rose peak, ohlone wilderness trail

Bring water. Where a hat. Wilderness for sure. Trip hazards due to economy. Don't forget the camera. There are a few kodak moment shots to be had.

Great all day (think 20+ miles, 12 hours) hike. Fabulous wild flowers. Great views.

You can see the body of water. Veiw is nice along with the quiet stream. Hike is moderate to difficult in some areas, stay on the trailsince there is a lot of poison oak. Didn't see anyone on the trail which was nice =)

The Ohlone wilderness regional trail extends about 28 miles from Mission Peak on the west, through Sunol regional park to Del Valle near Livermore at the eastern end. Rose Peak lies roughly halfway between Sunol headquarters and Del Valle. Hiking between Del Valle and Sunol is possible, but arranging two cars is enough of a nuisance that out-and-back trips from one end or the other may be preferable. I usually hike to Rose Peak from Sunol headquarters, and log just a bit less than 20 miles, round trip.First the legalities: each person is required to have a wilderness permit, which may be purchased at the entrance station for $2. The permit is in fact a trail map with a date stamp, and is valid for the entire year of the date stamp. In reality, I have never seen any enforcement of permits, but for that price, the only reason to use last year's trail map is that you got there early in the morning, before the entrance station opened. And early morning is indeed a good time to set out.From Sunol, there are two rather distinctive environments. The trail works through scrub oak forest to the backpack campground. Above the campground, the route is open grassland high on the south face of the canyon overlooking Alameda creek. Up here, yellow-star thistle has invaded over the past few years. It's a nuisance, with sticky sap that gums up boots and hiking sticks. Being completely open, this trail gets very hot in summer -- take plenty of water.This is rough country, and below the backpack campground, the trails are as steep as any you'll find in the bay area, grades sometimes approaching 100% (that would be 45 degrees). Above the trail camp, the route follows fire roads, and the grades are less extreme. Even so, the round trip from Sunol is a commitment to 5000 feet of vertical gain. I don't have numbers for the Del Valle half, but it's probably about the same.The trail does not actually cross the very top of Rose Peak, but there's a short spur loop that goes to the high point, a rocky area well suited for a calorie break and views that go on forever, especially if you're there on a crispy clear day.Wildlife is limited. I've seen lots of gopher snakes here; a rattler wouldn't be a surprise. Deer once in a while, a coyote on occasion. Western fence lizards, of course. Most interesting was the day I crossed paths with the annual migration of a million tiny (one-inch) frogs. I found an owl pellet on the trail here, the only one I have seen in the wild.This is a hike for those who like to climb up into their own heads and go for hours without meeting anyone, who like tired and sore muscles at the end of the day, who like an excuse to eat everything in sight, who take satisfaction in yet once again doing one of the tougher trails in the area.