Spring is quickly approaching, marking one of the best times to visit Mission Peak. At an elevation of 2516ft, its far from the tallest peak in the area behind Rose Peak (4816ft) or Mt Diablo (4856ft), but is also far more accessible. Our trip here brought us out on a foggy day which gave us a nice dreamy view of the surrounding valley.

Mission Peak Essential Info

Length: 7 mi
Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Website: East Bay Parks Website
Parking fee at Ohlone (EBParks members still need to pay): $4
Hours From Ohlone:  6am – 10pm
Hours From Stanford Ave:

Dec 23 – Mar 31: 6:30am – 8:00pm
Apr 1 – Dec 22: 6:30am – 9:00pm

Dogs and Bikes OK.

1 liter of water per person advised! Summer noon hikes up are ill advised due to lack of cover from the sun for most of the trail.

Getting There

Ohlone college is located near the northern Mission Blvd exit off of I-680. From either direction on 680, take the Mission Blvd/238 exit. Proceed east onto Mission Blvd (If coming from the South Bay, veer right if from the North, veer left). Turn left into Ohlone College at Pine street. Continue onto Aquatic way (Pine st veers right) and park in the parking structure on your left. Remember to pay the parking fee!

The Trail

The trail begins just off of Pine St. If you’ve parked in the structure, it’s located just across the roadway. If you’ve parked elsewhere on the Ohlone campus, you’ll need to walk over to Pine St and take it up towards the parking structure and the aquatic center.

Checkpoint: Overlook

After a few twists and turns up a steady incline take a quick breather and take in your first views of the Sunol Valley and Mt. Diablo.

Checkpoint: Junction

As the trail nears the summit, it joins with trails coming from the Stanford Ave. staging area. With a bathroom and picnic table, it’s a good rest stop before tackling the final ascent.

Checkpoint: Summit

The most challenging section of the trail is scaling the summit with it’s craggy boulders and uneven rocks. Take your time and use your hands to help maintain balance.

With views all around and the iconic sight tube post, the summit is a great reward for those who make it up! Once a post for exploring other features of the Bay Area via sight tubes, the “Peeker Pole” has been turned into a famous selfie icon.

Return

Return on the same trail as you came in. For a little diversity, you can also try to descend via the Hidden Valley trail to the Stanford Ave staging area, and then take an Uber/Lyft back to Ohlone.

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Length: 2.7 mi
Time: 1.5 hr
Difficulty: Easy

Facilities: Visitors Center and vault toilets.
Hours: 8AM-5PM (winter) 8AM-7PM (and later depending on month)
Dogs: $2 fee.
Parking: $5 per vehicle
More Info: East Bay Parks Website
The site says there’s no drinking water, but they often serve water out of drinking jugs near the visitor’s center.

Seasonal Note: Like many East Bay parks, Sunol Wilderness can be extremely hot and exposed during the summer.  The longer hikes are best avoided during this time of year. Spring is the best time, offering wild flowers, flowing creeks, and milder temperatures.

Getting There

Access the park via 680. From the South bay, take 680N to Calaveras/84-W off ramp and make a right onto Calaveras Road.

From the northern bay areas, take 680S to the Calaveras Road/84 Dumbarton Bridge exit. Make a left onto Calaveras Road. Note that the preceding exit is labeled “Sunol” and is not the correct exit.

Stay on Calaveras Road for 4.3 mi. Along the way, you’ll come across a couple of plant nurseries, a construction aggregates facility,and a water treatment plant along the southern side of the road. The road is also popular with bicyclists.

At approximately 4.3 mi, make a left onto Geary Road. At the time of this writing, Calaveras Road is closed beyond Geary road making this turn really hard to miss.

Geary Road will eventually lead to an entrance gate and ranger booth that will provide a park map in exchange for the vehicle entry fee.

Little Yosemite Trail

The most popular destination in the Sunol Regional Wilderness! Come see the the Alameda Creek wind across giant boulders and through the steep granite canyon.

The most direct route is to park at the end of Geary road (past the visitor center and the horse corral) as close to the bathroom as possible. The Camp Ohlone Road starts here, immediately crossing the Alameda creek.

Checkpoint: Bridge

Checkpoint: Little Yosemite

From here, the dirt road follows a gradual incline up to a picnic area with an outhouse. Follow the dirt paths down the creek side to get a better view of the Little Yosemite features.

To return back to the parking lot, you can either follow the road straight back (easiest) or proceed through the picnic area to take the Canyon View Trail to the McCorkle trail. Along the way, you’ll likely glimpse the work being done on the Calaveras Dam replacement project. Calaveras and nearby San Antonio reservoirs are maintained by the SF Water Department and serve as part of the Hetch Hetchy water system.

Checkpoint: McCorkle Trail turn off

Taking the left hand side trail will bring you down McCorkle trail and back to the Ohlone Camp Road. As an alternative, you can also continue along Canyon View trail which will bring you to the visitor’s center area.

Alternatives

Be sure to check out Eagle View or Flag Hill trails in the Sunol Regional Wilderness!

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