Stanford trail is the most popular trail to hike to the Mission Peak in Fremont, CA. It is about 2.5 miles long. It is a moderately difficult trail, if you stick to the trail which is what everyone should do. Taking shortcuts makes the hike very strenuous and and scars the beauty of the hillside, especially in spring.
The trailhead starts at the parking lot at the east end of Stanford Avenue. There is no drinking water on this trail. There is one primitive restroom at the trailhead and another almost at the top.
Hiking along the mission peak offers beautiful views of the East and South-east SFO bay area.
Here the trail branches. You can reach the summit by taking Grove trail (to the right) or the Peak trail (to the left).
This rocky hillside and the slope are colored orange-yellow with California poppy flowers during the blooming season (March-April).
It snowed in most east bay hills in the third week of Feb 2006. There was some dusting on the Mission Peak which disappeared pretty fast after only a few hours of sunshine and warm weather.
As you cross the ridge along the peak trail, you get to see the snow-covered east bay hills.
It was still raining in South Bay. It was windy and cold at the top. The temperature was around 45 deg F.
