Tourist attractionSan Francisco · US
Burnside Mural and Steps
Tucked at the top of a Glen Park cul-de-sac, the Burnside Mural and Steps turn a ordinary San Francisco hillside stairway into one of the city's most joyful open-air galleries. A vibrant mural flows down a retaining wall, and the 69 steps beyond it are now cloaked in handcrafted ceramic tile depicting a winding creek. Free to visit at any hour, and just a short walk from Glen Park BART, it has become a genuine neighborhood gem—and, as of 2025, one the San Francisco Chronicle counted among the city's top 25 destinations. What makes this spot special is that the art isn't just decoration: it tells the story of the canyon it overlooks. The mural and tiled stairway together celebrate Glen Park's wild landscape, its vanished waterway, and the residents—especially a group of 1960s women known as the "Gum Tree Girls"—who fought to keep this neighborhood off the path of a freeway.