It’s a San Francisco tradition to cross the city on foot from one end to the other. Annually, it’s done in May during Bay to Breakers, the popular, historic 7.5-mile race with a route that goes from the Financial District to Golden Gate Park.
Another option is the relatively new Crosstown Trail, which can be completed any time of year. Created in 2019 by volunteers in the Crosstown Trail Coalition, with a map and app that can be found at crosstowntrail.org, the trail follows already established paths, stairways and sidewalks, goes up hills, through canyons and into parks. It runs from southeast to northwest, from Candlestick Point on San Francisco Bay to Lands End at the Pacific Ocean, past the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Crosstown Trail, at around 17 miles, is more than twice the length of Bay to Breakers. But it is designed to be done in smaller doses, in five segments of 2 to 5 miles a day. It became popular when people spent time outdoors during COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.
Of course, the entire trail can be done in one day. Karen Rhodes, a Crosstown Trail volunteer, has completed it, starting at 7 a.m. and finishing 10 hours and 15 minutes later at Lands End.
The trail also includes biking options. Maps show ways for cyclists to do a similar route to that for walkers or runners, with alternatives in a few spots.
The trail goes through Golden Gate Park and the Presidio. It connects with mass transit, including BART at Glen Park, and Muni streetcars and buses. It takes San Franciscans and tourists to places and neighborhoods many have never seen before, such as Visitacion Valley, with its six-block greenway park, and McLaren Park, the city’s second largest.
Be aware, though, the Crosstown Trail is not particularly well-marked. There are only a few signs along the way.
In creating the trail, the “criteria was to have a good map, a good app and major transit connections,” said Bob Siegel, a retired City College of San Francisco professor who is credited for making the trail happen when he pulled together volunteers in 2018.
Siegel, 82, and Rhodes, 69, who volunteered on other trail projects in the Bay Area, knew that new trails often are established after years of planning and fundraising. But that was not the case with the Crosstown Trail route, which was created from existing trails and sidewalks.
Installing signs and getting permission from government agencies would have meant delays, Siegel explained. The whole thing was put together on a budget of $600.
Siegel said his group never faced opposition, even though San Francisco’s neighborhood residents are thought to be resistant to change.
“I went to different meetings,” he said. “I said, ‘We’re doing this.’ They all liked it.”
While no figures are available on how many people use the trail, Siegel said it is “well-used.”
Rhodes, who leads guided walks on the trail on weekends in June and October, said several hundred people have participated. But on a recent sunny Saturday in November, this reporter and a friend saw only two or three walkers while completing the first segment between Candlestick Park State Recreation Area and Glen Park.
Siegel said San Francisco is the first city to have its own urban trail plotted out this way.
But it inspired the Seattle Olmsted 50, a 50-kilometer walk, and the 27-mile Walking City Trail in Boston, added Siegel, who has received inquiries from Washington D.C., where a similar trail is planned.
Back in San Francisco, the Crosstown Trail spawned the 14.5-mile Double Cross Trail, which runs southwest to northeast from Fort Funston to Pier 23 and was created by a westside hiking group.
Businesses along the Crosstown Trail, including Mission Blue Coffee at 144 Leland Ave. in Visitacion Valley and Bird & Beckett, a bookstore at 653 Chenery St. in Glen Park, sell Crosstown swag including T-shirts and caps.
Many stretches of the trail go through parks and residential neighborhoods, so it’s wise to bring water and food. But other parts were deliberately designed to take advantage of San Francisco’s restaurants. Hungry trail blazers will find many food options in Glen Park or on Irving Street near 19th Avenue.
To access the Crosstown Trail map, visit crosstowntrail.org.