Billy Goat Hill
13 Reviews for Billy Goat Hill
Like scoundrels absconding with the tired, typical thrills that are a weekend night, we found this to be a passionate, salacious arena for our drive to publicly defile ourselves in this city.
This park was christened late on a clear, moonless night The blades of grass crept up all around us and all I could see was the heaving tangle of hair below my enthralled, captivated eyes.
This city is full of these opportunities.... and it is up to you to create them.
I enjoyed this evening to the core of my being.
Four stars, not five, because you cannot see the Golden Gate Bridge and it's hard not to imagine the city bare, before there were buildings everywhere. The hills and vistas of San Francisco can make one gasp in awe and wonder, but after years of living here, I just feel reflective.
This is a quiet hill. It feels almost like you're somewhere in Marin; surrounded by million dollar homes on just a patch of undeveloped land, on purpose. The bay area is full of beautiful spots, high and low, this can be the most beautiful spot in San Francisco if you are in the mood. Tonight it was just OK as a resting spot after a jog and another Monday.
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I grew up on this swing. Literally. I am 23 and lived for 18 years about a hundred yards from the bottom of the hill. Here is the scoop.
Yes there was a lower branch. And before that, there was one that was even lower. The swing was better, or at least safer and easier. To stop the rumor mill now, no one has ever died on the swing. A neighborhood kid broke his arm on the swing once. I myself have had the swing break on me, at which point I rolled the better part of the way down the hill. Great thing about being 12 is that you bounce back. One of my favorite views of the city is from BGH.
Going swing is now not for the faint of heart, and I'm not sure how much more dangerous the swing is, or if I am just getting old and lame, but it is definitely sketchball to the max. But the again that is what made it fun.
For those of you who were still reading this, I have to drop this in. See those stairs at the bottom. I built those. Or better yet, I helped build them as part of my eagle scout project. Yes, thats right, boy scouts do good things, even if the Boy Scouts of America is a homophobic, often right wing, Christian organization. Anyways, check the stairs out, they did not used to be there.
Go, check out the stairs, go on the swing, drink a beer, scream and wake my parents and enjoy the view.
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This hill is just the perfect sort of slice of SF I like to share with others. The experience is unexpected, intimate, and subtle. Exactly what tourists miss when they're here.
Plus it's about half a block from my house and my pal, Grennie likes it there.
Good Lord this hill is fantastic!
Admittedly I was petrified of the rope swing and did not partake. It was mostly due to the fact that is was 7am and the city was blanketed in a stereotypical fog monster.
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I love this place. I heard rumors of a rope swing and had to check it out. It's really not safe, but it's oh so much fun.
A few locals told us that there used to be a branch of the tree that hung out lower over the hill and the rope swing was so much longer. The city cut it down because there were a few bad deaths on it, and they cut it up and gave it to the guy that made it as a trophy. I would have loved to see this swing in it's hay day. So much fun to hike up there and swing, still.
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Billy Goat Hill, as the name implies, is a park that basically consists of a very steep hillside on the east side of Diamond Heights. There is a single trail you can take from Beacon St all the way down to the 30th St cul-de-sac, and on the way you pass by a little outcropping with a pair of eucalyptus trees that would be a perfect spot to sit down with a book or picnic (and yes, I did notice a rope swing here, but if you let go at the wrong time it could be a long way down indeed). There is a panoramic view of the east side of the city from downtown to Bernal Heights. Now if only they would build a trail going uphill from Beacon St to Walter Haas Playground.
If you're in the area, another highlight to see is the beautiful Harry Stairway, a couple blocks south on Beacon.
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I also grew up on this hill. If you have a sentimental childhood attachment to it, it's the best place in the world. If not, a few pitfalls await:
The swing situation is catastrophic. The lower branch being gone, it's impossible to have a good swing and very easy to have a terrible, wind-knocking-out slide down the rocky hill. (Watch out for that piece of rebar jutting out!)
Access isn't great: It's not easy to get to the edge of the rocks for the view. (Plus, the full view is only visible from the edge of the rocks: Huge eucalyptus and the flat part at the top of the hill trees prevent a simple park-your-car-and-view option.) Stable shoes are the minimum. The sidewalk above is totally chewed up.
This is not the place for dogs. Broken glass has been a serious problem the past few years, and there are periodically sketchy items dumped there. (When I see spare couches, I think, "Fleas!") It's hard to see the whole hill from any one point, and Fido would not want to wander into traffic (sparse, but fast) on Beacon Street. Also, at night, there is the real risk of a dog getting stinkily sprayed by a skunk.
The hill is dry and dusty in the summer months. Winter brings overgrown vegetation and lots of mud. Not to mention that the valley sucks the wind right past you. Better have damn good balance while out there on the rocky outcropping. Because of the lack of cleansing rain in the summer, there is nothing to wash away the dog pee from the dogs that do venture there, and the hill often smells in certain parts.
A lower part of the hill has been fenced off, and that wooden fence is covered with unsightly graffiti, visible from the main parts of the hill.
The tolerance of the neighborhood seems to have diminished in recent years. We never worried about making tons of noise in high school, but I've seen police roll by on both the upper and lower streets. Anyone downhill (especially when the wind is right) can hear absolutely everything being said on the rocky outcropping. I'd love the know the science behind it, but it seems that even a whisper is easily carried. Funny for passers-by, not so fun for rowdy people when the SFPD checks out the noise complaints.
So there you have it. I love Billy Goat Hill to death, but anyone without a serious emotional link to it should go to Bernal Hill for views and dog-friendly access, Corona Heights for more discrete hanging out, and Glen Canyon for more interesting vegetation and terrain.
I am so happy to see that there are already reviews of this place!
When I lived in Noe Valley, this was my special place. A great location for resting midway through a hill-intensive run in the morning. Or a picnic. Or a swing session with someone you love.
There is usually a rope swing on the big tree near the top of the hill. I'm amazed no one has died using the thing... I've gotten a good twenty or thirty feet off the ground while swinging, which is exhilarating. And just the right amount of scary.
Check this place out day or night if you live anywhere near SF. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better and quieter view of the city. And you're pretty much guaranteed to be alone.
Oh and if someone removed the swing (the cops?), please do us all a favor and string up a new one.
An update for the summer -- the rope swing is back up, and it is definitely scary as ever. I didn't go on it, but a few of my braver compainions did, and they screamed.
A nice little neighborhood gem, quiet and tucked away. Provides a nice view of the city, especially at night, and the swing. . .if you dare.
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A note about the rope swing.
Earlier in 2006: I've turned 23. My sister decides I need to do something I haven't done in a long time to celebrate such an unremarkable year. We go up to Billy Goat Hill, with our boyfriends in tow. We swing on said swing. Until... some nosy, over protective neighbor calls the police. At this point, my sister and I, simultaneously without premeditated thought scream, "WE'RE ALL BROWN" and the four of us commence to run down BGH and down some back streets, as though our lives depended on it. Party over. Irrational fears and buzz kill neighbors end the celebration.
...
It was nice to have grown up down the street from this place. A secret view point to show all my college friends when they came visiting from the east. Nice place to walk your dog, and feel like you're a fly on the wall in this busy city. Very very great place to snap SF pictures for anyone in need of that sort of a souvenir.
The steep green of Billy Goat Hill offers a great vantage point of the City and across the Bay. As far as parks go, the view is about it since the steep grade of the hill is not conducive for safe kid's play or a dog run. Perhaps if you're into pipe smoking or drinking whiskey from a flask, you could better utilize the only existing flat space - a small outcrop of rock that juts from the hill like a worn tusk. There used to be a long rope swing from one of the few standing trees, but the rope has been worn away and severed. Though this is probably a good thing since a fall from that 25' rope would result in a world of hurt.
one of my favorite views of the city IN the city. a great place to plop down and read a book while the dog tires herself out running up and down and back and forth across the hill.
being quite accident prone, i've never tried the rope swing... it's a little farther off the ground than the one in bernal. i'm quite sure i'd fly through the air and break both ankles!
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