Glen Canyon Park

Most people I know call this place Glen Park Canyon. It's in a neighborhood called Glen Park. I used to call it Glen Park Park and I thought that was funny. But people I know say Glen Park Canyon when they speak of it now, so it's odd to learn its correct name is Glen Canyon Park. I will have to adjust. (This is what it looks like from above during the summer.)





I haven't visited Glen Canyon Park in over a decade. Probably almost two decades. I'm not sure what time of year it was when I last visited, but this has never been a particularly beautiful place to me. A major investment of volunteer labor to remove the Hedera canariensis (Algerian Ivy) and Rubus discolor (Himalayan Blackberry) could go a long way toward turning that around. I think the western fence lizard and meadow mouse might appreciate it too, but I can't say for sure.

The canyon floor is dark and swampy with low limbs and fallen trees that make hiking it a chore. Which is fine in some respects. (The overall situation is much worse than what you see in this picture.)



Is this what San Francisco looked like before the Spanish arrived, minus the vines? (California--including the Bay Area--has only a few native vines; some Clematis and an Aristolochia.)



I like it better along the canyon walls and ridgeline.







This park suffers more urban damage than a lot of other parks too, which is a surprise because it's in a decent neighborhood. Some OCD patient must have visited here. This made me laugh out loud. WTF?