Mission Peak Summit — Attraction in Milpitas

One of the best bay area hikes all around the year. Beautiful open landscape everywhere and the peak is a nice reward for your hard work. You see a 360 degrees view from bay to SF to SantaCruz to far away east side hills. Trails are well maintained with 8 benches on the way to rest or just relax !! At the top ridge the trail gets rocky and so need to be careful with your footing. The hike about 6.5 miles round trip with elevation gain of 2200ft. In general, this hike would be moderate on the difficulty level.

Things to know: Parking is a limited at Stanford entrance. Ohlone entrance has higher capacity. Try to stay on the trail, or you might risk a ticket. Cows are plenty, mostly they mind on their own. But stay calm while walking by. Winter/Fall: Watch for the weather, it can get cold and windy. Right after rains the trails can be muddy. Be carful at the top ridge if wet/windy. If you like golden grass fall is best, you can see tall grass forever. Spring: Best time to hike and enjoy beautiful green hills. Summer: Take plenty of water, since there is no water on the way. Best to...

The timing was perfect to experience the lush green of this mighty mountain located east of Fremont. Due the the continuous downpour in January, there was so much greenery all around the peak! It's a ~7 mile hike (loop) with a northern summit on a ridge that includes Mount Allison and Monument Peak. Mission Peak has symbolic importance, and is depicted on the logo of the City of Fremont.

Talking about the place, it's a much visit if you live in the bay area. There's ample parking space around the park. If you get late, you may have to walk extra to get to the starting point of hike. In the summer it can be very tiring as the whole trail is mostly on a open Field and you'll be explosed to sun for most part. I was lucky enough to have a cloudy weather with a green landscape to boost my motivation. Jokes apart, the hike is a medium difficult path that gets steep especially in the last 0.5 mile of the trail. I found it easy because of my prior hiking experience (including couple of tough ones in Himalaya). Make sure to carry protein bars and 2 bottles of water to avoid getting dehydrated....

Many people discouraged us, we three of us friends of 70 summers. But we braved it, starting from Ohlone college trail head. We started around 9.30 AM at foot of the hill, walked one step at a time taking it easy. We reached the peak at 10 past 12 noon. We started our descent at 12.30 and reached the base at 10 past 2 PM.

Be prepared

Carry at least one litre of water, half a dozen juicy oranges and may be couple of bananas (in case you are likely to feel hungry).

Avoid carrying food like burgers, sandwiches and cooked food items the smell of which may attract unwanted visitors from the jungle.

Travel in company of like minded folks to keep motivation level high.

The last 2 furlongs (400 metres) are steep, rocky and slippery in many places due to tiny pebbles and sand. This is the most difficult stretch. Don't ever give up. Once you are up there you will feel the joy of your effort.

Good...