Well, it was a wet, slippery, muddy, scratchy, uphill hike to the top of Berryessa Peak on Saturday 2/4. 13 hikers decided to attempt to make the summit and complete the first peak of the 6-7 Bay Area Peak Challenge with me! In total we hiked 15 miles and gained about 3543 on elevation.
The hike started off at 830am with a light overcast and the sun was peaking through off and on for most of the hike to the top.
The first two miles were through a valley with a gradual uphill climb across several streams and green grass. The scars of the fires were still very visible but new growth was sprouting through.
The group was at a good pace but as we completed the second mile that is when things got interesting.
The gradual uphill became a steep, narrow, muddy uphill with a few breaks along the way. The mud was very sticky and everyone’s boots were clogged up with mud and grass.
From mile three to mile five the trail was very narrow, muddy, and there were good sized landslides that have taken out the trail to navigate. Not to mention there were parts of the trail that you had to go downhill that were also very narrow, muddy, slippery, and rocky. The only good news is that if you did slip off the trail the slide down the hill looked not too bad but the scramble back up would be a challenge. Fortunately, no one did.
We came to our first and hardest landslide that needed to be crossed at about the 4 mile mark. Either you went across it or over it. It slowed us down and but most of us made it. Two of the hikers decided that this was a little too technical to cross and headed back. The trail from then was manageable with a few more difficult crossing but we made it down to a water crossing then up the trail. The trail from mile five to six was narrow, overgrown, and slippery.
By this time the groups were broken into three. Myself and Winston were in the middle of the pack.
At about mile six you hit a fire/service road to the top. The weather was a little windy and overcast but we made it! We hit the summit at about 1215pm.
At the top we took a few pictures, found the peak register which also had some weed and a pipe, signed the log and took a break for 15 minutes.
Then back down the trail we went, and the adventure began. Clouds were rolling in more and you could smell the rain coming.
At about the 10 mile mark on our way back it began to rain when slowed us down and the trail turned to complete mud. Of course this was the must difficult section of the hike to cross because of the 2 landslides, narrow rocky trail, and if you were to slip off the trail it would be a bad thing.
We made it back to more “solid” mud and the steady rain had finally stopped after about an hour just as we made it to the more “solid” ground. No one escaped getting muddy and slipping a few times.
On our way back we had to cross the streams. We took the opportunity in the streams to wash off the mud from us as best possible. We made it back to the trailhead at 415pm, still covered in a little mud, wet, and tired. I reached out to the other hikers who were behind us and they got back to the trail head at about 5pm.
This was one of the more adventurous hikes I have been on in a while. I would not mind doing this hike again next year but only when it is dry!
Thanks to all who came with me on this hike, contributed photos, and fun! It was an adventure to be on the Berryessa Peak Trail! I have posted all the pictures and videos of my hike to this page. Also, there is a link to the All Trails route we took. If you would like to ask more questions about my hikes, please feel free to message me and I will share all my info. If you are interested in my hikes, you can follow me on my Facebook page Jason’s Hiking Adventures, Instagram @jasonshikingadventures, and All Trails. Link to the trail we took below!
Thanks for reading!
All Trails Map: https://www.alltrails.com/…/afternoon-hike-at-berryessa…
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