Greenwich Steps

What you need to know

What’s There

The quieter of Telegraph Hill’s two east side stairway streets, one block north of the Filbert Steps. It runs from Sansome Street up to Montgomery, then on to Telegraph Hill Boulevard at the Coit Tower parking lot.

The lower leg climbs 160 feet in an L shape past dense private gardens. The upper leg is 120 feet of brick, one of the few brick stairways in San Francisco.

The Story

The upper stairs were built in 1931. The concrete lower section against the cliff face came much later, around 1982.

Look for the small bridge carrying the driveway of 1460 Montgomery over the stairway, which is an unusual bit of engineering, and for the tilework and the life sized statue of a girl holding a bird along the route. At 280 feet the full climb is the second highest stairway ascent in the city.

Visiting

Neighborhood: Telegraph Hill

Cost: Free

Hours: Always open. It is a public street.

Best time to go: Any clear day. It is shadier and cooler than the Filbert Steps.

What to know: The brick gets slick in fog or rain. As on Filbert, the gardens either side are private and several homes here open directly onto the steps. Not wheelchair accessible.

Getting There

Transit: The F-line or E-line along the Embarcadero, then walk to Sansome and Greenwich. The lower entrance is easy to miss.

Parking: Difficult, same as Filbert. Try Levi’s Plaza.

Combining: The standard loop is up the Filbert Steps and down these, with Coit Tower at the top of both.