helena
excellent views. most of it is a fire road that is exposed to the sun, but starting at dawn helped.
Category: 2021 NorCal
diablo
bring plenty of water and refill where you can. trail is mostly well-maintained, and the only frustrations I had were in following the text directions…
Out and back to the Space Cube
Nice hike, 3.7 miles each way. Warm, 80 F, but shade about 60% of trail. Steady gain all the way up, completed in about 3.5…
ocean to sky hike
I prepared for this hike and was even selective of the people I invited due to its length and difficulty. I have done portions of…
Conquering Mt Tamalpais
I started from Stinson beach and took the Dipsea trail which eventually meets Steep ravine and then Pantoll campground. After Pantoll, I took the help…
Black Mtn. Peak
This peak was a doozy. We started at 10 am since we drove down from Sacramento. It was hot and dusty. The trail has a…
My Umunhum
The parking lot was full at the lower trailhead and several other people went to the summit and parked there, walked down then back. We…
Mt Umunhum Conquered!
The openspace web page stated that the preserves are open 30 minutes before sunrise. I got t0 the Sierra Azulejo Parking Lot, on the corner…
My First Six – Pack of Peaks Hike
The openspace web page stated that the preserves open 30 minutes before sunrise. I got to Sierra Azulejo Parking Lot, on the corner of Mt…
Umunhum
It was hot today. We had to wait in the fire lane for a parking space but didn’t take too long, 10 minutes or so.…
Black Mountain summit
Started out at 8:30 and it was cool and the morning fog was burning off. I opted for a short sleeve even though I usually…
First Solo Hike
This was my first ever solo hike. I went on a Sunday thinking there would be plenty of other hikers on the trail, but there…
Defeated Diablo
Great weather- warm but not too hot. Only saw a total of 3 hikers round trip- nice and quiet. Take your trekking poles- I forgot…
Mt. Umunhum
This trail is well maintained and affords some of the most spectacular views of the Bay Area that you will find. In addition, there are…
Wham, Bam, I Hiked Mount Tam(alpais)
Cold, misty, and wet beginnings starting at the coast gradually made way for sunny, blue skies to the east atop Mount Tamalpais’ east peak! The…
Chamise trail to Black Mountain
Beautiful hike, and not cold and windy at the top as it sometimes is! Started early, and was glad of that when the sun was…
Mt Umunhum
Trail is easy to moderate, very gradual incline. Decent views. We went in late afternoon (started around 4), so parking was no issue and the…
1st of 6
It’s a great hike — beautiful views of the entire south bay. But it’s dusty and it will get hot in the summer, so leave…
Black Mountain on a Warm Day
Beautiful hike on a sunny day through varying terrain. Glad we started at 7:30a to avoid the heat. The number of hikers increased steadily during…
Hot & Windy Hills
Really one of my favorites for solitude. Today I was gifted by cooling winds over the hot grassy hills, a coyote sighting near the backpacking…
Resting place of the Hummingbird – Mt Umunhum
Started from the Bald Mt parking lot just after 9 am. Trail is out and back and it is mostly wide single track that climbs…
Hardest Hike Ever!
I summited Mt. Diablo yesterday! It was much hotter than I thought it would be. I did the AllTrails version counterclockwise as several commenters suggested.…
Second time’s the charm
After driving out to Muir Woods trailhead to hike Mount Tamalpais two weeks ago and discovering parking reservations were required, I made parking reservations ($8.50)…
Mount Umunhum
Started hiking around 4 Pm on Sunday evening and met only two other couples on the trail. It was very calm and fully shaded trail.…
We conquered Mt Tam!
Started from the Dipsea trailhead near Stinson beach – did the suggested route [https://socalhiker.net/hiking-stinson-beach-to-mount-tamalpais/] up to Mt Tamalpais summit. It started out nice and shady…
Hiking High At Mt. Tamalpais
Got an early start. Weather was sunny and warm but definitely much warmer the time we finished. Veered a little off our original route but…
Black Mountain Summit with Ashley
Today was hot but breezy, not too many people on the trail and a mile longer than expected but all in all, very fun hike.…
Mt St Helena
There was some shade in the beginning, but most of it was in the sun. We made it to the top by 10AM but it…
Best for Last
This “Evil Witch” Mountain is thus far my most-climbed of the Four High-Peaks of the Bay, Mt. Diablo and Mt. Umunhum tie on the second…
Mt. Saint Helena
The first 3/4 mile is the steepest, but shaded and very manageable. The remainder of the hike to the top is exposed fire road due…
Final NorCal peak for 2021 – Mt Tam
The weather forecast was for sunny skies and 61 degrees. We decided to arrive to the trail head (Dipsea @ Stinson Beach) around 7am on…
That was a tough one!
First, need to arrive by 6:20 to get a parking spot, otherwise wait until late morning to come in as folks are leaving. We finished…
Mission Peak complete
Me and a friend started out fir Mission Peak at 9 am. It was a warm day so we brought our hydro packs with water.…
Top of the world
We hiked to the top of mission peak starting at the parking garage of the college. It was perfect weather. It took us 75 minutes…
wine country valley view
What I remember from this hike was that the parking lot (pull-out) was very easy to miss. I literally passed it thinking I was going…
Birds, butterflies and Bay Views!
Super gorgeous Hike today up Mt. Tam. We went up and came down the same way since the trail was perfect conditions. Not slippery…
Mt. Tam June Hike
What a gorgeous start to the hike. You quickly go into the woods and it is stunningly beautiful. You follow the creek and view several…
Chillin in the shade @ Mount Diablo Summit
Start early to get Parking and avoid the afternoon heat! The parking is $6 so make sure you take cash and a pen to pay…
Mt Diablo
This was a beautiful and challenging hike. We started when the gates opened (at 8am), pit stop at the nice clean bathrooms in the parking…
Off to Mount Saint Helena
I was wanting to do this hike on a not so warm day as most of the blogs or reviews related to the hike warned…
Glad That’s Done!
I made the mistake of arriving at 6:50am on a Saturday. There was NO parking available. I was fortunate enough to park close enough away…
Long Day at Mt Umunhum
The gate was closed due to technical issue so instead of waiting, we parked our car at Almaden QuickSilver County Park parking lot. We hiked…
Diablo hike of determination
This hike was tough. We chose the clockwise route on the summit loop from Mitchell canyon to make the descent a bit easier. My partner…
Mt. Umunhum (with bonus miles)
So it had been a while since I’ve done any serious hiking and I figured I would start off a little easy in order to…
Black Mountain
We tried to start at 7:30 at Rancho San Antonio Park but it was already full. If your thinking of hiking from here I would…
Very first Peak Hike
One of the most famous hiking spot of Bay Area!! Great workout but not much greenery. Went after a decade and enjoyed the beautiful view…
Rising to the Riisima Challenge
Summited my first of the six NorCal peaks. My pup and I began our hike at 10:30am from the Ohlone College trailhead. The weather was…
Beat the Heat
Left the trailhead at 7:30 while it was still relatively cool. Any later and would have been still hiking as temps rose through 90’s. Couldn’t…
Day hike to the summit of Black Mountain, Los Altos Ca.
Start early so you can get parking and beat the heat! The parking lot fills up fast and the trail is mostly exposed. There were…
Memorial Day hike to Mission Peak
Butterflies, 🐞 ladybugs, crows, oh my! Only a relatively few people today. Must’ve been too hot for the masses. But it was a good day…
Mount Tam on the hottest day of the year
We started at Stinson beach at about 8:30 am. The cars were pouring into the lot after us so we arrived just in time. It…
A hell of a hike
Our hike began early in the morning. The first wasn’t very strenuous and it was quite cool (weather wise). The most beautiful part of the…
Stairway to Tam
This 16+mile hike was a long journey with much variety between the many trails we ventured, with beautiful views of the bay and ocean. Bring…
Perfect day hike
Get to the trailhead early! Parking can get full quickly on a nice day. We got there at 7:30 am and there was plenty of…
Tam time!
Really lovely 16 mile loop. I always imagined this trail to be packed but I showed up at 7:00am, found a great parking spot, and…
Beautiful Day for a Hike
Started the hike about 7:30 am and finished about 11:45 am. We parked across the street in a small parking lot. There were not many…
Cool Morning Hike at Mission Peak
It was cold and a little windy in the morning but perfect weather for hiking since Mission Peak doesn’t have any coverage.
Mt Tamalpais Summit
Matt Davis trail had a lot of poison oak. All the others were good. Steep Ravine was a better choice to take from dipsea other…
Get your Steps in!
I have been on Mt. Tamalpais many times, doing numerous hikes over the years (as well as seeing friends in the Mountain Play- a unique…
Warrior Princess Trekkers Reach Third Peak
Trail conditions perfect, weather perfect, company amazing!
Lounging at the summit of Mission Peak
Parking is limited so go early or in the late afternoon. I got luck and found a spot but I also arrived at the heat…
Mount St Helena
This was my second time to hike Mt SH and it did not disappoint. We arrived at 7am and there was plenty of parking. The…
My. Saint Helena
Beautiful day for a hike! We arrived at 7am and were the second car parked in the lot (parking was overflowing onto the main road…
First hike of the challenge!
Got to the parking lot around 8:30am and lucked out into the last spot available. Was able to make it to the summit & back…
Mt St Helena on a beautiful Saturday morning
A perfect day for trekking up that hill. Light fog sitting in the south end of Napa Valley on the way up. Only a single…
Finally made it to Umunhum
Lovely drive down to the trail (1.5. hrs each way!), and we opted for the 7.7 mi. out and back hike. It felt kind of…
Helinox zero lounging at the summit of Mount Umunhum
There was plenty of parking at the trail head. No maps to grab so make sure you use an app and download the map before…
Umunhum with Friends
Such a great hike always – an easy one with great views and history. Busy on a post Covid day and other hikers seemed extra…
Wild Hike at Black Mountain
This was such a crazy hike especially considering it’s right next to very tame Los Altos. Parking was impossible, so we parked at Foothill College…
Walking up above the clouds
Lovely day with my sis. We ended up going counter-clockwise from Mitchell Canyon Road which made for fewer people but less spectacular views from the…
Over the Benicia Bridge and through Napa Valley Wine Country to Mount Saint Helena I went (song to the melody of Over the River and … you get the idea)
Still testing out gear for my Alaskan wilderness excursion. Patagonia puff jacket lasted almost the entire first mile before being added to the weight in…
Hiking Solo to Mt Diablo Summit
Last time when I hiked up Mt. Diablo it was from the Mitchel Canyon Visitor center. It was an unforgettable group hike because of the…
Mt. Diablo
The hike to the summit was tougher than expected. Definitely glad we made it before the weather starts heating up. This would have been a…
Colibrí on Uhunum
Of all the peaks hiked so far, this was THE most beautiful setting. No too busy. Get there early because the parking lot fills up!
Black Mr
Small parking lot full by 7:15. We parked at Foothill College and walked to trailhead. First mile of hike was straight up and certainly…
Lizards, caterpillars and Deer oh my!
We tried to park in the little parking lot. We got there at 7:15. It was full so we had to park at the…
Mount Umunhum
Nicely paved, lots of shaded areas, and it was a nice cool temperature when we went. We got there in the afternoon, and parking was…
Mt Um
Hike bright and early at 7am! Cool weather, fog at the top. Lots of beautiful wildflowers on the trail.
I Cannot Believe Mount Saint Helena Exists!
WOW! I was honestly surprised there’s a +4,300 ft peak in the wine regions of Napa and Sonoma counties and that there’s actually chain control…
Mt. Umunhum kick-off hike with Elaine
The trail was perfect for the warm day of it is mostly in the trees. It was also a perfect way to start the 6-peaks…
Kanamoto’s Killer Views
Our final peak of the challenge and it was HOT out there on the exposed fire road. Only saw 6 other hikers this Thursday morning.…
Mt. St. Helena
Awesome views, sadly you could see the results of the resent fires. Some beautiful flowers. But don’t go on a hot day, not much shade,…
Black Mountain – #6
First, some words of caution: Wow it was hot. 90 at the summit, but at least there was a breeze up there. The trails were…
Black Mountain – #6 (the real log)
First, some words of caution: Wow it was hot. 90 at the summit, but at least there was a breeze up there. The trails were…
The Squad Climbs Mount Umunhum!
Very special Mother’s Day Hike to round out the challenge. The weather was mild and breezy, overall gorgeous day.
Mount Tamalpais
We had a sunny day for beautiful views. Gorgeous wildflowers were everywhere. We saw a deer, lots of crows and lizards. On the descent there…
Black mountain
We tried to do PGE quarry trail but the parking was already full at 7:30am. So we found an alternate trailhead for black mountain that…
Black Mountain
Our hike began from a neighborhood that connected to the Chemise trail and then to Black Mnt. There was a steep incline right off the…
Mt. Umunhum
This is the second time I’ve hiked Mount Umunhum and it just seems to get better. I love the partially shaded trails! Bring lots of…
Mt. St. Helena 2021 edition
We started out earlier than last year, and had our small group of vaccinated friends. The wild Irises continued to delight. The wind was hurricane…
Three down, Three to go!
Perfect day to on the trail. Not to warm, not too cold. Super windy up top but all good. Definitely felt the slightly steeper Peak…
Last Peak
There was a red flag fire alert out on the day of our hike. It sure was windy as we got to higher elevation. At…
Early Morning Hike of Mount Umunhum
This hike is probably the most straightforward of all the challenges this year. I ended up hiking Bald Mountain immediately after to make it 10…
I saw a hummingbird at Mt. Umunhum!
What a gorgeous day! It was 73 degrees and sunny, perfect perfect perfect. This hike is so cool – it’s shaded with oak and madrone…
Tremendous Tam
Beautiful hike, weather was perfect, not many hikers since it was Friday. Tried a new trail this time and loved it . Hiked with my…
My. Umhunum
So far, my favorite hike!! Went from wide open to forest like and lots of trees. The views at the top were amazing. Also at…
Mt.Umunhum (snake city)
This Trail was a lot of fun, ran into two snakes and had some bees around but it was an overall really nice hike. Weather…
Mt Tam with dog
Intended to walk up Tam from Stinson Beach. Again. Dog said no and barricaded the door to the garage. He is still mad about getting…
Succumbing to Diablo Mt.
Finally got a chance to reach the Mt. Diablo Summit by foot over bike this trip. Our crew all wished we had bikes upon reaching…
Conquered Mount M&Ms … oh I mean Mount Num Nums … or that is Mount Umunhum!
Completed 1st of 6 peaks. Beautiful 42 degrees morning! Arrived at Bald Mountain parking lot approx 0830 – one parking space left – yay me! …
Mt Umunhum
Due to limited parking at the Mt Umunhum parking lot/trailhead, we parked at the summit, hiked down, and then back up. Beautiful views, but go…
Mission Peak
a beautiful day for a hike. We arrived early, hiked the ohlone college trailhead. We didn’t encounter too many people until we got closer to…
Mission Accomplished
Arrived early (a little after 7am). Generous parking in the lot at the college. The hike was beautiful and challenging. This early in the morning…
Mount Diablo
Our hike started with cool weather which was perfect. We started at the Mitchell Canyon staging area. Our group climbed up 7.5 miles on the…
Oops! We picked the wrong lot!
Great hike today. Parked in a lower lot unexpectedly and decided to go head and go for the longer hike. Well worth it! Great temps…
