Notes on Hiking the SF Crosstown Trail Solo

Yesterday I accomplished a goal I have been thinking about for a few years: hiking the entire San Francisco Crosstown Trail in one hike. Honestly, was really damn hard for me, so I’m pretty proud of myself!

I’ve hiked the trail once before, during my birthday week last July, spread out over two days. When I finished the first leg, I looked at my hiking partner Kenny and said, “Honestly, we should just finish it.” But I had already arranged for a bunch of people to do the second half with me a couple of days later.

Yesterday was a perfect day for a long hike – temperatures in the high 50s and sunny most of the way. It was Thanksgiving, which I thought would mean that the city was dead — far from it! Lots of people were out and about in all of the parks. Lots of businesses were closed though, including the coffee spot I was looking forward to returning to. But otherwise, SF felt alive.

Here’s some of the things I noticed along the way:

• Candlestick Point Recreation Area has a calm, working class feel to it — Latinos and Asians fishing on the pier, folks throwing a kid’s birthday party, older people sitting on benches with their dogs. It also has the history of a beloved sports arena, some of the bones of which are still visible today.
• All the city parks have such unique characters and personalities, from steep McClaren to bougie Glen Canyon, chill Mountain Lake, grandiose Golden Gate, the stately Presidio and breathtaking Lands End. We’re so blessed to have them all!
• Seeing all of the active and thriving community gardens does my civic heart proud. What else in a city better exemplified community spirit like a well loved community garden?
• The worst part of the whole trail: the narrow stretch of a “park” next to Park Presidio Boulevard in the Richmond. Noisy, full of cars, and not that interesting.
• Finishing the hike in the Presidio, Sea Cliff, Baker Beach, and Lands End is just the most thrilling way to wrap up a seven hour hike. It’s like fireworks going off at the end of an orchestra’s amphitheater performance of Beethoven’s fifth.

I thought I had prepared for this hike so methodically for the past weeks. But my phone dying almost halfway through was an unanticipated and nearly disastrous failure point. I didn’t realize how draining several hours of app use and music playing can be on a smart phone. Fortunately I was able to pass by my apartment at about two thirds of the way through the trail, where I could recharge the dead phone and grab a portable charger to take with me. Otherwise I would have had to give up for the dumbest reason ever, my phone stopped working.

I was most concerned with how my body, and particular my knees, would do after several hours of city hiking. Honestly my legs nearly gave out during the many, many flights of stairs the city hosts.

Going down was nearly as punishing as going up. I remember not long ago happily leaping the long and uneven wooden steps in the middle of Land’s End. But today I was tiptoeing down each step.

My Biggest Discovery: walking six hours alone was not hard, even without music, podcasts or other distractions. The city is so mesmerizing to see unfold before me.

I was glad I did it all in one go, just to prove that I physically could. But I think I might enjoy doing it slower and chiller, since this is one of the only times I am going to be in all of these neighborhoods and parks. Stopping for a couple minutes to to really take in a spectacular view, taking a little side trip off the path to explore something you spied in an alley or a shop window, petting a dog, all the little pleasures of a leisurely walk versus a “hike.” The journey is the destination.

Practical Notes:

• Start as early as you can! I got to the starting point at 9:30 and wish I had started at 8:30.
• It’s a little annoying, but taking an Uber to Candlestick Park is the way to go.
• Things to pack: a battery charger and charging cable for your phone, a water bottle, snacks, an extra layer.