Corona Heights Park
Encyclopedia
Corona Heights Park is a park
in the Castro
and Corona Heights
neighborhoods of San Francisco
, California
, United States
. It is situated immediately to the south of Buena Vista Park
. Corona Heights is bounded in part by Flint Street on the east, Roosevelt Way to the north, and 16th Street to the south. The base of the hill is at approximately 300 feet (91 m), while the peak extends to 520 feet (158 m) above sea level.
Corona Heights Playground and the Randall Museum
are located within the Corona Heights Park. The whole area is underlain by Franciscan
chert
bedrock, and a large percentage of the hill is barren. At the hilltop, the chert bedrock in terra cotta red is clearly visible. The steps leading up to the peak are dangerous and not supported by handrails. The peak of the hill is windy, but it offers an unobstructed panoramic view of the city of San Francisco from downtown
to the Twin Peaks
.
Portions of Corona Heights park are made up of native plant communities protected under the natural areas program as well as non-local plants. The park is home to native reptiles including Northern
and Southern Alligator Lizard
s and garter snake
s. Butterflies like the Anise Swallowtail
, Red Admiral
and Cabbage White can be seen flying in the park. Red-tailed Hawk
s and Common Raven
s can be seen over the park on most days. Western Scrub Jay
s, Mourning Dove
s, Downy Woodpecker
s, Chestnut-backed Chickadee
s, Pygmy Nuthatch
es, Bushtit
s, American Robin
s, California Towhee
s, White-crowned Sparrow
s, Dark-eyed Junco
s, American Goldfinch
es and House Finch
es nest in or near the park.
The peak of Corona Heights is known colloquially as "The Fist" for its distinctive rock formation.
.
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
in the Castro
Castro
Castro is a Romance word originally derived from Latin "Castrum", a pre-Roman military camp or fortification .It may refer to:-People:*Castro...
and Corona Heights
Corona Heights, San Francisco, California
Corona Heights is a neighborhood within San Francisco, California, located just North of Market Street and Eureka Valley. Corona Heights is often considered part of The Castro and Upper Market areas.-Location:...
neighborhoods of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is situated immediately to the south of Buena Vista Park
Buena Vista Park
Buena Vista Park is a park in the Haight-Ashbury and Buena Vista Heights neighborhoods of San Francisco, California, United States. It is the oldest official park in San Francisco, established in 1867 as Hill Park and renamed Buena Vista in 1894. It is bounded by Haight Street to the north, and...
. Corona Heights is bounded in part by Flint Street on the east, Roosevelt Way to the north, and 16th Street to the south. The base of the hill is at approximately 300 feet (91 m), while the peak extends to 520 feet (158 m) above sea level.
Corona Heights Playground and the Randall Museum
Randall Museum
The Randall Museum is a museum in San Francisco, California and is owned and operated by the City's Recreation and Parks Department. It focuses on the arts, crafts, sciences, and natural history. On view are a number of live native and domestic animals and interactive displays...
are located within the Corona Heights Park. The whole area is underlain by Franciscan
Franciscan Assemblage
The Franciscan Assemblage is a geological term for an accreted terrane of heterogeneous rocks found on and near the San Francisco Peninsula. It was named by geologist Andrew Lawson who also named the San Andreas Fault which bounds the Franciscan Assemblage....
chert
Chert
Chert is a fine-grained silica-rich microcrystalline, cryptocrystalline or microfibrous sedimentary rock that may contain small fossils. It varies greatly in color , but most often manifests as gray, brown, grayish brown and light green to rusty red; its color is an expression of trace elements...
bedrock, and a large percentage of the hill is barren. At the hilltop, the chert bedrock in terra cotta red is clearly visible. The steps leading up to the peak are dangerous and not supported by handrails. The peak of the hill is windy, but it offers an unobstructed panoramic view of the city of San Francisco from downtown
Financial District, San Francisco, California
The Financial District is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, that serves as its main central business district. The nickname "FiDi" is occasionally employed, analogous to nearby SoMa.-Location:...
to the Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks, San Francisco, California
The Twin Peaks are two hills with an elevation of about near the geographic center of San Francisco, California. Except for Mount Davidson, they are the highest points in the city.-Location and climate:...
.
Portions of Corona Heights park are made up of native plant communities protected under the natural areas program as well as non-local plants. The park is home to native reptiles including Northern
Northern Alligator Lizard
The Northern Alligator Lizard is a medium-sized lizard that occurs on the North American west coast.- Taxonomy :This lizard was formerly known under the scientific name of Gerrhonotus coeruleus , but is nowadays classed as Elgaria coerulea. There are four subspecies:* E.c...
and Southern Alligator Lizard
Southern Alligator Lizard
The Southern alligator lizard is a lizard native to the Pacific coast of North America. It is common throughout Southern California and can be found in grasslands, chaparral, and forests as well as urban areas. In dry climates, it is likely to be found in moist areas or near streams. Three...
s and garter snake
Garter snake
The Garter snake is a Colubrid snake genus common across North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada to Central America. It is the single most widely distributed genus of reptile in North America. The garter snake is also the Massachusettsstate reptile.There is no real consensus on the...
s. Butterflies like the Anise Swallowtail
Anise Swallowtail
The Anise Swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon, is a common swallowtail butterfly of western North America. Both the upper and lower sides of its wings are black, but the upper wing has a broad yellow stripe across it, which gives the butterfly an overall yellow appearance...
, Red Admiral
Red Admiral
The Red Admiral is a well-known colourful butterfly, found in temperate Europe, Asia and North America. The Red Admiral has a wing span. The species is resident only in warmer areas, but migrates north in spring, and sometimes again in autumn.This large butterfly is identified by its striking...
and Cabbage White can be seen flying in the park. Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West...
s and Common Raven
Common Raven
The Common Raven , also known as the Northern Raven, is a large, all-black passerine bird. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids...
s can be seen over the park on most days. Western Scrub Jay
Western Scrub Jay
The Western Scrub-Jay , is a species of scrub-jay native to western North America. It ranges from southern Washington to central Texas and central Mexico. It comprises three distinct subspecies groups, all of which may be separate species...
s, Mourning Dove
Mourning Dove
The Mourning Dove is a member of the dove family . The bird is also called the Turtle Dove or the American Mourning Dove or Rain Dove, and formerly was known as the Carolina Pigeon or Carolina Turtledove. It is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds...
s, Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
The Downy Woodpecker is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America.- Description :Adult Downy Woodpeckers are mainly black on the upperparts and wings, with a white back, throat and belly and white spotting on the wings. There is a white bar above the eye and one below. They have a...
s, Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
The Chestnut-backed Chickadee is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae....
s, Pygmy Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
The Pygmy Nuthatch is a tiny songbird, about 10 cm long and about 10 grams in weight. It ranges from southern British Columbia south through various discontinuous parts of the western U.S. , to central Mexico...
es, Bushtit
Bushtit
The Bushtit is a long-tailed tit found in North America. It is the only species in the family found in the New World, and the only member of the genus Psaltriparus....
s, American Robin
American Robin
The American Robin or North American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the flycatcher family...
s, California Towhee
California Towhee
The California Towhee, Melozone crissalis, is a bird of the family Emberizidae, native to the coastal regions of western Oregon and California in the United States and Baja California Sur in Mexico....
s, White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
The White-crowned Sparrow is a medium-sized sparrow native to North America.- Description :Adults are long and have black and white stripes on their head, a grey face, brown streaked upper parts and a long tail. The wings are brown with bars and the underparts are grey. Their bill is pink or yellow...
s, Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco
The Dark-eyed Junco is the best-known species of the juncos, a genus of small grayish American sparrows. This bird is common across much of temperate North America and in summer ranges far into the Arctic...
s, American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
The American Goldfinch , also known as the Eastern Goldfinch and Wild Canary, is a small North American bird in the finch family...
es and House Finch
House Finch
The House Finch is a bird in the finch family Fringillidae, which is found in North America. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are usually placed in the rosefinch genus Carpodacus...
es nest in or near the park.
The peak of Corona Heights is known colloquially as "The Fist" for its distinctive rock formation.
Popular Culture
Corona Heights is prominently featured in the 1977 horror novel "Our Lady of Darkness" by Fritz LeiberFritz Leiber
Fritz Reuter Leiber, Jr. was an American writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theatre and films, playwright, expert chess player and a champion fencer. Possibly his greatest chess accomplishment was winning clear first in the 1958 Santa Monica Open.. With...
.