Pemberton Place Steps
The Verdict
"Go up in the late afternoon and carry on to Tank Hill for sunset, which turns it into about a one mile walk."
What you need to know
What’s There
A three flight garden stairway climbing the east flank of Twin Peaks from Clayton Street up to Crown Terrace, about 194 steps in all. The lowest flight is red brick with benches and cottage gardens. The middle is overgrown cement. The top is mossy cobbled brick with private gardens and lighting either side.
Because it comes in three shorter flights with landings between, it is the gentlest of the city’s big stairways.
The Story
The steps were built sometime after 1909, most likely as part of the Ashbury Park Tract subdivision, and were rebuilt in the 1990s after storm damage.
The original retaining wall at the bottom included a small waiting shelter for the number 33 streetcar that once ran along Clayton Street. The 33 is a bus now, but it still runs past the same spot.
Visiting
Neighborhood: Clarendon Heights, below Tank Hill
Cost: Free
Hours: Always open. Dog friendly.
Best time to go: Late afternoon, timed so you reach Tank Hill for sunset.
What to know: The gardens on either side are tended by the residents whose front doors open onto the stairway, so admire and leave them alone. The mossy upper sections get slippery in fog. Not wheelchair accessible.
Getting There
Transit: The 33-Ashbury and 18th stops on Clayton Street at the foot of the steps.
Parking: Residential streets around Clayton, usually possible.
Combining: Carry on from Crown Terrace up to Tank Hill, about 650 feet up, for a roughly 180 degree view over the Presidio, the Golden Gate and downtown. The pair makes about a one mile walk.
