Mission Peak
Fremont (East Bay) · near Fremont · SF Bay Area
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 6 miles
- Elevation gain
- 2,100 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Year-round (best fall–spring) · Hot and dry in summer · Green hills winter–spring
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. Mission Peak Regional Preserve (East Bay Regional Parks). The Stanford Avenue trailhead has strict, limited neighborhood parking with permits/hours — the Ohlone College lot is the reliable paid alternative. Very popular.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- The Bay Area's fitness-hike icon · The famous summit pole selfie · 2,100-ft climb, sweeping Bay views · Cattle-grazed grassland hills · Sunrise & sunset favorite
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Mission Peak is in Fremont in the East Bay, easily reached from San Jose or Oakland. Go at dawn to beat the heat, the crowds, and the parking crunch (use the Ohlone College lot). It's a conditioning hike for bigger goals — many Bay Area hikers train here for Whitney and Half Dome. Bring more water than you think you need.
The guide
Mission Peak is the Bay Area's ultimate fitness hike and a genuine cultural phenomenon — a steep, relentless 2,100-foot climb u…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mission Peak — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.513, -121.88