Um, not Umunhum, but Sunol
Since The Ohlone Wilderness trail has re-opened I decided to go for it and hike Rose Peak. Glorious day with flowers everywhere. This was my…
Category: 2021 NorCal
Mt Diablo Summit
Beautiful day, great weather with lots of spring blooms.
Relaxing hike up – Mount Umunhum
Reached the first gate on Mt. Umunhum road at around 6.35 am. The park gate was still closed. There was just one car in front…
Wildflowers Everwhere!
The weather was beautiful yesterday. The blooming wildflowers made for a gorgeous hike. We also encountered a flock of turkeys at the start and end…
Mnt St Helena
Beautiful morning hike. The first mile is a decent climb and got us warm. Once you get to the access road that goes to the…
Challenging Mt. Saint Helena
This was a very challenging hike for me! The first mile+ is single track and very technical in parts. I was able to do it…
We’re on a Mission, the long way
We did this hike for maximum points. Of course, we wanted to “bag” Mission Peak to help fill our SixPack. But, we are also working…
Devilish Diablo
Trail was rocky and steep, as it always is on Mt. Diablo. Nonetheless, 3 of us 6-packers and another friend forged along. Wildflowers were spectacular…
Mount Tamalpais – beach- top-beach
Excellent day for a hike – cool, sunny. Started from Stinson Beach in calm conditions and by the time we reached the top of Mt.…
Mission Peak on a Perfect Bay Area Day
We started at Ohlone College parking lot and headed out on a cool, clear beautiful day. Wildflowers graced our entire hike. We followed the Ridge…
Hummingbird Mountain
It was a perfect day to hike! Got to the Bald Mountain parking area around 7:30am and we were the first ones there. The lot…
Mission can’t believe it was possible
Holy cow this hike is pretty much straight up and down! I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to finish it cause i…
The beautiful Mount Saint Helena!
My last piece trail on Norcal Challenge! It was a foggy Tuesday morning on trailhead. At 8:30, we were the first car to parked there.…
Mission Peak
Sunny, windy, wide gravel road except final 1/2 mile. Excellent view. Even during the week parking problems. On descent beware of fast MTBs coming from…
Mt. Umunhum – #3
I loved this hike! Not too long, easy grade, excellent trail conditions, not so crowded, hikers and bikes were very courteous to each other. Fantastic…
Mission (to find a parking spot) Peak
My husband and I arrived at 7:10 a.m. Already the side streets were full of cars, so we didn’t even try the parking lot. We…
St Helena
I love this hike and was really looking forward to doing it again this year. We had great weather and went early so not a…
Heavenly views
Great weather today. Not too many people on the trail. Well marked. Slow assent plenary of sun and shade! Beautiful day
Mount Diablo Summit via the 6 Peaks Loop
In the spirit of the 6 Pack of Peaks Challenge, I chose to summit Mount Diablo via the 6 Peaks Loop in the park. This…
Mount St. Helena
The trail was easy for the most part. There was just one section in the first mile that required scrambling up rocks.
Mount Diablo Summit via the 6 Peaks Loop
In the spirit of the 6 Pack of Peaks challenge I chose to do the 6 Peak Loop in Mount Diablo State Park to get…
Mt. Umunhum hike
The weather partly cloudy and a beautiful landscape view. Reaching the top was so accomplishing.
Mt. Diablo Wildflowers
Great weather to hike Mt. Diablo! Lots of turkey sitings and absolutely gorgeous wild flowers! Had to take breaks a few times on the last…
Peak 2 – Mount Tamalpais
We hiked Mt Tam on the Mountain Theater, West Point Inn and East Peak trail. Fairly easy hike and our loop was about 10.2 miles.…
Mission not impossible
We managed to make it to the top in decent time. This hike has only two drawbacks. First is parking. Parking is insane and we…
Black Mountain- 3 of 6
Great day! A little hot where there is no tree coverage. Still very green, some wildflowers. Not crowded. Arrived at 8:30am
Mission peak on Cesar Chavez Day
This is a great trail head from which to hike mission peak. You park in the multi level garage at ohlone college which is practically…
That’s a Wrap! Mmmmhmmmm
Started early only two cars in parking lot. Not many people until my way back down the parking lot was filling up. Shaded trail most…
Mt Diablo
Beautiful hike with amazing views at the summit. Wear a hat as there is barely any shade on this hike. We found a lot of…
Bust a Mission
Probably my favorite peak and trail! There is the last push past the backpackers camp to the summit which was terrifying and difficult to move…
Taking It All In on Mt. Diablo
Absolutely stunning day in the Bay Area! Based on weather reports, we thought the wind chill factor would require lots of layers, but the route…
Spiral around Mt. Diablo
Super windy day, especially at the overlook where we started. Route spiraled around and up, so we had views on all sides and were out…
On The Rocks vs Diablo
This peak was no match for team On The Rocks – Mount Diablo is sporting a beautiful array of wildflowers this year. Timing is everything,…
Deserted Black Mountain
GREEEEEEN and QUIET! Clean bathrooms at trailhead. I startled one biker. Saw 3 random hikers on the connecting trails. I never crossed paths with anyone.…
Slugs, Squirrels, Geckos Oh My!
The weather was perfect! We started early about 8:44. It took us about 4.5 hours but we took lots of pics and sat on the…
Monday on St Helana
Arrived early and had a cool and beautiful hike up. Very chilly at the top. Hiking down was quick and easy.
Mt. St. Helena
Beautiful trail, starts off in shady woods for about a mile then widens out to amazing Napa Valley views all the way to the tops.…
Spring break Mt.St. Helena hike
Small parking lot so get here early. Trail head is on the other side of the road so caution when crossing. Trail starts off as…
Mt. Diablo – #2
This is a very long and, at times, rather hot hike. Good cover for the most part though. The trail was VERY crowded today and…
Mount Umunhum @ Golden Hour
Hiked Mount Umunhum yesterday. Did the hike in reverse because the trail head lot was crowded city, and I wanted to catch the sunset at…
Black Mountain
The trial was nice with a mix of being in the sun and in the shade. The last two miles leading to the peak were…
Mt. Tamalpais learning AND exercise hike.
Loved this! Enjoyed the relaxed, curated part of the trail. It was nice to read the informational plaques and just walk along the path, enjoying…
Mt. Diablo – I think gravity is stronger here.
No matter how prepared I am, this is always a tough hike. Admittedly, this year, I’m in worse shape than when I did it in…
Black Mountain
We started at 7:30 am so we found one of the few parking spaces. Temperature was 45 at the start and 70’s at the finish.…
Mount unhumum hike
The trail conditions are good. Lots of shade and cover. The trail is mostly dirt has gravel at the top areas. We went early to…
Diablo the Hot Devil
Solo hiked this peak. Felt wonderful in the morning but the climb up was hotttttttt direct sunlight. The trail was gorgeous and blooming. Views of…
Black Mountain
Good weather, sunny, lots of traffic (hikers and MTBs on weekend. Most of the trail is a wide gravel road with great views, only the…
Umunhum in reverse
Due to a lack of parking at the bald mountain lot we decided to the hike in reverse. This was our second attempt due to…
Mount Tam, the Final Exam
6 of 6 complete! I arrived at the parking area at 9am on a foggy Sunday morning, and there were plenty of parking spaces in…
Mount St Helena
Perfect day for a hike…..low 70’s, no wind. Excellent visibility. Gorgeous views. No complaints!
Black Mountain
The trail was beautiful. We arrived at 8:30. Weather was expected to be in the low 70’s. There are some shady areas but when the…
Tame your Tam!
Bring water! Crowded at summit! Started early and parking was 8 dollars. Would hike this during the week.
Mt Diablo
Beautiful hike. Went clockwise from Mitchell Canyon Parking lot, so that was a challenge to cover the steep parts first. Pretty windy up top but…
Helena the Saint!
March is perfect for this hike! First mile is shaded, the rest is on fire road. Would rate this hike challenging moderate but not hard.…
Prettier than grand prismatic in Yellowstone
Wowza is all I can say!! I have hiked in many states and national parks, and I must say… At this time of year, Mt.…
Mt Diablo –
Didn’t get started until about noon. Hiked up Mitchell Canyon fire road to Deer Flat then continued to summit via Juniper Campground. Returned via single…
2nd Peak – Socked in at Mission Peak
Loved the cows, beautiful in the spring, very green. As we got up higher, lots of fog and socked in again!!
Springtime meandering
I would consider this the perfect Winter/Spring hike. It is mostly open chaparral, so I think it might be too warm in Summer/Fall. The section…
Ohlone trail to the top of Mission Peak
We were going on a 3 day backpacking trip on the Ohlone Trail and decided to hike up Mission Peak on the last day. It…
So Cal trip up North
Drove up from south orange county so I could start on my nor Cal 6 pop. Opted to stay a week up her le so…
My. Diablo
Took the Summit Trail. Sections had loose gravel which made it a bit slick at times. Trail is fully exposed, so either opt for a…
Mission Peak
This was a really beautiful Trail, today there was lots of greenery, yellpw flowera and cows grazing the land. It is a 3-mile climb up…
WINDY NIGHT on Black Mountain
Whoa! The WIND up there! Thought we were going to be Winnie the Pooh in “A Rather Blustery Day”! Great trip though, wind kept all…
Mission Peak
The trail is perfect right now! Not too hot and tons of cows! very crowded on the weekends recommend a weekday. We had to wait…
Mission Peak – 2 of 6!
Monday was a good day to go to avoid crowds. There was still a full parking lot. great time to go hills are all green…
Mission Peak
Started off on the trail through grassy Meadows wild flowers blooming on emerald green hills.. The trail got progressively steeper and once I finally hit…
Mt. Diablo-3rd Peak!
We hit 2 other peaks along the way. Tough hike but well worth it. It was a clear day and could see the whole Valley…
Mission to the Peak
This trail is a great training venue for S. Bay hikers. If you are seeking solitude steer clear. If you like hiking with a heard…
Mission Peak from Sunol
Beautiful and untravelled is the trail from Sunol to Mission Peak. In great company – with Valerie and another hiking buddy we made our way…
Mission Peak from Sunol
Beautiful and untravelled is the trail from Sunol to Mission Peak. In great company – with Valerie and another hiking buddy we made our way…
Mission Peak fron Sunol
Beautiful and untravelled is the trail from Sunol to Mission Peak. In great company – with Valerie and another hiking buddy we made our way…
Mt Umunhum
This was an easy out and back hike. It was cold and even snowed on us a tiny bit at the top, but such a…
Rainbows and Flowers on Black Mountain
I wish it was a little more clear at the peak but I was treated to a beautiful sunrise and a rainbow so it wasn’t…
A visit to the resting place of the humming bird
We have been planning on this hike for a few weeks now as a group and finally got to do it today! Last time we…
Mission Peak Overnight
After the wet week, the trail was quite muddy but totally doable, hiking poles were a big help through the mucky parts. Weather was clear…
Mnt Umunhum Family Excursion
The whole family took the excursion down to San Jose (3.5 Hour Drive) friday night and stayed in a nearby hotel. We started the hike…
Mission Peak Summit
Started hiking at 10:30 am from the Ohlone College Parking Garage. It was a steady uphill climb to the top of the summit with only…
Mt Saint Helena
Hike was easier that I thought it would be. Beautiful views once at the top. It started to snow the last half mile getting to…
Mission Peak Mudder
Arrived at the small parking lot at 6:30 am when it opened to find it already about 75% full which was unexpected as blogs we…
Mid-week Mission Peak
We commenced out Mission Peak hike around 7am on a weekday so there were plenty of parking spots still available. Rain was forecast for the…
The Devil Mountain
A perfect day to hike Mt. Diablo. It was partly sunny and cool. The trees were blossoming and plenty of wild flowers around. Most importantly…
Mission Peak – #1
Very high traffic trail, but it was a great hike. Trail was in great condition although very rutted and rocky on the approach to the…
First peak done!
Whew! First peak done. It was harder than expected, but I think the time change had something to do with it–I was tired. Amazing views,…
Sunny Saturday Umunhum Summit
My 8 year old son and I set out early Saturday morning (I little later than we had hoped given that we had heard that…
The Squad Climbs Mount Diablo!
On an overcast but still beautiful day, we made our way to Mount Diablo, hiking through the crisp, fresh air. We enjoyed the changes in…
Up above the clouds
I set out from Curry Point. Arrived by 930am since I got a late start and there was no issue with parking. It was COLD…
Diablo Summit with Eagle 🦅 Point
Great hike. Glad we didn’t stick to the fire road and took Eagle Ridge
Mission Peak via Ed Levin Park
Beautiful time of the year, lots of green, =California poppies were just blooming. Great weather
Day on Diablo
Gorgeous, cool day to be on the mountain. Great views of the Sierras. Took suggested route up past Twin Peaks and Eagle Peak, down along…
Mt. Umunhum
Slices of snow in beautiful sunshine. Cool weather but perfect for hiking. This is a great hike if you are starting out and want to…
Mission Peak
Intense but worth the climb. We entered the fog zone once we hit the Eagle Trail. The final uphill got super crowded. We got to…
Beautiful day in Mt. Tamalpais!
Was beautiful Saturday morning. We got at Pantoll station at 7. Was half full. We check in ourselves, paid $8 for parking and put it…
The Diablo is in the Details
We did a version of this trail (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/mitchell-creek-to-diablo-summit) but added on North Peak (by accident) whoops, and the Mount Diablo summit. Beware that if you…
Mission Peak
Decided to hike from Ed R Levin County Park entrance to hit Monument Peak, Mount Allison, and Mission Peak! Overall, good hike. I began in…
Painful Mt. Diablo hike
Started at the Mitchell Canyon parking lot. I did the hike counterclockwise and boy was I glad I did. The first 5 miles or so…
Mission Peak Fog
The hike was great! There were some great views on the way up, but the fog obstructed the view at the summit. It got windy…
The Big D (Mountain)
Best hike this year. The gate at the trailhead didn’t open until 7am, so we had to park a 1/2 mile out and walk in.…
Mt. Tam
Best weather, hiking companions, and amazing views of The City. Trails were diverse: redwood forest foot path with charming bridges, sunny fire road, fern filled…
Snow day on St Helena
A glorious sunny Friday in March, and a day trip to Calistoga to hike Mt St. Helena with my friend and fellow challenger, Valerie. We…
Sweet 17 miles on a rainy day. The best for last!
Got an early start on this 17 mile trail. It rained during the first few miles of the hike but the sun came out later…
Stinson Beach to Mt. Tamalpais
It was cold and windy. We started at around 6. The longest of all the trails.
St. Helena- Is this Heaven?
I intentionally went south to north with this challenge and it paid off. I knew St. Helena wasn’t too long and I also knew it…
Mt Tamalpais hike, save the best for last for Norcal Peak
The longest hike in the Norcal 6 peaks challenge. Logged almost 18miles. Very cold (40’s)and a bit of rain when we start our hike. Tired…