Every great hike has one or more of these qualities in it a. ever changing landscape, b. different microclimates, c. opportunity to spot wildflowers and wildlife, d. varying terrain and difficulty, and most important of them all, an incredible view to be had at the end to make it all worth it. Unfortunately, but for the month of April when you can spot some wild flowers, this trail unfortunately has none of the above. However, this is a hike that I do every year and even several times in a year to help train for longer hikes in the high Sierra. This hike has few elements going for it that are hard to find in other Bay Area hikes, a. 5000+ ft of elevation gain (great prep for hike from the valley floor to Clouds Rest), 9-10 hrs of day hiking, and long sections with steep ascents to train those calves.

I typically do this hike in April/May, but decided to undertake it last week as I signed up for the Six Peaks challenge. I typically like to have an early start for this hike (6AM) as it get very hot in certain sections of this trail past 2PM. I avoid hiking this trail in Summer and it looks like everyone else does it to. I did not come across another human being (only couple of cows) the entire 9 hrs on the trail and I have not had that experience except deep in Denali National Park in Alaska or more recently on a  Chimborazo climb in Ecuador. It was a bit unnerving, knowing that if I had a twist of an ankle, there is going to be no one on the trail to get help. Though this trails is for the large part a jeep track/road and with very minimal risk of injury or fall, my friend was once charged by cows and was stomped on. He had broken ribs and ACL sprain and unable to walk out on his own. Thankfully that day there were others on the trail who were able to get help from rangers. I avoid the Sunol side of the trail for this very reason, as the trails passes through ranches and is an endless parade of jittery and aggressive cows.

The first half (4 miles or so) of the trail is a bit more interesting and provides the opportunity to take in good views of the East Bay hills, Del Valle lake, and wildflowers in April/May. One is made aware of the challenge to come as the trails ascends rapidly right from the start and presents long sections of steep ascents which seem to come one after another. Thankfully, there are some flat sections in between that allows one to rest those weary  calves. After you reach the top of the first hill, the trail descends down to a creek which has flowing water right until May. I was surprised to see some water in the pools this late in to the dry season. The creek is an ideal place to take a break, especially on the way back, as it is densely wooded and offers lot of shade. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that Fall has arrived in Bay Area (at least in the hills) and many trees have leaves turning different hues of yellow, orange and red. There were some sections of the trail above the creek that were washed away due to the heavy rains last season, leaving some big jumps and high steps to navigate.

After the Murietta Falls turn-off, the trail largely follows the wide jeep tracks which serves the many ranches in the area. It is very easy to take the wrong path for several miles on this trail and not realize it until you reach a closed gate to a ranch. Once, I had to turn back and retrace my steps for few miles and it was on way back. So, I had to ascend steep sections again which made me very unhappy and cranky. There is very little variation in the trail for the next 3-4 miles until you reach Maggie Half-acre campgrounds, where you have a short steep descend and followed by a steep ascent to the summit of Rose Peak. The summit had a strong breeze and helped to cool off after a long hike on a hot day.

It is critically important to carry plenty of water on this hike. I carried 2 liters and felt I could have used more on a hot day to stay hydrated. The campgrounds at Maggie Half acres has potable water to refill your bottle. I do recommend using a filter or iodine tablets.