Secret Stairs by Charles Fleming

Author:Charles Fleming
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Santa Monica Press
Published: 2020-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

WALK #18

REMILLARD PARK

DURATION: 1 hour, 30 minutes

DISTANCE: 1.8 miles

STEPS: 897

DIFFICULTY: 3.5–4

BUS: 65, 67

This is a rigorous walk up and down steep railroad tie pathways, which are more trails than staircases, with sublime views and possible wildlife sightings.

Begin your walk at Remillard Park, near the corner of Keeler Avenue and Poppy Lane. Acquaint yourself with some local history by reading the plaque attached to the massive ochre stone, behind the split rail fence, that anchors the park to the hillside. Then walk uphill on Poppy, and continue across Keeler onto Poppy Path.

This stairway begins as a wide blacktop driveway rising toward a house painted in startling tones of blue, orange, and red. Close to the house, the driveway becomes redwood steps. Admire the fine collection of hens and roosters, and begin climbing—hard. You’ll do 150 steps, plus pathway, without any handrails, to get to the top. Watch for deer or deer tracks.

At the top is a charming brick cottage with a slate roof on Miller Avenue. Turn right, and head uphill, walking past the turning for Latham Lane. The newer, tasteful homes here offer good views of the bay, if no architectural drama. Just after the house at 1099, turn left onto the marked section of the steps known as Bret Harte Lane.

Bret Harte was a California journalist best known for the colorful short stories The Luck of Roaring Camp and The Outcasts of Poker Flat. Those stories both appeared in The Overland Monthly (at times published as The Californian, which was at one point edited by Warren Cheney, developer of Berkeley’s Panoramic area), a San Francisco-based literary magazine that also drew contributions from East Bay notables like naturalist John Muir, poet Joaquin Miller, and humorist Ambrose Bierce.

His staircase begins as a redwood tie walkway rising narrowly between the houses, under a low growth of laurel and other trees, climbing 84 steps to the top. The stairs deposit you at 1100 Grizzly Peak Boulevard. Turn right and walk along a stretch of fairly flat roadway. On a clear day you can see forever, with bay views, Golden Gate views, and Mount Tamalpais sightings almost guaranteed.

Turn right onto Stevenson Avenue, just before the very handsome Spanish mansion at 1140 Grizzly Peak. Walk only a very short distance on Stevenson. As the road bends left, look on the right for the marked Anne Brower Path.

Named for a popular local woman who was the wife of noted environmentalist David Brower—you can read all about him and his rock climbing exploits at Indian Rock Park, part of Walk #15—this narrow pathway runs closely between two houses, including a striking Cape Cod on the left. The path drops past big bay views, over 64 steep redwood steps to the street below.

You land at the intersection of Miller and Whitaker Avenue. Turn left and walk along Miller. After a short spell, Stevenson Avenue will angle in on your left. Pass this, but on your right, just after the house at 1160, find Stevenson Path, beside a vintage green lamp post.

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