Mount Olympus

Mt Olympus feels like a hidden gem. It’s a tiny park tucked away in a neighborhood with no one around except possibly locals that live there. The view’s not that great — you only get views in one direction, the rest is all obscured by trees. But it’s interesting to visit the geographic center of SF — especially since it’s near my ‘hood.

Checked out Mt Olympus in SF on Sat 7÷12÷14. We did an urban hike walking from Hayes Valley to Mt Olympus. It took us a long time to do that.
Once you’re at the stairs you only have a little bit more to climb. You can see the remains of the old Triumph Light Statue and walk around it and down the stairs you can walk around that too.
Only takes about 10 minutes to see the tiny park.

Pretty neat little spot, but not much of a view or anything to look at because there are lots of trees and buildings surrounding the park. There are a couple benches too.
There is a staircase leading to these location. The longer walk that avoids these stairs gives you nicer views of Twin Peaks.

Winds of change.
Entrance is just off 17^th before Clayton. Staircase heading up. Prepare to battle wind. Go left and walk to the end of the street. Discover a monument to days past:
Grab a seat on a bench and you’ll be protected from the gusts. Read a book. Admire the view. Enjoy a hidden slice of the city.

A hidden gem in San Francisco. If you haven’t been up here, I highly recommend it. While easily accessed by car on Upper Terrace, I recommend taking the stairway off 17^th St. or the stairway on Upper Terrace.

I wish the statue was still here because I’m sure it would have been less underwhelming than it is now. The view is okay but its surrounded by houses so that sort of blocks the good part of the views. The statue or what remains is just the foundation in which the statue used to be on. Its seemed nice in theory to come by Mt Olympus, but now I realize that you really wouldn’t be missing out on anything special if you don’t come.

Situated at the end of a dead-​end, this really is not much of a park. It is just a little plot of land with a giant statue at the top with some built in concrete benches.
But, it is really cute and it has a spectacular view of the ENTIRE city, including North Bay.
I think that every San Franciscan should check it out at least once.
So, make the trek over here with your morning coffee, sit yourself down, and take in the city.

i would have given this place a 5 stars if the townhouses and trees weren’t blocking the view of the entire city of San Francisco!!! but still worth a 4 stars for what you can still see!!!

If you’re gonna hit O.G. tourist spots in SF, check this out… it’s aged, but it still gives a feel of something amazing that it was in the past… It just sucks that half the perimeter view is ovrerly obstructed now by townhouses and trees…

I wasn’t sure where I was going but I saw the picture of the staircase and that’s where you would start your walk up to the «statue». The small walkway/​alley gave me a very dangerous vibe since I was alone with nobody in sight. But after the long walkway ends, you can either take the left and walk straight to it or detour (the long way) and walk by the residential homes and take the stairway up. I took the stairway since I wasn’t sure where the left side would take me. After 294 Upper Terrace, there is a stairway on the left that leads you up to the statue. The statue isn’t there anymore, just a cement block surrounded by parked cars and raised benches.

After a dozen years of living in SF, it’s always great to find new places. The honey and I were checking out some of the walks detalied in «Stairway walks of San Francisco» and stumbled across this tucked away, mysterious spot while going between Tank Hill and Corona Heights.
It has a real mayan/​aztec flavor to it, and the lack of signage only adds to the mystery. could be fun for a secret rendevous.

That base in the street is where there used to be a statue called ‘Triumph of Light’, at what was then considered the geographical center of San Francisco. It was a park before there were houses there.
I wonder what happened to the statue?

I’ve passed by the base of this hill and the staircase on 17^th for years and I’ve always wondered… is there anything at the top actually worth climbing those steps for?
Well the other night a friend and I were chilling on top of Tank Hill and decided to finally make the journey to the unknown. Up the stairs we went, and then at the top found ourselves in a roundabout road leading back from whence it came. However, in the middle of this loop was a small green area with a phallic shaped stone structure jutting up in the center. A random and pleasant surprise to discover something that resembles a park in SF that I was previously unaware of :-)
I wasn’t able to find any placard or sign saying anything about the park or even its name (though this was at night). So the next day I went online and used google maps (oh how I love thee google maps) terrain feature, and presto! Mt. Olympus was revealed… Quite an odd name to have for such a small and not so spectacular spot. Nonetheless still a really neat little area tucked in the middle of a residential hill.
If you make it out to Mt. Olympus I say you might as well go a few block south and hit up Tank Hill, or go a few blocks East and visit the lovely Corona Heights Park, both excellent vistas of the city.

The best part about Mount Olympus is the name. I hate to disappoint you hill readers, but Mount Olympus is really just an obelisk looking thing in the middle of a cul-​de-​sac. A good place to practice climbing over the gnarly hooks at the top of the monument, or to sit and drink a forty by yourself.
Trees block the views, but it IS one of the only places you can see Kite Hill AND Tank Hill at the same time.
DEFINITELY come here so you can tell your friends that you went to Mt. Olympus and that you won’t tell them where it is. Extra bonus if you arrive on foot by climbing the secret staircase on 17^th street just south of Clayton.