Just uphill from the UCSF Parnassus campus, a dense, often fog-dripping forest covers Mount Sutro. Most of it is the Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve, a 61-acre preserve owned by UCSF with trails open to the public.

The trails

UCSF says the reserve has more than 5 miles of multi-use trails with about 900 feet of elevation gain, open year-round to hikers, trail runners, cyclists and leashed dogs. Sutro Stewards, which works with UCSF to maintain the trails and says they were built mostly by volunteers, puts the total at more than 5.5 miles. It also notes San Francisco Rec and Park manages another 20 acres on the east side, down toward Stanyan Street.

Check closures first

UCSF's reserve page currently has a trail and road closure alert for maintenance work to reduce fire and landslide risk. During operations it lists Medical Center Way, the Historic, Fairy Gate and Edgewood trails, and Nike Road as closed, and it points hikers to the Quarry Trail as a detour to reach the Historic Trail or the summit. Check that page before you go.

A short history

According to UCSF, the hill was renamed for Adolph Sutro, the engineer and San Francisco mayor who owned it. In 1886 Sutro began planting it with trees to celebrate the city's first Arbor Day, and in 1895 he donated 13 acres on Parnassus Avenue for what became UCSF's campus. After his death, heirs struck a 1909 deal with a eucalyptus logging company. Logging ended in 1934 after a fire turned neighbors against the mill. During the Cold War the hill hosted a Nike missile site. UCSF bought a 90-acre parcel in 1953 and in 1976 designated 58 acres as permanent open space, later growing the reserve to 61 acres.

Getting there and getting involved

UCSF says there's no public parking on the mountain. Take Muni's 6 or 43 to Parnassus and Willard and walk up Medical Center Way to the stairs, or park on Clarendon Avenue near Johnstone Drive.

Sutro Stewards runs volunteer trail, habitat and native plant nursery workdays, and offers guided tours in spring and summer.

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