Steepest Street in San Francisco near Lombard Street

Question

Years ago I took a Segway tour. We passed by Lombard Street on the tour and also another street that the tour guide told us was the steepest street in San Francisco. Since we were on Segways, I'm assuming it wasn't too too far from the Lombard street area maybe. Any idea what street that could have been?

Answer

In San Francisco, Lombard Street is famous for its crooked section rather than its steepness, so if your Segway tour guide mentioned the "steepest street" nearby, it was likely one of the city's other famously steep streets. There are several contenders near the Russian Hill/Lombard Street area that are significantly steeper than Lombard itself.

The steepest streets in San Francisco are measured by grade (vertical rise over horizontal distance). The well-known steep streets include:

Filbert Street – Runs east-west from Telegraph Hill down to the waterfront. Parts of Filbert Street near Telegraph Hill reach about 31.5% grade, making it one of the steepest streets in the city.
8th Avenue in the Sunset District – Less central but very steep in certain blocks, though farther from Lombard.
Greenwich Street – On Russian Hill, some blocks are quite steep, close to Lombard and Filbert.
Leavenworth Street – Close to Lombard and Telegraph Hill, steep sections make it a likely candidate.

Given your description that it was near Lombard Street and accessible by Segway, the most probable street is Filbert Street on Russian Hill. It’s just a short walk from Lombard Street and is often cited as one of the steepest streets in San Francisco accessible to tourists.

Other nearby streets worth noting for steepness include:

Leavenworth Street (Russian Hill)
Jones Street (Russian Hill / Nob Hill)
Vallejo Street (Russian Hill)

All of these streets offer a good view of the city and are in close proximity to Lombard, so they often appear on Segway and walking tours highlighting San Francisco’s hills.

Steepest Street in San Francisco near Lombard Street

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