Grandview Park,
on Turtle Hill 

One of San Francisco's best views!

Plus two beautiful, tiled stairways

San Francisco has a lot of famous views, but Grandview Park is scarcely known. Most SF residents probably haven't explored it, and many don't know it exists. 

But Turtle Hill sits high above the Sunset District in the western half of the city with a 360 degree view of San Francisco.

The city created a small park at the top of the hill, Grandview Park. But it requires quite a climb to get to the summit.

Treat yourself to pretty views of downtown San Francisco, SF Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, and the Sunset and Richmond Districts spread out below you. 

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Lots to see from the summit

Looking west, the Sunset District stretches out to the Pacific Ocean.

To the north, you can see the entrance to San Francisco Bay, with the top of the Golden Gate Bridge peeking out.

To the south, you'll see the two hilltops of Twin Peaks and the Sutro Tower on Mount Sutro.

Looking east, there's the skyline of downtown San Francisco, with the Transamerica Pyramid and the Salesforce Tower.

Once you're at the top of Turtle Hill, there's a path that circles the summit (small park) so you can see all the views.

There's a bench up there to sit on, but no bathrooms. It's the climb up the stairs to get there that is more time consuming!

Climbing the Hill

There's a long set of stairs that takes you to the top. The stairs begin on Noriega Street, around 14th Avenue.

If you're driving, you can park there (but check the sign for street cleaning hours). 

Definitely worth the climb!

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Getting to Grandview Park

There are two sets of stairs that lead to the top. The most popular ones are on Noriega Street and the "back stairs" are on 14th Avenue.

If you're using GPS, 738 Noriega Street works to get you to the base of the Noriega stairs.

Public transportation: you can take the N-Judah Muni streetcar line, from Market Street downtown. Get off at the 9th and Judah stop and take the 66-Quintara bus to 16th and Moraga, a stop right at the base of the Grandview stairs.

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But wait, there's more!

Grandview Park happens to be right near two of the prettiest of the tiled steps of San Francisco, the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps and the Hidden Garden Steps.

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The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, aka the Moraga Steps, were created as a neighborhood project in 2005.

They were designed by Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher and built from over 2000 tiles as a beautiful mosaic display of sea creatures and swirling ocean and sky. It's worth taking a close look at the detailed work.

The hillside on each side is planted with native California plants.

Another tip: there have been car break-ins at the base of the tiled steps, so don't leave anything visible or valuable in your car if you are driving here. They even put up a sign to warn people about it.

The Hidden Steps are so close, why not include them, too.

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The Hidden Garden Steps

These beautiful stairs are only two blocks from the 16th Ave Steps.

The design features plants, snails, butterflies and other garden folk.

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See both tiled stairways and Grandview Park

If you haven't see the tiled stairs yet, it's easy to include them in a visit to Grandview Park.

Via Public Transportation. Take the N-Judah streetcar from downtown, get off at 16th and Judah.

Walk one block down 16th Ave to Kirkham Street, where you'll see the base of the Hidden Garden Steps. Go up the steps, then continue on 16th Ave two blocks. You'll find yourself at the base of the 16th Ave Steps. 

Climb the 16th Ave Steps to the top, to Noriega Street, then head a little to the right on that street to find the base of the stairway up to Grandview Park. Enjoy!

Or you can park on Kirkham Street and take the same route.

Via a Guided Tour. Explore Grandview Park, and the two tiled stairways, with a guide on a highly-rated tour.

See Hidden Stairways of San Francisco Tour for more info and booking.

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The Sunset District, where all this is located, is my own neighborhood of many years.

Here's my guide to the Sunset: what to see, where to eat, and more.

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