Advice: Ohlone/Sunol

[kpeter]

Usually I satiate my backpacking desires each summer and spend the winter preparing and longing for the next season. This year, for some reason, I don't want to wait, and other than flying to the southern hemisphere the best I can come up with is a short trek right here in the Bay Area.

I have my eye on a shuttle trip in the east Bay, probably starting in the Sunol regional wilderness and finishing on Mission Peak. Mission Peak has sentimental value to me--I was part of a group that "saved" it from development in the late 1980s and have hiked it many times, but I have never done the connecting trail that leads over to Sunol.

In any case, I wonder if anyone here has done this through hike, or for that matter any other similar overnighters in the Bay Area. There are a few backcountry campgrounds that I could plan a trip around.

I could wait for some sunny weather in January to do it, or if need be wait until my spring break in March. But it would be fun to get out for a night or two a few months before the normal season.

[giantbrookie]

I've spent a lot of time hiking (in the name of geology) in Sunol RW and western Ohlone as well as going up Mission Pk for warmup hikes but I must confess I've never backpacked there, whereas I've done some long dayhikes. I recall that you must camp in designated backpacking campsites and I'm not aware of any in the area between Mission Pk (say the western trailheads) and Sunol RW. The first campsites heading east are in the westernmost Ohlone Wilderness (or is it easternmost Sunol?).

[c9h13no3]

Sunol is aight, I've hiked most of that area as a day hike. The flowers in spring were okay, nothing like the better spots in the Bay. How do you feel about cows?

I think I'd rather go to Henry Coe, Point Reyes, or Big Sur. Pine Valley in Big Sur via Church Creek (past the wind caves, side trip to Pine Falls) in March has long been on my list... but there's too many cool things in spring!

I do applaud you for getting out during California's "winter". Even if you don't backpack due to the long dark hours, the weather is usually fantastic.

[wildhiker]

We've hiked all of that Ohlone Wilderness Trail from Fremont over to Del Valle Reservoir. It can be very pretty in the spring when it is all green and in a good year there can be excellent wildflowers on some sections. The route goes mostly through oak savanna grasslands, with little forest or chaparral. But it is not a true wilderness, despite the name. The whole area is grazed by cattle - overgrazed, in my opinion. There is a lot of grazing infrastructure - fences and cattle troughs. Many of the trails are old ranch roads, some maintained for vehicle travel by ranchers and park personnel.

We've done Mission Peak many times from both the west (Fremont) side and the east (Sunol) side. There is in fact a backpack camp on the east side just below the peak. The camp area is fenced to keep out cows and has tables and an outhouse. I believe it also has a water source. Be aware that Mission Peak from the west side is a pilgrimage site for the social media crowd. Every nice weekend in spring there is a long line of hundreds - perhaps thousands? - of young folks ascending Mission Peak from the western trailheads. For the last 15 years, we have only done it from the east (Sunol) side and encounter only a few other hikers until we merge with the hordes on top.

Heading east from Sunol park headquarters, the first backpack campground is only about 3 mles from the road and very popular. The McCorkle trail is a nice way to get there. We've backpacked there with young children many years ago. You will see plenty of day hikers and cows. This camp is also fenced to keep the cows out of the immediate camp area. Beyond this first camp, the hiking crowd really thins out as you gain a lot of altitude heading for Rose Peak. This area starts to feel more wild, with good views, too. There is another backpack camp close to Rose Peak. We stayed there on a Scout troop hike. I don't remember anything particularly good or bad about this camp. I don't remember any problems with water, so it must have some, at least in spring.

East of Rose Peak, you travel many miles along high ridge tops on old ranch roads. We saw rancher vehicles in this area. There is at least one more backpack camp before you plunge down to Del Valle Reservoir on a very steep old road. We actually hiked up that road, and it was a bear!

I agree with c9 that overall, Henry Coe State Park is a better destination for spring backpacking in the Bay Area. It has similar terrain and vegetation to the Ohlone Wilderness Trail, but is grander and far more wild - no cows!

-Phil

[kpeter]

Thanks for the advice, that is very helpful!

Your description of the pilgrimage up Mission Peak reminds me that when I testified against the massive golf project they were planning for it (moving millions of cubic yards of earth), the golfing advocates actually argued that no one--or very few--would actually hike and that golfing would make better use of the mountain. The last several times I have gone up I actually enjoyed seeing the throngs of hikers who so thoroughly disproved that. Probably a similar reaction to white water rafting in a location that had been slated for a dam but saved.

[Dave_Ayers]

I've hiked from Sunol Regional Park to Mission several times. Most recently a couple of weeks ago. From Sunol Regional Park, it's not quite 6 miles to the top of Mission Peak (~11.5 mi round trip). It's 3.3 mi more down to the Stanford Ave. staging area, so ~9 total from Sunol Regional to Fremont city streets. Few hikers do the Sunol to MP trip, especially on the weekdays. It's ranch roads (dirt/gravel) the whole way except the top bits on MP. Lot's of interesting flora about the first 3 miles out of Sunol Park. Then a more desolate stretch of ranch land until near MP.

The Ohlone Wilderness Trail web site is https://www.ebparks.org/rentals-and-per ... wilderness . You are technically supposed to get a permit to traverse it either way from Sunol Regional. The permit is actually a ranger signature on a really nice map of the route -- well worth the couple bucks they charge -- and good for a year. There used to be a sign-in spot near the back side of Mission Peak but they took that out this year. There is still a sign-in at the Sunol Regional Backpackers camp for those heading east.

If you do camp along the way, there is water at each camp site, but it requires treatment (boiling, filter, UV).

Hiking up MP from the Stanford staging area can be done with fewer people if you take the Horse Heaven route (right at the Y fork near the bottom). On weekdays, not a lot of folks go that way. Warning: it's steeper in sections than the main route. Also, from the south shoulder of MP, one can head south on the Bay Trail and pass by Allison (the highest in that area, though technically off limits) and continue to Monument Peak or even all the way to Ed Levin park in Santa Clara county. I think Stanford to Monument, then bagging MP on the way back to Stanford is not quite 11 miles. Gearheads may be interested in the several TV towers along that hike.

On a separate note, they just opened the Tyler Ranch 3000+ acre parcel at Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park. The well developed trailhead (pit toilet) is behind the RR station in the town of Sunol. From there, one can climb to the top of Sunol Peak (~2200 ft) and along the ridge beyond. It's a steep vigorous climb of ~1900 feet and about 6.5 mi round trip. Comparable to climbing MP. BUT -- very few people. I saw ONE other hiker climbing it this morning. There are a couple of offshoot trails and the Sunol Ridge trail continues past the dual summit (the ones with the radio towers). So longer routes are certainly practical. As in all the nearby parks, cows! The ones at Tyler Ranch are a bit skittish as they are not yet used to hikers coming through. (FYI, very few cows along Pleasanton Ridge lately.)

[kpeter]

Thanks for this, Dave! You have filled in a lot of details and options--very helpful.

Yes, I usually take the Horse Heaven route up Mission Peak and have done so since my first trek in 1988. And I have seen the campground on the back side of the peak. But I have never gone further.

Del Valle to Mission Peak would add significantly to what you have described from Sunol, yes? Have you ever done that trip?

[Dave_Ayers]

The total trail is ~27 mi. The furthest I've hiked eastward is Rose Peak at approximately mile 18.3. That's almost 10 mi from Sunol Regional with about 3,500 ft net elevation gain (~4,500 feet including up/downs). About a mile can be trimmed off by taking the gravel road past Little Yosemite and then heading up Backpack Road instead of following the Ohlone Trail route of Canyon View to McCorkle. The steepest sections are in the vicinity of the Sunol backpack camp. The backpack camping sites generally have good views and a picnic table or at least a bench.

The Trail Distances and Elevations chart from the permit/map can be found at https://peakofmylife.info/two-day-solo- ... f9782a5d82 along with tons of other info and pics or the trip. The Chart is about 6 pages down in the center of an image at that web site. The permit/map also includes a detailed elevation profile and other info. Besides the online ordering, the rangers at Sunol may be able to get you one if you can find one.

Cerro Este peak in Sunol Regional is another good peak climb at about 1600 ft net gain. More scenic and far fewer people than MP. Ditto for Mcguire Peaks, although they top out under 1700 ft.

[kpeter]

Thanks Dave, that is a spectacular resource you linked. Now, will there be three sunny days in January

[wildhiker]

There was snow today on Rose Peak! During a mid-day break in the weather, I could see from Palo Alto that the high ridges from Rose Peak to Mt. Hamilton were covered in snow.
-Phil