Esmeralda Corridor

The Esmeralda Corridor is a steep, hillside stairway that serves as a vital pedestrian artery leading up toward the summit of Bernal Heights. What sets this path apart from other city staircases is the presence of two forty-foot metal slides built directly into the slope. These slides were constructed by neighborhood volunteers in the late nineteen seventies to provide a playful, efficient way to navigate the hillside. The project emerged from a local effort to secure more recreational space for children, and the slides have remained a beloved, idiosyncratic feature of the neighborhood ever since.