Ohlone Wilderness Trail

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Difficulty: Difficult
Length: 29 miles / 47 km
Duration: Multiple days

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Overview: Ohlone Wilderness Trail is one wicked walk: 28 miles in two days with over 7,600 feet of elevation gain. But it's worth the strain as you soak up amazing vistas, scout for wildlife and marvel at being in such a remote locale so close to a huge metropolis. (Large raptors like eagles and hawks can often be spotted swooping down on their doomed prey).

Parks form the trailheads at both ends of the trail: Mission Peak Regional Preserve in Fremont on the west and Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore on the east. The trail passes Rose Peak, the highest accessible point in Alameda County, and traverses Sunol Regional Wilderness, one of the East BAy's premiere hiking destinations. Trails can get crowded on weekends at Mission Peak and Sunol, but the rest of time you'll have the trails largely to yourself (and a few grazing cattle.)

Late winter and early spring are the best times to go because the temperatures are cool, the hills are green and the wildflowers are in bloom.

Tips: This hike is not for rookies, though conditioned day hikers looking to try backpacking should be able to do it over three days.

Mind your water supply: Water troughs are at strategic locations from Del Valle to Sunol, but there is no water between Sunol and the Stanford Avenue terminus of the trail. It's wise to filter or purify the water.
Weather in winter and spring can take brutally cold turns: many backpackers have been snowed upon in March and April.

Parking on the Fremont end of the trail is fraught with risk of having your car broken into. It's better to call somebody to pick you up.

What to bring:
Overnight camping gear -- backpack, shelter, sleeping bag, cooking kit. The less you carry, the less you'll suffer, so take only what you know you'll need.
Water filter or purification tablets.
Sun screen -- there's very little shade on this trail.

Fees, reservations
Hikers must buy a permit, which is printed on an excellent map of the entire trail. It's $2 at the Del Valle entrance or $2.50 online or by mail.

Reserve your campsite as early as possible: sites fill up weeks in advance in the springtime. Call 888-327-2757 and dial option 2. Backpacking fee is $5 per night per person (fees may have gone up since this was written).

Points of Interest

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Day 1 (Del Valle to Rose Peak) - Part 1

It's best to start out from Del Valle Regional Park, where you'll want fresh legs for the meanest climbs. Your goal: 10 miles to the Maggie's Half Acre campsite near Rose Peak.

Del Valle's Lichen Bark picnic area has a sign marking the eastern terminus of the Ohlone Trail. The first mile is a gentle up-and-down to a sign-in board. Be sure to enter your trip on the board so rangers will know you're out there in case of fire or other emergency.

From the sign-board it's a grueling climb up an old ranch road. After about two-thirds of a mile (it'll seem much longer), you'll hit a T where you've got two choices: another very steep half-mile to the left or a gentler but longer route to the right along the Rocky Ridge section of the trail. This stretch is a bit more scenic and worth a try if you're feeling energetic.

Both trails converge again atop a high ridge overlooking the Diablo Range -- one of many stunning vistas to come.

Next comes a plunge down to Williams Gulch (crossing the stream can be tricky after heavy rains) and another wicked push up the infamous Big Burn: 1,400 feet of climb in a mile and a half.

IMG_1191.JPG (Mendenhall Springs, California, United States) Photo

Finally get to the Sunol Wilderness sign-in board Photo

IMG_1187.JPG (Mendenhall Springs, California, United States) Photo

Sterward's Camp (Mendenhall Springs, California, United States) Photo

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Day 1 - Part 2

After a seemingly endless climb, you cross a ridge and make your way to another T intersection. A right turn takes you over to Murietta Falls, the highest waterfall in the Bay Area. Water flows in the falls only after several days of rain, so don't bother if the weather's been dry.

If you turn left, you're in for another four miles of gentler climbing till you reach Rose Peak. On clear days you can see farther than you'd have imagined possible from the summit: all the way to San Jose and the Santa Cruz Mountains beyond.

If the weather cooperates, watch the sunset from atop the peak. Nothing compares in the Bay Area.

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Day 2 - Rose Peak to Stanford Ave. gate

Break camp as early as you can, as 18 miles await. The trail takes a few steep dives but it's mostly pleasant ridge walking for the first 10 miles down to the Sunol Wilderness headquarters. Just follow the red-tagged trail markers, which are numbered in reverse order from the Fremont terminus of the trail.

Break for lunch at the Sunol headquarters and give yourself plenty of time to recharge your batteries for one more leg burner: 2,000 feet over five miles to Mission Peak summit.

Sign in at the Ohlone Wilderness Trail board near the Sunol HQ; the trail resumes nearby, passing a corral and climbing along on a narrow single-track. Soon the trail crosses Calaveras Road, where your push to Mission Peak continues along a broad ranch road.

After a few miles the peak begins to dominate the landscape. The trail goes to a shoulder north of a narrow trail about a quarter-mile from the summit. Most hikers drop their packs here and make a dash to the top, take a few pictures at Mission Peak's famous summit post, and head back down.

The last few miles to the Stanford Avenue entrance to Mission Peak Regional Preserve can be crowded with hikers, particularly on weekends, but the downgrade is a welcome change after so much climbing. And there are several benches where you can rest your weary limbs and soak up the views of the southern San Francisco Bay.

West facing view (Scotts Corner, California, United States) Photo

Pictures in this guide taken by: Vaudesir, Jeffery, DrMatt, jasonchiu, prathmann, Jiten, Adium, kd6awa

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Awesome route, you will find yourself deep in wilderness. I saw a bobcat, two cougars, numerous of deer, salamanders and bird of preys. I hiked all way from Del Valle Lake to Mission Peak in single day after wanting to do this for years. I would recommend you to take one night or nights to finish this strenuous trail.

Visited on Mar 06, 2011

by sagecal on Mar 09, 2011

We just did this hike the other direction, stopping just past Mission Peak on Friday night to camp, and Maggie's Half Acre on Saturday night. Beautiful hike, very difficult, but well worth it!

by Tjgupta on Nov 18, 2010

Thanks for posting this. I did the hike past Murietta Falls recently and will be doing the Ohlone Trail in its entirety soon. Appreciate having the elevation profile ahead of time so i can gauge the amount of time it will take to do the hike.

by captjason on Mar 23, 2010