Hidden Garden Steps

In retrospect we could have walked here from the Mosaic Steps on 16th Avenue...

but instead, we reparked and found out it was only a few streets away...

Just a down a couple of blocks was another set of tiled steps near Lawton and 16th called the Hidden Garden Steps.

Here is the top of the steps...

You can see some of the view of Golden Gate Park and Marin County in the distance.

Off to the side you will see this sign:

Looking down...

And looking up from a few steps down...As you can see, the risers are tiled and each flight is just as lovely as the next. The designs depict lovely flowers like waterlilies and daylilies (I loved the flight with the California poppy), swirling leaves and fern fronds, and insects such as butterflies and dragonflies and even a snail. Designed by the same artists for the Mosaic steps, Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher, these steps are such a lovely addition to this already beautiful neighborhood.









There are 148 steps  for this particular mosaic tile staircase, much shorter than the first set of tiled steps a few blocks away. This is truly a hidden gem and locals are fortunate to be able to enjoy this on a daily basis.



At the bottom of the steps, there is this placard and a cute painted bench...



We loved this wonderful example of art in a public space.

Here's a short video of the Hidden Garden Steps:


Plus another video about the neighborhood itself:

It's a real estate company video I believe, but man, do they try to sell the Inner Sunset! It's a bustling neighborhood near 9th and Irving and they do have so many great little eateries and shops.  Parking, like in all of SF, sucks though.

Here are the positive reviews from yelp + tripadvisor
and mentions from sfcurbed.com, www.inner-sunset.org, and weekendsherpa.com and great article from artandarchitecture-sf.com called "Tiled Stairways to Heaven".

Hidden Garden Steps
16th Ave (between Kirkam and Lawton)
San Francisco, CA 94122

hiddengardensteps.org + their fb page which shows a NEW set of steps at Lincoln Park which was unveiled last month! Wow, we're going to have to go there for our upcoming anniversary road trip, so yay for that!

Here is a link to the 3rd set tiled steps by the same artists:
"Arelious Walker Stairway", also from the artandarchitecture-sf.com site.  This plus the 4th set in Lincoln Park is definitely on our "must see" list!

These Hidden Garden Steps are gorgeous though, aren't they? It's well worth the foray into the Inner Sunset. The best things in life are free, I say. Who needs amusement parks and other crap that charges admission.