park + laguna honda trail
The second leg is perhaps even more beautiful than the first—so many trees, so much green. However, I always lose steam at the bottom of the steps at Magellan Ave. & Pacheco. Luckily it’s a great place to sit down for a minute, drink some water, and refuel with a Larabar.
the third leg: golden gate heights park + grandview park
Unfortunately the third leg begins with even more elevation gain, but the reward is in the views. I love seeing my neighborhood from this angle! This leg also includes the popular 16th Ave Tiled Steps.
the fourth leg: stow lake + park presidio boulevard
We begin the fourth leg with an afternoon pick-me-up—boba from a shop on Irving—before heading into Golden Gate Park. Here the trail skirts around Stow Lake and into the Rose Garden before depositing you on Park Presidio for the mile-long walk across the Richmond District.
the fifth leg: presidio + lands end
Once you start the fifth leg, you have fewer than 4 miles to go! The beauty of this final stretch is a good distraction from how much your feet hurt. 🙃
