Had the day off work thanks to a monthly Friday company wellness day, so decided to tackle the three peaks at Mission Peak Regional Park. I've been eyeing Mission Peak for a while and today was an ideal opportunity as it was not a weekend, with a forecast of relatively mild temps, and my wife and daughters were already planning to visit the amusement park in Santa Clara, which meant I could get automatic shuttle service, avoiding the need to loop back to my car. They spent the day splashing at the water park and then met me in Ed Levin Dog Park about 14 miles and 6 hours later.
Got to Stanford trailhead around 9am. It was already full, which is a testament to just how popular this staging ground is. When I visit Mt. Diablo on a weekday morning, there might be two or three cars, at most.
The climb up to Mission Peak was terrific and despite the full parking lot, the trail wasn't too heavily trafficked at all. Elevation gain was steady but never particularly steep until the final stretch. Views towards the west were consistently nice, but got considerably more majestic as the views to the north and east opened up before the final turn. Took in the views at the peak with a quick lunch break and then set off towards Mount Allison and Monument Peak.

The peak at Mount Allison is not precisely accessible but it's an interesting walk up to observe the small perimeter of private land filled with radio towers. I bushwhacked just a bit over to a rocky area just northwest of the station and took in sweet views of Mission Peak itself.

The walk over to Monument Peak was probably the highlight of the hike, Things got considerably, nay entirely, quieter on that side of the park. I didn't see a single hiker for the next three hours at least with striking views towards the Sunol and Ohlone ridges throughout this stretch.

Came back down through Ed Levin County Park, which contained some interesting wooded stretches and a real ranch vibe down near the end. Ed Levin trails were noticeably less well-maintained that those on the MPRP. Met my family down at the dog park in Ed Levin, with sore feet but an absolutely elevated mood after a terrific day at Mission Peak.