Horse Heaven Trail/Mission Peak
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 5.81 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,165 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 2,165 ft
- Max elevation
- 2,509 ft
- TrailRank
- 24
- Min elevation
- 380 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Coordinates
- 322
- Uploaded
- May 3, 2019
near Warm Springs District, California (United States)
Viewed 101 times, downloaded 2 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
The Horse Heaven route to Mission Peak is the quieter backcountry alternative to the Hidden Valley Trail. Most people avoid it because it’s a lot steeper, but it’s also a lot more scenic, especially the singletrack section at the top. It’s really amazing what a completely different experience this route is, even though it’s within sight of the more popular route.
Here’s the trailhead location in Google Maps and Google Street View.
Park on busy Vineyard Avenue or Antelope Drive near the Stanford Avenue trailhead. A lot of spaces on these streets, as well as all other streets east of Mission Boulevard, are reserved for residents, so if you find a spot, look for no parking signs. On a busy day all the legal spots will be taken and you’ll need to park west of Mission Boulevard, where there aren’t any parking restrictions. In this case the walk to the trailhead will add about a mile each way to the hike, but it’s a pretty quick and not entirely unpleasant mile.
At the Stanford Avenue parking lot, join the stream of people on the main trail to Mission Peak. After just a few minutes, though, turn off onto the Peak Meadow Trail, where there are a lot fewer people, maybe a group every one or two minutes. The road descends a little and passes by some cow corrals before beginning a steep climb.
Here’s the trailhead location in Google Maps and Google Street View.
Park on busy Vineyard Avenue or Antelope Drive near the Stanford Avenue trailhead. A lot of spaces on these streets, as well as all other streets east of Mission Boulevard, are reserved for residents, so if you find a spot, look for no parking signs. On a busy day all the legal spots will be taken and you’ll need to park west of Mission Boulevard, where there aren’t any parking restrictions. In this case the walk to the trailhead will add about a mile each way to the hike, but it’s a pretty quick and not entirely unpleasant mile.
At the Stanford Avenue parking lot, join the stream of people on the main trail to Mission Peak. After just a few minutes, though, turn off onto the Peak Meadow Trail, where there are a lot fewer people, maybe a group every one or two minutes. The road descends a little and passes by some cow corrals before beginning a steep climb.
Waypoints
Waypoint
1,148 ft
Horse Heaven Trail
Waypoint
1,690 ft
Agua Caliente Creek
Waypoint
2,120 ft
Creek, Shade
Waypoint
2,504 ft
Alameda County Place Summit Geocach
Waypoint
2,491 ft
Summit Mission Peak
Waypoint
1,712 ft
Panorama
Waypoint
1,636 ft
Panorama Bench
Waypoint
767 ft
Bench Rest
Waypoint
381 ft
Parking
Waypoint
381 ft
Restrooms
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