Montecito Heights & Lincoln Heights Public Stairways

Blue truck parked at the top of N Broadway - Coral St. Stairs. Ascot Hills Park in background.
Really friggin ruined seersucker shorts.
Huntington Dr N - Almont St Stairs
Galena St - E Rose Hill Dr Stairs
Galena St - E Rose Hill Dr Stairs
Tourmaline St - N Pyrites St Stairs
Commodore St - Onyx Dr Stairs
N Broadway - Coral St. Stairs
Altura Walk (dead end)
The end of Altura Walk
Rolle St Stairs off Reynolds Ave
Gutted truck on Turquoise St, looking East
Gutted truck on Turquoise St, looking North
View from top: N Pyrites St - W Rose Hill Dr Stairs
N Pyrites St - W Rose Hill Dr Stairs
Pyrites St - Turquoise St Stairs
Blue truck parked at the top of N Broadway - Coral St. Stairs. Ascot Hills Park in background. thumbnailReally friggin ruined seersucker shorts. thumbnailHuntington Dr N - Almont St Stairs thumbnailGalena St - E Rose Hill Dr Stairs thumbnail
Galena St - E Rose Hill Dr Stairs thumbnailTourmaline St - N Pyrites St Stairs thumbnailCommodore St - Onyx Dr Stairs thumbnailN Broadway - Coral St. Stairs thumbnail
Altura Walk (dead end) thumbnailThe end of Altura Walk thumbnailRolle St Stairs off Reynolds Ave thumbnailGutted truck on Turquoise St, looking East thumbnail
Gutted truck on Turquoise St, looking North thumbnailView from top: N Pyrites St - W Rose Hill Dr Stairs thumbnailN Pyrites St - W Rose Hill Dr Stairs thumbnailPyrites St - Turquoise St Stairs thumbnail
right

Blue truck parked at the top of N Broadway - Coral St. Stairs. Ascot Hills Park in background.

Really friggin ruined seersucker shorts.

Huntington Dr N - Almont St Stairs

The easternmost public stairway in Los Angeles, just blocks from Alhambra. This one is not worth a visit; it's filthy, isolated from other stairways, and not in a very picturesque part of town.

Galena St - E Rose Hill Dr Stairs

Galena St - E Rose Hill Dr Stairs

Tourmaline St - N Pyrites St Stairs

Commodore St - Onyx Dr Stairs

N Broadway - Coral St. Stairs

Altura Walk (dead end)

The end of Altura Walk

Rolle St Stairs off Reynolds Ave

Despite what Google Maps seems to think, this is not a complete right of way to Amethyst St. If you hang a right at the top of the stairs, you can find your way through a field to Turquoise St. It's a little dicey.

Gutted truck on Turquoise St, looking East

Gutted truck on Turquoise St, looking North

View from top: N Pyrites St - W Rose Hill Dr Stairs

N Pyrites St - W Rose Hill Dr Stairs

Pyrites St - Turquoise St Stairs


On a scorching day last August, my friend Jenn and I set out to explore some of the stairways and other sights of Montecito Heights along Huntington Drive and Lincoln Heights to the southwest.

While these neighborhoods are not often cited for their architecture or beauty, we found some wonderful, unique stairways, great panoramic views, some grit, and a surprising amount of charm.

We also found that Google Maps is not a reliable guide in Lincoln Heights – there were several instances where rights of way shown on the map turned out not to exist, resulting in a couple u-turns, a fence climb that ripped my shorts wide open, and some very rewarding bushwhacking.

Really friggin ruined seersucker shorts.

We did not hit every stairway in Montecito Heights or Lincoln Heights, so at least one more trip is warranted.

If you’d like to hike these stairways, check out the set map on Flickr!

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2 thoughts on “Montecito Heights & Lincoln Heights Public Stairways”

  2. Pingback: Highland Park, Hermon, & Montecito Heights Public Stairways | Los Angeles On Foot

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