San Francisco Chronicle
Sunday, November 7, 2004
by Tom Graham
PEAK EXPERIENCE
San Francisco is a city of hills,
more than four dozen of them, according to a recent count.
In "Hills of San Francisco," published
in 1959 by Chronicle Publishing, only 42 of them were identified
(43 if you count Twin Peaks twice). I've come up with 10 more
than that.
But, as San Francisco State University geography
Professor Max Kirkeberg says, "It all depends on what you
call a hill. ... There is room for honest, intelligent people
to come up with different numbers. The fact is, we have a lot
of hills."
John Martin, San Francisco's county surveyor,
notes that most of the city's hills are not specifically identified
on maps. "I don't think there's ever been a survey of the
hills," he said.
Through research, plus my own observations
as I've walked the streets, alleys and hills of San Francisco,
I have developed the following list of the city's top 20 hills.
The names, elevations and locations of each are included below,
so that you can check them out for yourself. The other 33 are
listed in descending order according to elevation on Page 24.
THE TOP 20 LIST
The 20 best hilltop views in the city are indicated
on adjacent map. Numbers correspond to list below.
1.Twin Peaks
South Peak (also known as Noe Peak): 922 feet.
North Peak (Eureka Peak): 904 feet. Spanish called the peaks "Los
Pechos de la Choca," or "the Breasts of the Indian Maiden."
Access trails: top of Twin Peaks Boulevard.
2. Mount Davidson
9 27 feet, highest hill in San Francisco.
Originally named Blue Mountain. Renamed after its surveyor, George
Davidson. Identifying feature: 100-foot concrete cross. Trail
access: Rex Street and Juanita Way; also along Dalewood Way.
3. Telegraph Hill
284 feet. Other names have included Loma Alta,
Windmill Hill and Signal Hill. Identifying feature: Coit Tower.
Location: top of Telegraph Hill Boulevard off Lombard and Kearny
streets.)
4. Bernal Heights
500 feet. Identifying feature: radio antennae.
Location: southern end of Folsom Street, surrounded by and above
Bernal Heights Boulevard.
5. Larsen Peak
666 feet. Location: Grand View Park. Trail
access: stairs at top of Moraga Street and 14th Avenue.
6. Corona Heights
510 feet. Location: above the Randall Museum.
Trail access: Roosevelt Way at Fairbanks Street.
7. Candlestick Hill
375 feet. Identifying feature: Bayview Park
hill directly above Monster Park stadium. Location: top of Key
Street off Third Street.
8. Merced Heights
500 feet. Location: Peaks are located east
to west at Summit and Thrift streets, Shields Street and Orizaba
Avenue, and Ramsell Street near Shields.
9. Mt. Mount Sutro
908 feet. Named after Adolph Sutro, mayor of
San Francisco from 1894 to 1896. Access trail: end of Johnstone
Drive off Clarendon Avenue.
10. Alamo Heights
225 feet. Identifying feature: Alamo Square
Park. Location: bordered by Fulton, Hayes, Scott and Steiner streets.
11. McLaren Ridge
525 feet. Three ridgetop locations: two hilltops
west of John F. Shelley Drive and hilltop south of Mansell Street
near John F. Shelley loop.
12. Buena Vista Heights
575 feet. Identifying feature: Buena Vista
Park. Trail access: Lyon and Haight streets; Buena Vista Avenue.
East at top of Duboce Street.
13. Hunter's Point Ridge
275 feet. Identifying feature: Hilltop Park.
Location: Whitney Young Circle at Progress Street.
14. Tank Hill
650 feet. Location: top of Tank Hill Park.
Trail access: Twin Peaks Boulevard at Graystone Terrace.
15. Pacific Heights
375 feet. Location: intersection of Lyon Street
and Pacific Avenue.
16. Potrero Hill
300 feet. Identifying feature: blue water tower
on top of rock outcropping. Location: top of 22nd and Carolina
streets.
17. Lincoln Heights
376 feet. Identifying feature: Palace of the
Legion of Honor. Location: hill south of the Legion of Honor off
Legion of Honor Drive.
18. Billy Goat Hill
400 feet. Location: near Billy Goat Hill Park,
at Castro and Duncan streets.
19. Strawberry Hill
412 feet. Identifying feature: island-hill
in the middle of Stow Lake. Location: above Stow Lake Drive off
Martin Luther King Drive.
20. Lone Mountain
448 feet. Identifying feature: monastic-looking
building on the hill northeast of St. Ignatius Church. Location:
hill above intersection of Turk Street and Chabot Terrace.
THE OTHER 32 HILLS, IN DESCENDING ORDER:
Clarendon Heights
850 feet. Identifying feature: 977-foot Sutro
Tower (highest point in San Francisco). Location: off Clarendon
Avenue, take Dellbrook Avenue to top of La Avanzada.
Sherwood Forest
825 feet. Location: top of Robinhood Drive
off Lansdale Drive.
Forest Hill
775 feet. Identifying feature: summit water
towers. Location: top of Mendosa Avenue off 10th Avenue.
Edgehill
700 feet. Location: Top of Edgehill Way off
Garcia Avenue.
Red Rock Hill
689 feet. One of the Diamond Heights hills.
Location: off Diamond Heights Boulevard, take Duncan Street to
top of Red Rock Way.
Gold Mine Hill
679 feet. Also part of Diamond Heights. Location:
off Diamond Heights Boulevard, take Gold Mine Drive to top of
Ora Way.
Monterey Heights
575 feet. Location: top of Fernwood Drive off
Ravenwood Drive.
Mount Olympus
570 feet. Location: top of Mount Olympus Park,
on Upper Terrace off Clifford Terrace.
Castro Hill
407 feet. Location: 22nd and Collingwood streets.
Liberty Hill
400 feet. Location: Sanchez between 21st and
Hill streets; 21st between Noe and Sanchez streets.
Lafayette Heights
378 feet. Also known as Holladay's Hill. Identifying
feature: Lafayette Square Park. Location: bordered by Washington,
Sacramento, Laguna and Gough streets.
Nob Hill
376 feet. Location: top of Jones and Sacramento
streets.
Kite Hill
375 feet. Location: above Yukon Street near
19th Street.
Rob Hill
374 feet. Location: east of Washington Boulevard,
between Compton Road and Central Magazine Road, above Rob Hill
Campground.
Presidio Hill
370 feet. Identifying feature: lookout tower
near Presidio Golf Course. Location: top of Deems Road off Washington
Boulevard.
City College Hill
350 feet. Identifying feature: domed Science
Building on top of the hill. Location: top of Science Circle on
east side of Phelan Avenue, between Ocean and Judson avenues (across
from the reservoir).
Laurel Hill
350 feet. Formerly a cemetery for early pioneers.
Location: top of hill on Lupine Avenue east of Laurel Street.
Anza Vista Hill
325 feet. Location: top of Barcelona Avenue
between Anzavista and Terra Vista avenues.
Excelsior Heights
315 feet. Identifying feature: blue water tower.
Trail access: at Mansfield and Burrows streets.
Russian Hill
300 feet. Location: top of Vallejo above Florence
Street St. (Russian Hill's other ridge top is located in Marble
Park on hill surrounded by Greenwich, Hyde, Larkin and Lombard
streets.)
Presidio Heights
275 feet. Location: on Washington Street, between
Cherry and Spruce streets.
Holly Hill
274 feet. Identifying feature: Holly Park.
Location: above Holly Park Circle, off Appleton Avenue.
University Mound
265 feet. Location: top of Cambridge Street
near Burrows Street.
Washington Heights
260 feet. Identifying feature: Washington High
School. Location: top of Anza Street between Geary Boulevard and
Balboa Street.
Mount St. Joseph
250 feet. Location: small corner-lot park at
top of Bayview Circle off Newhall Street.
Dolores Heights
216 feet. Location: top of Dolores Street at
Jersey Street.
Cathedral Hill
200 feet. Identifying feature: St. Mary's Cathedral.
Location: top of Geary Boulevard between Cleary and Gough streets.
College Hill
200 feet. Location: bounded by Mission Street,
St. Mary's Avenue, San Jose Avenue and Richland Avenue.
Sutro Heights
200 feet. Identifying feature: Sutro Heights
Park, across from the Cliff House, above the Great Highway. Location:
bordered by 48th Avenue, Point Lobos Avenue and the Great Highway.
Mint Hill
150 feet. Identifying feature: U.S. Mint building.
Location: above Duboce Street, between Buchanan and Webster streets.
Rincon Hill
100 feet. Identifying feature: western end
of the San Francisco Bay Bridge. Location: top of Rincon Street
off Bryant Street; top of First Street off Harrison Street.
Irish Hill
Originally listed at 250 feet, but all that's
left is a nub of bedrock about 30 feet high. Location: inside
PG&E yard at corner of Illinois and 22nd streets.
