La Mesa's Secret Stairs: 489 public steps hidden between houses on Mount Nebo
La Mesa's 'Secret Stairs' are public stairways tucked between homes on Mount Nebo, about 489 steps in seven segments built from the 1900s to the late 1920s as shortcuts to the village. Start near Windsor Drive and Canterbury Drive for the longest flight up to Summit Drive, then loop back down on quiet streets.
- Steps
- 489
- Longest flight
- ~245
- Summit
- ~830 ft
- Cost
- Free
Seven segments
Windsor Dr to Summit Dr
Mount Nebo
Public right of way
The short version
- La Mesa Courier, citing local hiking writers, counts 489 steps in seven segments; the City of La Mesa calls them the Secret Stairs.
- Sections date to the Lookout Park subdivision of 1907 and the Windsor Hills subdivision, built around 1927.
- The longest flight runs from Windsor Drive near Canterbury Drive up to Summit Drive, about 245 steps.
- Mount Nebo's summit sits at about 830 feet, with views over La Mesa and beyond.
- The stairs are public and city-maintained but run between private homes: keep it quiet.
In the early 1900s, Mount Nebo's developers had a problem: homes on the hill, the village below, and streets that switchbacked the long way around. Their fix was public staircases cutting straight down between lots. Most of them still exist, still public, and easy to miss if you don't know where to look. Jerry Schad, San Diego's best-known hiking writer, called them possibly the county's most secret set of stairs.
A loop that hits the big flights
Windsor Dr & Canterbury Dr
Bottom of the longest flight
Up the main flight
About 245 steps
Summit Drive
Near the top of Mount Nebo
Down the other side
Shorter flights
Vista Drive to Fairview Ave
Toward La Mesa Village
Back on the streets
The easy way
Fairview, Beverly, Vista or Pasadena
Circle back to the start
Sources: City of La Mesa directions as quoted by the La Mesa Courier, Patch and Cool San Diego Sights. Approximate; use the city's map on the day. Checked November 6, 2026.
Plan the climb
- Use the city's map. The City of La Mesa publishes a map of the stairways; the stairs are easy to lose between segments.
- Parking: park legally on the street near Windsor Drive and don't block driveways.
- Combine it: finish in La Mesa Village for coffee or lunch; it's a short walk down.
- Extra credit: on the west side of La Mesa, near University Avenue at Stanford and Yale, is another painted public stairway.
7
Segments
La Mesa Courier
~1907
Oldest sections
Lookout Park subdivision
~1927
Windsor Hills stairs
Per La Mesa historian James Newland
Like hidden urban walks? Try San Diego's 7 Bridges Walk. For a short summit with a big view nearby, see Mount Helix.
Is this still right?
We last checked this tip against its sources on November 6, 2026, and we re-research every tip on a schedule. Things in San Diego change, sometimes overnight.
This is general information, not legal, financial, tax, medical or safety advice.
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
La Mesa Courier (SDNews) · Checked November 6, 2026
489 steps in seven segments; quotes the City of La Mesa's description and directions; Stanford/Yale stairs
Patch · Checked November 6, 2026
City-maintained; Jerry Schad quote; summit 830 ft; Vista Dr to Fairview route; 1991 Sarita St stairs
San Diego Reader · Published July 3, 2018
Sections built over 100 years ago; Windsor Hills sections about 1927 (historian James Newland)
Everything East County · Checked November 6, 2026
Lookout Park subdivision of 1907 and Windsor Hills subdivision
- BackgroundClimbing the secret stairs in La Mesa
Cool San Diego Sights · Published June 3, 2021
Windsor/Canterbury to Summit Drive is 245 steps