Welcome to PublicStairs.com, the web site devoted to the discovery and documentation of major outdoor public stairways anywhere in the world. This web site is a labor of love brought to you by Doug and Joan Beyerlein of Mill Creek, Washington. Look for "Friends of Public Stairs"
"Outdoor public stairways are a window into the soul of a community." -- Doug Beyerlein, 2011
5/8/2012: How many steps does it take to climb to the moon? To find out and to participate in the 2012 Climb to the Moon go to moonclimb.com.
5/6/2012: Richmond Beach Park in Shoreline, Washington, (just north of Seattle) has both beach access to Puget Sound and a major stairway with 199 stairs. Great views from the top.
4/7/2012: If you like walking not only up stairs, but also on other types of terrain then check out Patricia Jewett's new web site: All Things Walking.
4/3/2012: I found this photo on the "Stair race training buds" Facebook page:
We should advocate for these symbols on all public stairways where there is a choice.
3/20/2012: There are two major types of stair books: guides to neighborhoods (e.g., Charles Fleming’s “Secret Stairs” books) and photographic essays (Robert Sandberg’s “Steps, Lanes, and Paths of Mill Valley”). David Ryan’s new book “The Gentle Art of Wandering” is a third stair path: the philosophy of using stairways to wander or explore. Ryan uses stairways (and other transportation venues) to explore the big and the little that surrounds all of us, but is often invisible to our busy lives. In Chapter 4 Ryan describes his wandering the hills and stairways of Los Angeles and the discoveries he makes in the process. He describes his process of “seeing” and “connecting” with the environment, whether it is urban, rural, or wilderness. This is an important book to read. For more info go to the book page.
3/19/2012: David Ryan (author of "The Gentle Art of Wandering") wandered into the old mining town of Miami, Arizona, and discovered the Keystone Stairs (155 stairs). The town of Miami holds an annual stairclimb every April. See the stairs on the Miami, AZ, stairs map.
3/12/2012: If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area check out the Oakland Urban Paths group which is regularly featured in the blog Our Oakland. They know all of the local Oakland area stairways and a lot more. Looks like a fun group.
3/11/2012: While running along Lake Washington in Seattle I ran past the newly rebuilt Jackson Stairway. The number of stairs has been reduced from 140 to 135, but the new stairway is very nice. Check it out if you are in the neighborhood.
3/9/2012: Randy Wilson reports the discovery of the Birch Stairway in Camas, Washington (near Portland, Oregon). The stairway is located at the end of Birch Street between NE 7th Ave and NE 12th Ave. Unfortunately, it has only 94 stairs and does not meet the 100-stair minimum requirement to be included on the stair map. But it is still worth a visit if you are in the neighborhood.
3/8/2012: The lack of news is purely a function of my busy work schedule. If you have new stair information please let me know.
11/14/2011:
An eco-friendly urban exercise area concept by Michael Jantzen is a series of stairways that can be built anywhere (hills optional). More info in GreenMuze.
11/3/2011: While photographing Seattle's Discovery Park South Bluff and Hidden Valley stairways I found the North Bluff Stairway (201 stairs); also another Seattle downtown stairway (Lower Market Stairway with 110 stairs).
10/22/2011: For those of you who like stair running/racing take a look at Trevor Folgering's new web site StairClimbCanada.com.
10/6/2011: The small mining town of Wallace, Idaho, is rediscovering its stair heritage. You can see their two major stairways (7th Street Stairs: 154 stairs; 6th Street Stairs: 211 stairs) on the Wallace map and a video of their stairs, produced by Randy Knight. They have a lot of work to do to rebuild their historical wood stairways. If you would like to contribute send your tax deductible donation to the City of Wallace, City Clerk, 703 Cedar St, Wallace, ID 83873.
10/5/2011: I discovered two trail stairways in Seattle's Discovery Park: South Bluff Stairway (216 stairs) and Hidden Valley Stairway (108 stairs). Find them on the Seattle map.
10/2/2011: There is an excellent article about working out on stairs by Alyssa Shaffer, Women's Health Editor, on the blog "Innovation for Endurance". Take a look.
9/22/2011: Just outside of Chicago are the Swallow Cliff stairs (126 stairs) in the Swallow Cliff Forest Preserve in Cook County, IL. Check out this video of the stairs.
9/20/2011: We now have a new longest concrete stairway in the United States: Murphy Ranch East Stairway (512 stairs!) in Los Angeles. Dave Ptach counted the stairs. Good work, Dave!
9/14/2011: Stairway found on Mt Baldy (215 stairs) in Wimberley, Texas.
9/13/2011: Bob Inman visited the Manayuk neighborhood of Philadelphia and found seven major stairways. Take a look.
8/9/2011: Bellevue, Washington, has a stairway in Kelsey Creek Park. Check it out!
7/25/2011: Charles Fleming, author of the newly published book "Secret Stairs: East Bay", Adah Bakalinsky ("Stairway Walks in San Francisco"), and Colleen Neff from the Berkeley Path Wanderers talk stairs with Dave Iverson on
7/8/2011: Zach Behrens of KCET Los Angeles blogs and videos about walking the "Secret Stairs" of Los Angeles. Check out the video and meet author Charles Fleming.
7/7/2011: With the help of Laura O. Foster's book "Portland City Walks" I recently found and documented two stairways in Oregon City, Oregon. The McLoughlin House Stairway (215 stairs) starts in a tunnel under railroad track on the edge of downtown Oregon City.
7/6/2011: While on my Mill Valley visit I found two stairways in neighboring Sausalito, CA. There are more in Sausalito to be found.
6/29/2011: I recently returned from a week in Mill Valley, California where I found 21 major stairways plus did a recount of the famous Dipsea stairs (new total 686). To help find the stairways I used the City of Mill Valley map "A Guide to Mill Valley Steps, Lanes, Paths" and the new book "Steps, Lanes, and Paths of Mill Valley" by Robert Skip Sandberg. There are still more Mill Valley stairways to be found.
5/14/2011: Based on information provided by Steve Rock and Rick McMichael I found the 290-stair Eagle Landing Park Stairway in Burien, WA. It leads down to the beach on Puget Sound.
4/26/2011: While in the San Francisco Bay Area I discovered this 105-stair Foothill College stairway in Los Altos Hills, CA. This is the only major outdoor stairway that I know of on the San Francisco Peninsula.
4/16/2011: Another Seattle Times article about stairs. This one was written and sketched by Gabriel Campanario, Seattle Times news artist.
4/2/2011: Premera has donated a giant box of "I TAKE THE STAIRS" buttons, so I have lots and lots of buttons if you and your stair friends want some. Go to the buttons page for more details.
3/20/2011: Discovered another stairway (100-stair Lincoln Park North Stairway) in Seattle. Seattle is now tied with San Francisco for third place for the city with the most number of major public outdoor stairways.
3/1/2011: Ted Smith and family has found the first documented major public outdoor stairway in Richmond, VA. Check out the 157-stair Libby Hill Stairway. Thanks, Ted!
2/27/2011: I am changing my stairs email address to beyerlein@comcast.net because of problems with my business email address. Please use this new email address until further notice. - Doug Beyerlein
2/25/2011: Read in the Seattle Times an excellent article about Susan Ott Ralph quest to find all of the public stairways in Seattle. And see some of the stairways tonight (7 PM) at her slide show at the Montlake Community Center in Seattle.
2/22/2011: Linda Nicholas has provided info and photos of the 245-stair Lang Trail Stairway in Peachland, British Columbia. Thanks, Linda!
2/14/2011: I received more "I TAKE THE STAIRS" buttons from Premera LifeWise Health Plan of Washington, courtesy of Kelly Jones. I will mail you free buttons if you email me your postal address and the number of buttons that you want (you don't have to live in Washington state to participate). All that I ask in return is that you send me a digital photo of each person who gets a button. I will put the photos on the new "I Take the Stairs Button" page. Check it out!
2/7/2011: The first Hawaiian stairway has been found! Check out the Koko Crater Railway Trail Stairway with 1207 stairs! And this is not the longest stairway in Hawaii. The Haiku Stairs are 3922 stairs long, but currently access to them is closed to the public. We hope that changes soon.
2/1/2011: Susan Ott Ralph continues to find Seattle stairways. She has found five previously undocumented major stairways: #74 Raye (106 stairs), #75 Crescent (103), # 76 Madrona Park (100), #77 Horton (100), and #78 Highland (112). Excellent work, Susan! And remember her talk on 2/25.
1/31/2011: Portland, Oregon, stair walkers should put on their calendar the Heartbreaker Walk on 2/12. This 5K and 10K walk visits many of NW Portland's hidden and not-so-hidden stairways and is organized by the Columbia River Volksports Club. More info available at www.walking4fun.org.
1/26/2011: All public stairways should be like this one in Stockholm, Sweden:
1/20/2011: Susan Ott Ralph will be giving a talk on Seattle Stairs on Friday, February 25, 7:00 PM, at the Montlake Community Center, 1618 E Calhoun St, Seattle. She will briefly describe 29 walks that feature the best stairs. She will show some of her photographs of the different styles of stairs in Seattle and her candidates for some categories of stairs: highest, longest, most beautiful, most obscure, best view, most urban, least urban, oldest, most artistic, and the ones that capture the essense of Seattle. Put this event on your calendar!
1/19/2011: Colleen Neff, president of the Berkeley Path Wanderers, has provided photos of the Berkeley stairways plus information on Poppy Path Stairway (193 stairs). Thanks, Colleen!
1/12/2011: Fred Beyerlein (no relation) of Longboat Key, FL, has provided info about The Approach, the 147-stair entrance to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY. See Troy, NY stair map for photos and more details. Thanks, Fred!
1/1/2011: New Year's Resolution: Let's make 2011 the "Year of the Stairs". To help promote stair useage LifeWise Health Plan of Washington is giving out free "I TAKE THE STAIRS" buttons. I will mail you free buttons if you email me your postal address and the number of buttons that you want (you don't have to live in Washington state to participate). All that I ask in return is that you send me a digital photo of each person who gets a button. I will put the photos on the new "I Take the Stairs Button" page. Check it out!
12/26/2010: Sunset magazine has a great two-page article "The Stair Master" about Dan Koeppel and his Los Angeles stair maps in its January 2011 issue. Dan is the organizer of the Big Parade walk in LA. The article also mentions Adah Bakalinsky's "Stairway Walks in San Francisco", Laura O. Foster's "The Portland Stairs Book", Jake and Cathy Jaramillo's seattlestairways.blogspot.com, and this web site.
12/13/2010: For those of you who are looking for a bigger challenge than outdoor stairways can provide I recommend the Rockefeller Center Climb to the Top in New York City. Sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's New York City Chapter, 1,000 participants will climb 66 flights of stairs on Sunday, February 27, 2011, to help create a world free of MS. Be part of it!
12/12/2010: Two new stairways found in Pasadena, CA, by Bob Inman. See Pasadena stair map for more details.
12/10/2010: New stairway found at W 187th Street in New York City by Chris. See New York City stair map for more details.
12/9/2010: Bob Inman has found two new Los Angeles stairways: Beagle (172 stairs) and Berenice (123 stairs). Thanks, Bob! To get more info go to the Los Angeles stair map.
12/8/2010: Oakland (California) Urban Paths is hosting its first annual Walk and Shop on Saturday, December 11. For more info visit their web site: www.oaklandurbanpaths.org.
11/26/2010: Susan Ott Ralph has created a PDF file of her first Seattle Stairs walk - a 4.6 mile loop through the University of Washington campus, with a guide and map and photos of the stairs. Now that she has finished finding, climbing, and photographing all the public stairs in Seattle she plans to put together guides of walks of her favorite areas. Each walk will have at least one 100+ stairway (The UW walk has 4).
11/21/2010: Discovered on the Internet an interactive map with photos showing 365 sets of Cincinnati steps. The only thing missing from the map is the number of steps for each set/stairway.
11/16/2010: The Grouse Grind (North Vancouver, BC) is now closed for the winter due to snow.
11/14/2010: John Walter of Rochester, NY, has his own web site with a collection of Pittsburgh step photos. He has graciously allowed me to add his photos to the Pittsburgh map info. Thanks, John!
10/30/2010: Added 4 new Portland stairways using the information found in Laura O. Foster's book "The Portland Stairs Book". Laura reports that there is a 400+ stair monster somewhere on the slopes of Mt Scott, southwest of Portland. She doesn't know the exact location, so it is yours to find.
10/27/2010: Heather Willens has found the mountainous 314-stair South Fortuna Trail Stairway in Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego. Thanks, Heather!
10/22/2010: Laura O. Foster's book "The Portland Stairs Book" is now available. Laura visits and describes 207 public exterior staircases totaling 10,155 stairs. She even includes a list of all 100-stair or more stairways! If you love stairs you will love this book.
10/13/2010: Added 8 new Mercer Island stairways in and near Mercerdale Park. Had to create a new naming system to keep track of each one. The Mercerdale Park Trail Stairway is now the Mercerdale Main Stairway and on recount has 315 stairs!
10/12/2010: Added new stairway videos for Thistle Stairway in Seattle, Windsor Stairway in La Mesa, CA, and Cape Palliser Lighthouse Stairway in New Zealand.
10/8/2010: The first public outdoor stairway has been found in New Zealand! Check out the Cape Palliser Lighthouse Stairway in the Wellington Region on the North Island.
10/6/2010: Charles Fleming's book "Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles" has been on the Los Angeles Times nonfiction paperback bestseller list since its publication in March. Charles writes that "people are buying it, and, more amazingly, using it to explore the stairs." Thanks for the great news, Charles.
10/5/2010: Two new stairways found on Mercer Island: SE 29th Street Stairway (140 stairs) and the Mercerdale Park Trail Stairway (304 stairs!). And there are more, I just need to go back and count them.
10/4/2010: Susan Ott Ralph has found two more Seattle stairways: Freeway Park Stairway (122 stairs) and Convention Center Stairway (111 stairs). Thanks, Susan!
9/27/2010: In Seattle Morgan Jackson has started the Sunday Stairs Club. They run the Howe Stairway on Capitol Hill every Sunday morning at 9:30. Everyone is welcome to join.
9/24/2010: Jason Mott sent info on the 178-stair Park Hills Stairway in Covington, KY. Thanks Jason!
9/21/2010: The 20th annual BMO Bank of Montreal Grouse Grind Mountain Run was held on 9/19 in North Vancouver, BC. The 2.9 km run climbs the 2830 stairs of the Grouse Grind. The race was won by Sebastian Salas of Vancouver in 25:01. The first female finisher was Sarah Baker of Victoria in 31:18. The first U.S. finisher was Carla... Bezold of Seattle (51:00). A total of 465 participants finished the race. Put it on your calendar for next year! Complete race results can be found at http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2010/run/GrouseGrind2010.html
9/20/2010: Barbara Rockwell, author of "San Francisco Step by Step", has worked with Sutro Media to create a stairway app for San Francisco. Forty-nine stairways are included. For more details go to the Other Stair Resources page.
9/11/2010: Port Townsend, WA, stairway found by Michael Yadrick. Thanks Michael!
8/28/2010: New Grouse Grind record: 23:48! On 8/24 Sebastian Salas of Vancouver broke Jonathan Wyatt's six-year old record of 24:22 by 34 seconds. Go to the Stair Video page to see the CBC video announcing the new record. Also, remember the Grouse Grind race is 9/19.
8/13/2010: Added our first European stairway: the Muckle Flugga Lighthouse Stairway in the Shetland Islands. This stairway was featured on the PBS show "Islands of Britain: The North" by Martin Clunes. You get extra credit if you climb this one!
8/8/2010: Professor Bob Regan of the University of Pittsburgh is the author of the book "The Steps of Pittsburgh". He recently sent me a list of all of the Pittsburgh stairways with 100 or more steps (stairs). Although he and I have different rules for counting steps I found an additional eight stairways to add to the Pittsburgh map. This makes the Pittsburgh total 117, extending its lead over Los Angeles in second place. Thanks, Bob!
8/6/2010: For those of you who like to do your stairclimbing indoors PJ Glassey recommends the American Lung Association's "Fight for Air Climb", to be held in Bellevue, WA, on October 23. If you want to join a group training for the event contact PJ.
7/26/2010: New Seattle S 8th Ave stairway found by Susan Ott Ralph. Thanks, Susan! Also, see Susan new web site: Seattle Stairs.
7/17/2010: Two new Seattle stairways found by Susan Ott Ralph have been added to the Seattle map. Thanks, Susan!
7/13/2010: Berkeley now has 15 major stairways, courtesy of info provided by the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association.
6/28/2010: Read Bob Inman's report on the 2010 Big Parade on the Stair Event Reports page.
6/27/2010: To compliment this web site we have now started the Facebook group "Friends of Public Stairs". Join today!
6/9/2010: Added new Seattle stairway (Ferdinand-30th Stairway) found by Susan Ott Ralph. Susan is working on a very interesting project. See the Other Stair Resources page blog section for more details.
6/9/2010: Added 44 new Los Angeles stairways, based on information provided by Bob Inman, author of "A Guide to the Public Stairways of Los Angeles". With a total of 85 Los Angeles now moves into second place for the city with the most number of major public outdoor stairways in the United States, ahead of San Francisco (79) and behind only Pittsburgh (109).
5/31//2010: Added new stairways in Bisbee, AZ, and La Mesa, CA, courtesy of information supplied by Bob Inman. Thanks, Bob!
5/25/2010: Read the magazine article that started this web site.
5/18/2010: The Grouse Grind in North Vancouver, BC, will remain closed until late June due to late spring snow and the need for repair work.
5/5/2010: If you are in Southern California add the Big Parade in Los Angeles on June 12th and 13th (prologue on Friday, June 11) to your calendar. Visit 101 Los Angeles public stairways. Don't miss this great, free event!
5/2/2010: Added the famous Dipsea Stairs in Mill Valley, CA, from info in the June 2010 issue of Runner's World (p. 76), which describes the annual Dipsea Race from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach.
4/14/2010: Jennifer Preston is looking for Sydney, Australia, public stairway info for her PhD on the subject. Contact her directly, and if you know of any Sydney stairway with 100 or more stairs sent the info my way also. Has anyone else written a dissertation on public stairways?
4/12/2010: For Seattle stairway explorers there is a great, new blog: Seattle Stairway Walks, by Jake and Cathy Jaramillo. Check it out!
3/21/2010: I discovered a new stairway in Seattle. Number 67: Spokane Stairway with 106 stairs.
2/25/2010: We now have stair videos, courtesy of PJ Glassey. Check them out on the Stair Videos page.
2/16/201: Another new stairway found by Goran Pocina. This one is in Weehawken, NJ, across the river from New York City. Thanks again, Goran!
1/21/2010: I have added six new stairways in Berkeley, California, courtesy of information provided on the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association web site.
1/18/2010: Through the generosity of Charles Brock (contributor to Adah Bakalinsky's book "Stairway Walks in San Francisco", 6th edition) I have completed adding San Francisco stairways. San Francisco now has 79 documented major stairways. If you are going to visit the San Francisco stairways I highly recommend buying a copy of Bakalinsky's book, as there is a lot of interesting history and other information in the book about the San Francisco stairways and their surrounding neighborhoods.
What U.S. city has the greatest number of documented major outdoor stairways? Which city has the longest (most number of stairs) stairway? Go to the Stairway Records page to find out.
What is a major outdoor public stairway? The simple answer is: It is a set of 100 or more stairs that are outside and open for public use. Go to the Rules page for the complete criteria.
Where can I find major outdoor public stairways? Go to the Map page and check out any of the stair maps. You are welcome to leave your comments about any of the stairways that you visit. Let us know what you think!
What do I do if I find a major outdoor public stairway that is not on a map? Congratulations! You are a stair seeker! Go to the Stair Documentation page for information on how to add your stair information to this web site. Once your stair information is added to the maps you will become an honorary stair seeker and your name will be included on our Stair Seeker page.
WANTED: Volunteers to document known outdoor public stairways in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, Mill Valley, and Sausalito, CA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Cincinnati, OH. Become a stair seeker! Contact Doug Beyerlein for more details.
The two stair finding contests are finished. Check out the winners on the Contest page. ***
Join our Keep Our Stairs Clean campaign. See Clean Stairs page for details.
For a little history on how this whole idea got started read my “Seattle Stairs” article, originally published in the June 1999 issue of Northwest Runner magazine.
Doug Beyerlein at the bottom of the Howe Stairway, Seattle
Do you have a group or organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, and promoting stairways in your community? If so, send me your information and I will post on this web site on our new Stair Community page. Email your info to Doug Beyerlein at beyerlein@comcast.net.
Disclaimer: Use all stairs at your own risk. Walking or running up or down stairs is inherently dangerous. The stair rise may be uneven and the stairs may be in poor condition. Be careful when ascending and descending. Make sure that you are in good health before attempting strenuous exercise. Also, some stairways do not have street lights and are not safe at night. If you feel uncomfortable due to the activities of others on or near a stairway use your best judgment and leave immediately. The staff at publicstairs.com is not responsible for the condition of the stairways reported on this web site nor any problems, accidents, or injuries that you may encounter while enjoying these sites even if previously advised of any known problems, accidents, or injuries.
Look for "Friends of Public Stairs" 
