A Bay Area hiker’s right of passage, the Mission Peak hike is one of the most iconic peaks and hikes in the entire Bay Area. Towering over the East and South Bay in Mission Peak Regional Preserve, this summit is a visually impressive landmark easily seen from miles away!
I had somehow lived in San Jose, just a few miles from Mission Peak, for three and a half years and I had never actually climbed it! I’ve hiked in Mission Peak Preserve a couple of times before, but those hikes were on the lower slopes, never to the summit! I figured it was about time to finally make my very own Mission Peak ascent!
Miles/Elevation:
5.8 miles
2,135 feet vertical gain
About Mission Peak Regional Preserve:
Located immediately east of the city of Fremont, Mission Peak Regional Preserve is one of the most popular, and most iconic hiking destinations in the entire Bay Area. Including and centered around the 2,500 foot plus Mission Peak, this preserve is an extremely popular hiking destination, and a summit of Mission Peak is seen as a hiking right of passage in the South Bay!
The preserve contains just over 3,000 acres centered around Mission Peak itself. Many of the trails in the park are centered around and lead towards the summit, but there are multiple other loops and hikes you can do.
Mission Peak Preserve can be accessed from a number of different trailheads and parking lots. The most popular for a summit of Mission Peak proper is at Stanford Ave. This parking lot fills up extremely early, and parking often spills into the neighborhood streets. The preserve’s other main trailhead is located at the edge of Ohlone College; however, ambitious hikers can also hike in from Sunol Regional Wilderness, Ed R. Levin Park, and more!
Getting To The Trailhead:
The trailhead to access Mission Peak is located at the Stanford Ave Staging Area, also called the Mission Peak Trailhead. Take either I-680 or I-880 to Fremont, and then exit onto Mission Blvd. Take Mission Blvd all the way to Stanford Ave, turn right onto Stanford Ave, then continue to the end of the road to the parking lot.
This trailhead gets insanely busy, and when I arrived around 7 am, I had to park about half a mile from the trailhead on city streets in the neighborhood. Get there extremely early, or be content with a lengthy walk through the neighborhood to start!
There is no fee to park at the Sanford Ave Staging Area.
The Mission Peak Hike:
The Peak Meadow Trail:
After a few hundred yards on the Hidden Valley Trail, veer off to the right to continue up the Peak Meadow Trail. The Peak Meadow Trail almost immediately takes a hard right, and then almost immediately after begins the steep climb leading to the summit!
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
Don’t expect much of anything for respite on this climb; the hiking is steep and unrelenting, so take it slowly at a sustainable pace that you can keep up for the next couple hours.
The Peak Meadow Trail is a gravel fire road and remains so for its entire length. This area is actively used for ranching, so I totally understand why the trails around here are roads, but I’d still prefer a single track trail in a perfect world. Roads just take away from the wild feeling!
Speaking of ranching, expect to encounter numerous cows on your Mission Peak hike. It does depend on the time of year, but the preserve is used for cattle grazing, and the cows are known to hang out on and near the trails! Don’t spook them, and try to pass at a reasonable distance!
Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
Really right from the beginning panoramic views open up behind you. It doesn’t take long to gain elevation, so within minutes on the trail you should be able to look behind you and see a panoramic view of the Bay! The views only get better as you climb, and it makes the rest stops you’ll likely be taking much more enjoyable.
The Peak Meadow Trail is pretty straightforward, keep going straight and keep climbing! The first intersection after beginning on it doesn’t come until a mile and a half in. Here at this intersection, the Peak Meadow Trail heads left below Mission Peak.
If you have decided you don’t want to continue to the summit, turning left here will give you a nice loop that cuts out the rest of the climbing. But, if you’re going for the summit, take a right onto the Horse Heaven Trail!
The Horse Heaven Trail:
The Horse Heaven Trail is probably pretty popular for horseback riding I would imagine, but I didn’t see any equestrians myself! Anyway, once you start on the Horse Heaven Trail, you will lose the uninspiring but well made fire road for a rough, washed out, dirt trail!
Mt Umunhum is an awesome summit opportunity in nearby Sierra Azul with more great South Bay views!
The trail immediately climbs through a steep gully via a washed out dirt path. There are switchbacks you can take off to the side that make this small ascent easier, but I elected for the more direct route right up the shute!
At the top of the gully, the trail splits, and while you could actually go either way and reach the summit, the left route is much more direct. The trail quality then erodes once again. The trail will now be going straight up the side of the hill on a terrible packed dirt “trail” that is absolutely brutal. It wasn’t even my legs that were hurting, my ankles were struggling because of the angle my feet were at!
Head to Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve for more great East Bay views!
The one good thing about obnoxiously steep trails is that the climb is at least done sooner rather than later. The trail does level off once you reach the top of that incline, and you’ll actually then encounter a short descent. Follow this short descent, which takes you into the trees and across Agua Caliente Creek, and then resume the climb.
Once across the creek, you will soon again encounter a trail intersection just a few hundred yards later. I’m not quite sure what the official name for the trail you hit is, but it’s the one that gets you to the summit! Turn left here, and continue onto Mission Peak’s summit ridge!
The Summit Ridge:
From the intersection where you gain the summit ridge trail, you have about 200 vertical feet of climbing left to do. The incline actually mellows out quite a bit once you get up here, kind of makes sense because now you’re on a ridge and not blasting right up the side of a mountain!
For more great views of San Jose, head to Monte Bello Open Space Reserve!
The trail becomes much rockier once you get to the summit ridge. The manicured fire roads are long gone (which is a good thing in my opinion) and for this last half mile or so you will be dodging rocks on the trail! It’s nothing crazy, and I’ve been on much rougher trails, but it is a change!
After an easy final push up the ridge, you will arrive at the summit of Mission Peak! There is a pretty large summit area, but the true summit lies amongst a pile of rocks just off to the left side of the trail.
Looking for huge old growth Redwoods instead? Head to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park!
The views from the summit are phenomenal. The views on this entire hike are excellent throughout, but they certainly peak at the summit. The views looking back down towards the Bay aren’t new, you’ve had them from the start, but once on the summit ridge you can also look east into Sunol Wilderness and further into the East Bay Hills!
The views are fantastic, but the most popular image from the summit of Mission Peak includes the summit pole. This is a classic insta pic, and there was a line to take a picture with it! I skipped it because who cares about taking a picture with a pole, but it does make for an instagramable moment.
Once you’ve enjoyed the summit, it’s time to head down. While you could descend the way you came, I really wouldn’t want to. The trail quality is pretty bad for stretches and the descents are obnoxiously steep. I recommend making this hike into a loop, and descending the most popular route up the mountain.
Follow the trail north as it descends the north side of the summit ridge. The initial descent off the summit is very steep and rocky, so you will likely have to take it pretty slow. After a steep and rocky descent from the peak, the trail veers right and then left as it descends on packed dirt paths. The trail quality was pretty bad through here as well, but it’s better than much of the way I came up.
About half a mile from the summit, you will hit an intersection with the Eagle Trail. Turn left here to head back to the trailhead.
The Eagle Trail:
You’ll be on the Eagle Trail for a quarter mile tops, but it does mark your return to gravel fire roads. From here on out, you’ll be descending via road. There is a bathroom just off the Eagle Trail, so if you need to go this is your opportunity. You won’t have any privacy the rest of the hike! After a quarter mile, stay left to continue on the Hidden Valley Trail.
The Hidden Valley Trail:
When most people climb Mission Peak, they do so via the Hidden Valley Trail. This broad gravel road is a virtual highway to the summit, and it sees an ungodly amount of use.
I don’t love when trails are insanely busy (I do enjoy some traffic though), and this trail gets pretty nuts. This is where you’ll find the people hiking in Vans, blasting music on bluetooth speakers, and carrying nothing but a single water bottle! You might be wondering why I took it given its overuse: it’s a quicker and easier descent.
The Hidden Valley Trail is popular for a reason: it makes for easy walking. I don’t love gravel roads, but it’s smooth, well maintained, and steep while not being outrageous. It simply makes for easier and quicker descending than the route I took up.
You will be on The Hidden Valley Trail for about 2.3 miles of uneventful hiking. The views are excellent throughout, and you’ll be looking down the hill towards the Bay as you go, so you can really enjoy it! The crowds are annoying, but it’s wide enough that you shouldn’t really be slowed down, and for me, when I’m descending, I just want to get the hike finished up quicker!
Within an hour of starting the Hidden Valley Trail, you should find yourself back at the trailhead. It’s a relatively underwhelming hike out, but overall this was a really good hike. The traffic and amount of fire road walking you have to do isn’t ideal, but this is definitely a must do Bay Area hike!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 8/10
If this hike was along well made single track trails that were quiet and devoid of other people, this hike would be at least a 9/10, I might even think about 10/10. However, the crowds on this trail are unreal, and it honestly does take away from the experience. The trails are also not great. Sure, the fire roads are mostly smooth and easy to make good time on, but on a great hike of this level, you would expect better trails.
This is a classic hike in the Bay Area that any avid area hiker should do, and is legitimately really good, but it’s not special when compared to other big hikes.
Pros:
- Great views
- Easily accessible
- Iconic Bay Area peak
Cons:
- Really steep
- Exceptionally busy
- Fire road hiking
- Totally sun exposed
Alternative Hikes:
When To Do The Mission Peak Hike:
The Bay Area is a 4 season destination, and the weather year round is suitable for hiking. In the summer and early fall expect high temperatures, often uncomfortably high. In winter and spring, there is a chance of rain, but most days should still be sunny and in the 50’s or 60’s. In my opinion, the best time to visit is winter or spring. In addition to the cooler temperatures, the hills are the greenest following the winter rains!
Keep in mind that this hike has very little tree cover, and is extremely exposed to the sun. Even if the highs are only in the 60s, you will almost certainly be sweating. Always bring enough water and take the conditions into consideration when planning a hike. This hike would be brutal on a hot day!
Links For Further Reading:
Mission Peak Loop from Stanford Avenue Staging Area – California | AllTrails
Bay Area Hiker: Mission Peak Regional Preserve
