This is the first peak (I hiked one of the alternative the Mission Peak but not part of my challenge) of the Bay Area challenge since it was shortest and one of the farthest. I tried to get a few of my friends to join me because this should be relatively easy hike if you could avoid the heat. At the end it was just the John Muir thru-hiker team (me and other couple) ended up hiked together.

We were at the parking lot at 7am. There was only one other car came at the same time as us. The parking lot is limited and when left around 11:20am it was full.

We started a little after 7am and it wasn’t really hot but we could feel the heat. The trail is well maintained, not as narrow as some trails. Like many others mentioned the trail is mostly shaded which was very comfortable when it’s hot. We spent about 15min or so at the top to enjoy the view. We were heading down around 9am we passed many others hiking up and there were a few who parked at the top then hiked down and back. You can actually drive all the way up to the summit and park and take stairs and enjoy the view. This is good option for those not doing the challenge or someone can”t hike too long, or anyone who wants to avoid the heat!

We enjoyed our non-alcoholic beer at the parking lot then hiked a very short (a little over mile) hike to the Bald Mountain and saw a rattle snack!

Start early and enjoy the view!