San Francisco: Mission Peak | Hiking in California

San Francisco: Mission Peak

This challenging, 6.8-mile out-and-back is a classic in spring when lush greenery and riotously colored wildflowers cover the Bay Area foothills.

Author:	Backpacker Magazine
Date:	12 Jan 2006 12:04:18 PM
Activity:	Hiking ActivitySearchHiking
State:	California (CA)
Distance:	6.8 mi (Change units)
Elevation:	Total Gain: 2379 ft Total Loss: 319 ft Net Change: 2060 ft
Difficulty:	7 / 10
Tags:	San Francisco, California, Fremont
Rating:	2 rating(s) Rate it

Mapped by Dave Miller

TO TRAILHEAD: I-680 S to Mission Blvd./CA 238 exit. Head 1.1 mi. S; turn L onto Anza-Pine Rd. into Ohlone College campus. Go S past ballfields; park in lot M, N, O or P (buy parking pass @ vending machine).

Position Format:	Datum:

Tracks

MPK01

Dist: 3.38 mi	Points: 259	Calories: none
Time: none	Speed: 0.0 mph	Pace: 0:00 / mi

Mission Peak Track

Points of Interest

MPK001

Location: 37.527359°, -121.912598°
Begin @ SE end of lot beyond tennis courts; enter first of 3 cattle gates. In spring, cows can be feisty, trails muddy

MPK002

Location: 37.528259°, -121.910004°
Enter 2,999-acre Mission Peak Preserve through second gate. Rising to E, Mission Peak stands as a silent sentinel over South Bay

MPK003

Location: 37.528690°, -121.910004°
R @ 4-way onto Peak Trail; head SE through alley of chaparral, poison oak, sagebrush, and yellow monkeyflower

MPK004

Location: 37.525879°, -121.906403°
Small, brush-covered cave opens in hillside

Trailside Cave

Location: 37.526020°, -121.906319°
A cave in the hillside next to the trail. ©Dave Miller

Rolling Foothills

Location: 37.525036°, -121.905426°
Fog snakes through the variegated russet Californian foothills. ©Dave Miller

MPK005

Location: 37.524712°, -121.901901°
Step through third gate; listen for the loud crashes of wild turkeys shuffling in the brushy hillsides

Break in the Fog

Location: 37.526913°, -121.899605°
Sunlight cuts through the swath of coastal haze. ©Dave Miller

MPK006

Location: 37.527748°, -121.898499°
R @ Y; Dry Creek Trail joins Peak Trail; continue E on Peak Trail, then skirt S shore of unnamed teardrop-shaped pond

MPK007

Location: 37.527618°, -121.896301°
R @ Y; trail levels out following Mill Creek Rd.

Forested Panoramic

Location: 37.525646°, -121.894348°
A sharp climb into the foothills pays off with superb 180° views. ©Dave Miller

MPK008

Location: 37.522652°, -121.889000°
R @ Y; continue climbing on Peak Trail; hawks and vultures share thermals with hang gliders, and a herd of untamed goats roams the cliffs

Robes of Fog

Location: 37.522636°, -121.893623°
Views, often stretching for miles, covered in fog. ©Dave Miller

MPK009

Location: 37.516800°, -121.887398°
R @ Y; trail becomes steep and rocky. In early spring, popcorn flowers, California poppies, and fiddlenecks swathe surrounding grassland

Distant Fog Over Trail

MPK010

Location: 37.512741°, -121.881500°
Mission Peak; vistas of heaving Santa Cruz Mtns. to W, Coast Range's massive Mt. Diablo and far-off Sierra Nevada Range to NE. Retrace route to car

Mission Peak

Peak Panorama

Location: 37.512688°, -121.881256°
Look west to see the vast Bay Area, or as in this case, an incredible wet blanket of fog over the emerald hillsides. ©Dave Miller