Popular Twin Peaks footpath to close for months to complete S.F. trail network

The busy footpath that climbs from San Francisco's Twin Peaks neighborhood to the glorious views of the two hilltops above will close in early May for the rest of the year, as the city completes a multiyear project to turn a former automobile roadway into a pedestrian walkway called the Twin Peaks Promenade.

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to announce the start of a nine-month, $3.2 million job on the paved roadway at the top of the trail from Crestline Drive. When it is completed in early 2027, there will be a network of linked pathways from the neighborhoods to the top of Twin Peaks for the first time, along with an entry plaza and a striped parking lot.

"Visiting Twin Peaks is one of those awe-inspiring experiences that makes you fall in love with San Francisco all over again, and this project will make it even better," said San Francisco Recreation and Park Department Interim General Manager Sarah Madland. "It builds on the area's natural beauty and makes it easier to explore on foot or by bike - or simply pause and take in the sweeping views."

During the closure, the metal guardrails that line the old roadway will be removed and the pavement narrowed from 32 to 22 feet to make way for a wide path of stabilized soil that will circle the peaks and connect to the existing stairway and path to the tops of Eureka Peak and Noe Peak.

The concrete K-rail barrier will be removed to further open up the view corridor. Along the way will be benches at view overlooks. Skateboarders, who often ride up the barricade to do tricks, will have access to a new concrete seating area to work on, by design.

The project comes at the end of a 10-year pilot program that closed the east side of Twin Peaks Boulevard to auto traffic, allowing only cyclists, skaters, wheelchairs, strollers and pedestrians. The pilot essentially ended in March when the street, a third of a mile in length plus the central parking lot, was transferred from San Francisco Public Works, which maintains the city streets, to the Recreation and Park Department, which has overseen the piece-by-piece conversion to a park.

"At its core, this effort is about creating a more welcoming space for everyone to connect, play and spend time together," said Madland.

During the coming months of construction, Marview Trail, which was rebuilt and opened this winter on the west side of Twin Peaks, will remain open to connect Twin Peaks to Midtown Terrace.

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The Crestline Trail, on the east side, was rebuilt last summer, with sturdy box steps replacing slippery railroad ties up the steepest part of the incline. Crestline is the part that will close, cutting off the primary tourist access route and Muni passengers who get off the bus on Crestline Drive. Hikers from Crestline Drive will be diverted to a trail to the north that connects to the Christmas Tree Point, which is another access point to the top.

"We plan to keep the trails at Noe Peak and Eureka Peak open during construction," said Project Manager Keri Ayers, "but there might be times when portions of the trail have to be closed to complete construction at the base of the trail."

The entire network of trails, including the new Twin Peaks Promenade, will total 1.5 miles and has taken 10 years to link up, at a cost of $5.3 million. A major motivation is to protect the habitat of the Mission Blue butterfly, a federally protected species that lives on the Lupin plants on the hillside. Widening and stabilizing the trail network will help keep people on the designated trails and prevent them from creating trails of their own, Ayers said.

When the job is completed, Twin Peaks Promenade will serve as a hub in the trail network, with connectors to both the Bay Area Ridge Trail and the Creek-to-Peaks Trail, which starts in Glen Canyon.

Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. in the parking lot between the two peaks, 501 Twin Peaks Blvd. This paved lot, which is not striped, will eventually be resealed and striped for 11 spaces, one of which will be ADA restricted. Across from the parking lot, an entrance plaza is being created by removing asphalt and replacing it with stabilized soil. It will offer a view station reachable by car. There will be planting mounds to mimic the peaks above, which will continue to be accessible only by hiking.

"The plaza will create more of a parklike feel upon arrival," said Ayers, "and it will slow the bike riders and skateboarders down."

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 7:05 PM.