We decided to scale Mission Peak today. Located in the East Bay, Mission Peak is a hike Bay Area folks flock to for the challenge and the
breathtaking views it provides. Parking is available at the end of Stanford Ave
in Fremont. Given how popular this hike is, you’d have to be extremely lucky
to find parking by the trail head, even on a weekday. We ended up parking on
Stanford Ave and walking up to the trail head. Lot of new timing restrictions are in place
from the Mission Peak Regional Preserve, probably prompted by the extreme
popularity of this trail.
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| A foggy start |
It was 55⁰ and foggy when we started. I was wondering
how long before the sun would break through and burn the fog. The fog provided a nice cover and hid the
challenging climb from us as we trekked up steadily. The hike by Ohlone Wilderness Trail from Stanford Ave trail head to the peak is about 3.5 miles
long. You’ll be climbing up all the way through, so by any measure, this is a
difficult hike. We were fortunate to have a nice fog cover for a good portion
of our hike up. Without it, the sun would be harsh and make the hike that much harder.
The trail is rugged, but spacious and well prepared. Unfortunately, there is pretty
much no shade the whole way up. You’d be wise to choose a cool day to do this hike
or have an early start.
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| Horse heaven trail |
The Hidden Valley/Ohlone Wilderness Trail leading to the peak is
popular and crowded. If you want to hike the road less travelled from this
trail head, I’d recommend trying out the Horse Heaven Trail – the first fork
you’ll come by within minutes of starting the hike.
There were plenty of warning signs about
safely hiking with your dog - common sense advice about dehydration, heat
exhaustion, and overexertion. It was the first time Apollo was doing a hike
like this, so I kept offering the guy water along the way. He kept ignoring it
until we reached the peak and didn’t seem to mind the climb up by any means. I
wonder, is it easier to walk on all fours up a mountain?
Some 40 minutes into the hike, I observed the sun making a valiant
attempt at burning the fog. It was a beautiful sight. I captured several nice
photographs of the battle between the sun and the fog. Slowly but surely, the
sun succeeded in burning the fog off, revealing the beautiful views of the
valley as the shroud of the fog lifted!
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| Standing tall at 2520 ft. |
The home stretch to the peak is very rugged and steep. Apollo could've been a goat for all I knew… he negotiated the climb up and down perfectly. About 75 minutes from when we started, we were standing atop Mission Peak, 2520 ft. high, enjoying some of the most beautiful 360⁰ views of Bay Area.
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| Breathtaking view from the top of Mission Peak |
The descent was definitely faster. We were jogging gently for part of
the way, but as with any hike downhill, it can be tough on your knees and ankles.
Watch out! Mission Peak is definitely a challenging hike that would fall under
the difficult category. I am amazed at the number of people who are willing to
take up the challenge. If you are reasonably fit and willing to take the time
(and water) to do the hike, I’d highly recommend the experience.
I enjoyed your hike vicariously. Great views - glad the fog burned off.
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