San Francisco, CA: Northern California Chapter, St. James’ Day Walk

Join us for a day of Camino camaraderie to celebrate the Feast of St. James on our annual walk in San Francisco. Our new route starts at the Ferry Building where we’ll head south along the Embarcadero and enjoy sweeping views of the bay. At the ball park, we’ll cross over to Mission Bay and pass through the new China Basin Park (and beach!) down to the Dogpatch neighborhood. From there, we’ll get off the beaten path and continue south to Heron’s Head Park, a hidden gem in the city. This artificially-made strip of land, shaped like the head of a heron, was built in the 1970s for a shipping terminal project that went bust. Transformed into a park in the 1990s, it’s now lush with native plants and attracts many types of shoreline birds and waterfowl. We’ll exit the park into India Basin Shoreline Park and wind our way to the Mission District. And after checking out the murals along Balmy Alley, we’ll cap off the day at Esperpento restaurant with tapas and a toast to Santiago!

Schedule: Meet us at 10:00 AM on the Embarcadero on top of the Ferry Terminal Plaza on the south end/Bay Bridge side of the Ferry Building. We’ll have a leisurely lunch at Heron’s Head Park and expect to arrive at Esperpento by 4:00 PM.

Level of Difficulty: Moderately easy. Total mileage is about 8.5 miles with only 194 feet of elevation gain. Overall flat and paved.

Advance online registration is required. Click the “Register Now” button below to sign up. Space is limited. Please register if/when you are certain you can attend. Thank you!

Cancellation: Please email us at norcal@americanpilgrims.org so we can offer your space to someone else.

Getting There and Back: This is a BART station-to-station walk so it’s a cinch! Just use the BART Trip Planner to take a train to the Embarcadero Station. Exit to street level and walk towards the bay to the end of Market Street to the Ferry Building. At the end of the walk, we’ll pass by the 24th Street Mission Station on the way to Esperpento (about a 1/4 mile away).

Carpooling: On the registration form is a link to an online “Carpool Bulletin Board” to post a message if you need a ride or can give one.

What to Bring: Dress for the weather (layers work well) and bring a bag lunch (or arrive early and buy in Ferry Building), snacks, water and sun protection. Clipper card or app. Cash for the group bill, if you plan to go to Esperpento.

Leaders: Sue Lopez, Merula Furtado, and Guy Joaquin

The Ruff Stuff: For insurance purposes, we are unable to welcome dogs, except service animals, at our events.