Should You Take the Filbert or Greenwich Steps to Coit Tower?

Approach Telegraph Hill from its eastern side and the street grid gives way to staircases. The Filbert and Greenwich steps both lead toward the hilltop, with pauses along the way that make the climb as interesting as the view. Decide which set you want to climb and which to leave for the descent.

Which steps go through the garden on Telegraph Hill?

The Filbert Street stairs pass through the Grace Marchant Garden. Choose this approach if you want to see the planting up close. The steps also run alongside homes, so keep to the public route as you enjoy the foliage. Pause on a landing with room to let people pass before you look back. Each turn changes the angle over the neighborhood below.

Can I take the Greenwich Steps in one direction and Filbert in the other?

Yes. The city lists both sets of stairs as scenic approaches to Coit Tower. Use the tower and Pioneer Park as your hilltop meeting point. Save the names of both streets on your map before climbing, especially if you arrived from the waterfront. Switching stairways on the way down brings you out at a different block and gives you a second look at the hill.

What should I listen for around Pioneer Park?

The park surrounds the tower and occupies land once used for a semaphore station. In 1850 the hilltop signal alerted San Franciscans to arriving ships. Now you may hear Telegraph Hill’s flock of parrots along its paths. Take off your headphones here for a minute. You can pick the narration up again at the tower’s base after you have listened for the birds.