Sign Hill Park

Came here on a Saturday afternoon after a hefty lunch at Chibog. As you probably know, most good Filipino foods are high in cholesterol and unhealthy — LOL — so this hike was much needed! :)
I was looking for a place to stroll to make room for dessert and found this place on Unilocal.Along with my husband and my 12 year old daughter, we took the Letters trail going up. Not gonna lie, it was a bit of an incline, but doable for all ages. Went all the way to the very top and enjoyed the view from there. I can imagine how beautiful it would be to see the sunset from the top. Going down we took the Iris trail which had steep stairs for the most part.
All in all, it’s a good little hike with the view of So SF. If you come in the evening, I recommend coming with a buddy.

Wanted to visit this place to check out the lighted Christmas tree that is visible from the 101. The Christmas tree at the top of this hill looks amazing from far away, but up-​close it is sub-​par. Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer but this tree is just not that great.
Suggestion to make your tree visit better: if you go to the top to visit the tree with a girl, just point to a tree branch you are standing under and say, «Doesn’t that look like a giant mistletoe? We should probably make out.» This way you will at least get a present out of your visit.
Lastly, take the trailhead on the right when you go up, it’s shorter and not as steep as the one on the left.

My boyfriend and I hiked Sign Hill Park just a few weeks ago. Based on another Unilocal review, we found parking at the base of the hill at Poplar & Rocca Avenue. We took the Letters Trail up the eastern side of the hill. At the top of the hill, there was a nice view of the bay and South City. Shortly after we got to the summit, the fog rolled in. On our way back down, we walked down the western side where there are stairs all the way down to the entrance of the park. Both trails were pretty steep. This was a relatively quick hike, about 30 minutes round trip.

I like the place — the view is sweet and uphill journey is not tiring. you got free parking downhill so it’s convenient. However we didn’t find a nice map probably because the trail is so short (0.91m to the top). also the route going downhill is not as amazing as going up. That’s why I take one star off.

Who knew you could hike to that big sign you see when you’re driving on the 101 toward the city?! I totally didn’t, but I’m glad I found out about it.
It’s a quick hike up to the sign and once you’re there, you’ll find that slope the letters are on are quite steep. We brought cardboard to slide down the letters but the letters are made out of concrete (cool!) which causes way too much friction. It’s easier to slide down the surrounding weeds instead lol. An option is to slide down without cardboard but be careful of an incoming large hole on your butt… haha, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
The place has a great view of South San Francisco — and although SSF isn’t necessarily «the industrial city» anymore, it’s still a cool little place to check out. I bet its gorgeous during either a sunset/​sunrise.
I wouldn’t come again unless I was in the area but definitely cool to check out!
P. S. The hike up to the top was steep too. But it’s super quiet and peaceful.

What an awesome little urban/​suburban adventure! This little park is nestled right in the middle of a very residential, quiet suburban neighborhood in South San Francisco. To get to the entrance of the park and begin climbing up to the letters on the hill, drive to these streets: Poplar & Rocca Avenue. Park near that intersection, and then walk up the little hill, and the entrance is right there. The climb up to the SSF letters can be a bit precarious, as you’re basically just walking uphill in the woods, and it can be a little slippery since it’s not like there’s stairs up the hill. So wear shoes with good traction and be careful.
Once you get to the top, it’s fun to sit on a letter and enjoy the amazing view of the Bay. You really can see everything. I came up here on New Year’s Eve with a friend, and we watched the sunset, and it was really great. I think this is a pretty cool spot for a date, and I’d suggest bringing a little picnic, perhaps some sandwiches and snacks. Great for a unique afternoon activity! Also, it’s not ever crowded, so you’ll have lots of peace and quiet!

A nice small little park. Ever drive up on 101 and see that giant sign on the hill that says South San Francisco? Well I have, over a hundred times and I never went up there. Until yesterday.
There were some kids sliding down the letters, which is a bit too much for me, but I did hike up to the top for some nice views. It’s not a huge park by any means, but it was a pretty cool visit for a Bay Area local who has never been.
Now I need to go visit Alcatraz which has never happened.

Seriously, it is September 17^th and they have the Christmas tree lit… why don’t we just start having haunted houses for Easter?

I never knew that you could get on the letters! Cool little hiking trails. They’re super short, but one of them can be pretty steep. I ended up going on the same trail twice because they’re so short. Great view of SSF. Dog friendly, but on leash only.

Quick little hike up to the South San Francisco sign.
The letters trail is a little steep, but doable.
Short and sweet.
You get a great view of South San Francisco.
I bet it would be fantastic at sunset.

Quick little hike. Steep depending on which little trail you take.
The views are beautiful. You really can’t beat them.
About a half hour hike.

Quick hike, amazing views of SFO, and the peninsula. It had lots of stairs which made it challenging but so worth it.

«I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign!!»
Driving along 101, you can’t miss it. Driving up to Sign Hill, you can’t miss it. However, using iPhone’s Maps… you will definitely miss it as I did. I literally circled around the residential area about 3 times before finally finding the entrance. Leading up to the entrance you are greeted with two signs, or better yet, two roads diverged according to the late Robert Frost. To your left you have the Iris Hill Trail and to your right you have the Letters Trail.
I pondered and had no idea what trail to take, but going solo and wanting to explore like Dora, I opted for the Letters Trail. As the name suggests, it took me to the letters in less than 30 minutes. It wasn’t that bad of a hike to get to the top, but it does get your heart racing and shoot I admit, I was panting within minutes.
I underestimated the incline and there were moments where it did get fairly steep so wear good shoes with plenty of traction. And although I like to listen to «Eye of the Tiger» when exercising outdoors as you probably have read in my reviews for Grand View Park and the Mosaic Steps on 16^th and Moraga, I decided to skip the headphones and listen to nature’s calling. You’d be amazed at sound of the birds chirping around you. I almost felt like Snow White for a second.

Going up could be gruesome… if u are like me (who is not fit). I counted like 300+ stairs going up to Iris hill trail from the entrance.
However, going up there is all worth it. Seeing the beautiful view of south san francisco is priceless.

I had no clue that you could hike the famous letters of South San Francisco? So cool. My friend lives around the corner from here and showed me this best kept secret of a trail. It is really steep! You don’t want to do this in sandals, it requires shoes with traction. The views are so beautiful. Also don’t forget your bottle of water. Even though it is a short hike, you’ll get winded from the steep hills.
What else? Bring your camera. You’ll want to take a picture on one of the letters maybe? Other than that, please walk the trail with caution, I hate sliding, so I took baby steps. Just like in «What about Bob?» (movie reference)

I normally do my walks of about 5 miles on the streets or on a track. Doing the trails at sign hill is challenging but also a lot of fun. There is about six trails to choose from, each trail varies in difficulty. Walking through the forest hearing the birds sing is a lot better than hearing cars drive by. So for a nice scenic walk and hike give sign hill a try

Steep hike! The view was nice once you get up there. Buildings, mountains, ocean etc. There wasn’t much seating when you reach the top so make sure to bring a blanket or something.

I just found this place b/​c a friend of mine took me here. I’m deathly petrified of heights and walking on loose gravel with no stable footing, so there was a section that really freaked me out and i needed to hand for support. Overall it’s nice.
We started out right outside the Stonegate complex with the «ridge» trail and then walked down to turn into the Sign Hill trail and then walked up the stairs.
i think i’d like to return many times to «overcome» and manage my anxiety. however, I’ll be sure to bring hiking shoes next time as my tennis shoes didnt’ have enough traction and while going down there were too many loose gravel and pebbles and i slipped a coupel of times.

I wouldn’t bring my grandma… or my 23 year old friend. Such a short hike but oh-​so-​brutal for those who have not worked out in a while like me and my friend. It was a short, about 10 – 15 min hike up with 3 different trails you can take. Since the hills are so steep, I have to admit, we had to take a couple of breaks. When you get up there though, it’s so worth it because it’s such a nice view. Bring a wind breaker because it does get windy up there. We climbed up the «S» and sat at the top. The trail loops back down to the entrance.
Be careful because there are a lot of loose rocks and dirt and is very slippery. I would not go if you are overly cautious about slipping.

I’ve been wanting to climb the «SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO THE INDUSTRIAL CITY» sign forever and finally did. You enter at Sign Hill Park, a small park on Popular Ave @ Rocca Ave. It’s in a residential area & FREE street parking is available on Popular & Rocca Ave.
No bathrooms.
To get to the letters take the Letters Trail .2 mi. The letters are made of concrete and you can tell that others have been there because there’s glass bottle & cardboard for sliding. We didn’t slide, but we did take lots of pics and stood on the letters. The letters are 60 ft high & 10 ft wide so when you’re up close you can’t get any great pics of the words really.
Two benches at the top, we also saw the Electric Christmas tree — They light them up day after Thanksgiving-​Jan 6.
We also took the Seubert Trail .36 to the Eucalytus Loop trail .27 — it was ok.
Iris Hill Trail goes to the top — saw a trail sign for it at the bottom & top.
Worth going at least once.