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

Please join us to celebrate St. James’ Day on the eve of the feast dedicated to the Camino’s favorite saint with a brand-new hike in San Francisco from Ocean Beach to Dolores Park in the Mission District. We’ll meet at the Avenues San Francisco café in the Sunset District and walk along Santiago Street to Sunset Boulevard (where, if we’re lucky, we may encounter the ghost of Gloria Swanson), then meander through Stern Grove and West Portal and continue up to Portola Drive towards Noe Valley and the 22nd Street Jungle Stairs and one other “secret” staircase (thrown in for good measure) before emerging onto the Mission District. Of course, we’ll pause along the way to enjoy some magnificent views and take in a couple of interesting landmarks. We’ll end with an optional late picnic lunch (~2:00 PM) at Dolores Park. (Past hikes have ended at the St. James Catholic Church, however, it’s not certain that the church will be open at that time on Sunday.)

Schedule: Meet us at 10:00 AM at the Avenues San Francisco café on the corner of 46th Ave. and Taraval Street. If you wish to breakfast at the café, please arrive earlier. We encourage all to use public transportation as both the start and end points are serviced by Muni and/or BART.

Level of Difficulty: Moderate to hard. Total distance is about 7 miles and will involve multiple steep stairways and an elevation gain of about 600 feet. It’s important that you be able to keep up with the group on the steep sections as there are several junctions along the route.

Advance online registration is required. Click the Register button to sign up by Friday, July 24. Because space is limited, we ask that you register if/when you are certain you can attend. Thank you!

Cancellation: If you are unable to attend, please email us as soon as possible at norcal@americanpilgrims.org so we can offer your space to someone else.

Getting to Avenues San Francisco Café: Take BART to the Embarcadero station. Without exiting the station, walk over to the Muni section and board the outbound L-Taraval. Get off at the intersection of 46th and Taraval where the Muni turns left onto 46th. The café is on your right at that corner.

Getting Home from Dolores Park: Use the 24th Street Mission BART station (less than a mile from Dolores Park).

What to Bring: A day pack with water, snacks and a bag lunch or buy one at Avenues San Francisco or one of the eateries near Dolores Park: Dolores Park Cafe (sandwiches), Namu Stonepot (Korean), Nopalito (Mexican), Bi-Rite Creamery (ice cream, cakes and pies). Bring sun protection (hat, sunscreen) and a jacket or sweater even if it’s a sunny day as it is summer in San Francisco and it can be windy. If you don’t want to sit on the grass at Dolores Park, bring a light blanket or towel. Good hiking shoes are recommended and hiking poles if you need them (don’t forget the rubber tips). 😊 Plus, your Clipper card/app with sufficient funds.

Leaders: Led by chapter members Sue López and Merula Furtado.

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