Mission Peak

Mission Peak is a strenuous hike between 6-8 miles round trip depending on the trailhead you park at. Don’t attempt this if you are not in good shape. I include this hike because it is in the East Bay Regional Park and the views of Silicon Valley are spectacular.

The 8-mile version starts at Ohlone College. Parking $4. This Mission Peak hike is longer but more gradual. Parking at the Stanford Avenue parking lot makes it about a 6-mile hike, but it is more strenuous. The 40 parking spaces at Stanford Avenue fill fast and are often full by sunrise.

The vegetation is less than impressive with most of the hike in open fields. Summer hiking is even more brutal here. Winter hiking affords cooler days and at least some green grasses. This was all Ohlone Indigenous land and it’s sad to see that it has exceeded its carrying capacity in modern times.

That means this land is overused. The only plus is that this terrain is not very delicate and wide gravel ranger roads have already been cut into the hillside. Cattle have grazed parts of this land since the Mission days, which probably has done more damage than humans.

Both Mission Peak trails are crowded and when you get to the top it’s not unusual to see 50 to 100 other hikers waiting their turn to take a selfie. But if you must, go for it, abide by the parking signs at the Stanford entrance as you are in an elite neighborhood with enforced parking restrictions that can result in a $300 parking ticket.

Another nearby attraction is Mission San Jose.