After years of complaining about homeless people sleeping in Corona Heights Park, neighbors have come up with an out-of-the-box approach: Create a trail that takes visitors right up to the encampments.

The park, a barren and rocky outcrop overlooking the Castro and Mission neighborhoods, is already circled by trails — but transients still tuck in among the steep rocks with sleeping bags, liquor bottles and syringes, neighbors say.

Now, the Recreation and Park Department is weighing whether it is feasible to add another trail through those camping spots — a suggestion from Corona Heights Neighborhood Association member Marc Etter.

“If we increased access, more people would use it and it would be less desirable for people to live there,” Etter told the Recreation and Park Commission recently. Commissioner Jim Lazarus asked Recreation and Park officials to begin meeting with neighbors to explore the idea.

Neighbors have had frequent encounters with homeless campers — and their trash — throughout the years, culminating last year when police began driving them out during the night, Rec and Park spokeswoman Rose Dennis said. In addition, a herd of goats hired last summer to munch away brush deterred overnight stays.

However, several camps still remain.

“Sometimes they get high and jump the back fence of the dog run, which freaks the dogs out,” said dog walker Lauren Waters, who brings several dogs to Corona Heights every day. “But we’ve never had to deal with any violence.”

Additionally, children at the Rocky Mountain Participatory Nursery School, at the base of the park, often come into contact with trash left behind by transients, said Andrea Gard, whose son attends the school.

Gard supported the idea of an additional trail to boost foot traffic through the encampment area, both to deter camps and to allow more access to the Randall Museum next to the park.

San Francisco continues to work with homeless throughout The City, including in Corona Heights, to connect them with services, said Dariush Kayhan, director of homeless services for Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Although there’s no money in the department budget for new trails, it’s possible that funds could come from the $185 million park bond approved by voters in February, Dennis said.