Saturday, May 6, 2006
Maps: Overview, Complete, and Detail.
This weekend the weather promised to be much as it was last weekend, but I awoke relatively late and didnŐt feel like riding long miles. Back in 1992 I had ridden up to Mission Peak and down. Since then the through trail between Mission Peak Regional Preserve and Ed Levin Park has opened. I had always wanted to traverse this impressive treeless ridge that towers above south Fremont and Milpitas by bike since it was a bit too long for me to hike comfortably in a day.
I left home after 10:00a and took a winding route through SunnyvaleŐs Baylands Park and the northern section of the San Tomas Aquino Creek trail. After a rather long detour on Tasman, Vista Montana, and Headquarters Drive, I continued on the trail east of Zanker Rd. and north of CA237 past the new power plant.
At McCarthy Ranch Rd. I continued on the new Coyote Creek Trail as far as Dixon Landing Rd. The trail runs between Coyote Creek and the old McCarthy Ranch, some of which appears still to be a going concern. At Dixon Landing Rd. I crossed I-880 and then headed north on Warm Springs Rd. to Warren Ave. Warren Ave. passes under I-680 and climbs a short steep hill, at the top of which one has a magnificent view of the west face of Mission Peak.
At Mission Blvd. I turned right and continued up to the San Jose Mission before turning right on the first climb of the day: Mill Creek Rd. Similar to Morgan Territory Rd. and Morrison Canyon Rd., Mill Creek Rd. is another minor road that climbs a deep canyon in the east bay hills. This one ascends Mill Creek on the east side of Mission Peak.
I rode Mill Creek Rd. to its end and then returned down the road about a half-mile to a low point in the barbed wire fence near the gate to the Mission Peak Trail. Unfortunately, the park district doesnŐt provide a walk-around or an easy way to get past the gates on Mill Creek Rd., presumably to discourage access to the preserve from this road.
Once I got inside the Mission Peak Open Space preserve I rode on a cow path and then a short distance across a meadow before I got to the fire road that marks the trail leading to the summit. The fire road climbs steeply, sometimes too steeply to get sufficient traction, up to the top of the ridge separating Fremont from the Mill Creek drainage. The top of this trail is marked by a lone outhouse placed visibly on the ridge.
I continued up the Mission Peak Trail, but I did not go all the way to the summit. I had been to the summit of Mission Peak in December, and there were too many hikers about for me to feel like taking my bike up there, even walking/carrying it. (Note: Bikes are forbidden on the footpath to the summit.) But for visitors who have never been to the summit, the detour is well worth the effort.
Mission Peak gets by far the most traffic in the area. I was never out of sight of a hiking party until I veered off of the beaten trail to the summit. Once I had started on the Eagle Creek Trail I saw very few hikers or bikers until I reached the picnic grounds at Ed Levin Park.
Eagle Creek Trail descends gradually along the east face of Mission Peak before making several short steep upward pitches, passing the Eagle Creek Backpackers Campground, before regaining the saddle between Mt. Allison and Mission Peak. Looking back I could see the dramatic south ridge of Mission Peak, the profile of which is like the back of one of the beasts seen grazing its slopes.
I continued
upward toward Mt. Allison, passing groups of grazing
and resting cattle. About a mile later I reached a junction. The road to the right appeared to climb
to Mt. Allison, so I turned right.
The road was partly paved, but became unpaved with large gravel at the
steepest uphill pitches. After a
couple of these short, steep ramps I reached the summit of Mt. Allison.
The summit of the mountain is covered with antennas locked behind cyclone fences, but the USGS marker at the true summit is accessible. After enjoying the views of the south bay, which were hazier and more obscured than ideal, I descended the summit road and then resumed my ride south toward Monument Peak, where I was passed going the other way by a pair of dirt motor bikers.
When I reached the Monument Peak area I discovered several widely spaced antenna farms, including one massive antenna anchored in a notch at the source of Scott Creek, and several prominent peaks in the area. I couldnŐt remember which of the peaks was Monument Peak and which were unnamed nearby peaks, so I rode up each of them. I started with the southernmost peak (which I learned later was the true Monument Peak), then the northern peak (which was the highest), and then the western peak nearest to the Agua Caliente Trail, the trail I would descend into Ed Levin Park.
The ride down the Agua Caliente Trail was an adventure. First of all the trail is very steep, and second, the trail is pock marked from cattle having used the trail when it was muddy. The trail looks green and smooth, but the grass hides what can only be described as continuous post-holes in the trail.
In places the trail was covered by a slide. Fortunately, most of the mud had dried out, but this made descending a slow, uncomfortable affair. Descending too fast made the front of the bike airborne much of the time and difficult to steer, descending too slow was just plain uncomfortable as the bike threatened to come to a complete stop as the wheels went into some of the larger holes. In other places, the trail was muddy, but fortunately, these spots werenŐt too frequent. The trail was also overgrown in places, with thistle and grass growing six feet high in places.
Near the bottom of the trail, just beyond a mud bog I passed a large swath of wildflowers. Ground squirrels were everywhere. I also saw one jackrabbit, one wild turkey, and several groups of cattle, including one ornery looking bull who eyed me as I went by. Nevertheless I was happy to be back on asphalt when I got to the bottom.
I descended through Ed Levin Park to Calaveras Rd., turned left and climbed Calaveras Rd. to Felter Rd. and to the top of Sierra Rd. before descending into San Jose, stopping briefly to photograph the slide that had devoured more than half of the road about a mile from the bottom of the hill. I was glad that I could get by the slide as I probably didnŐt have enough time to climb back up the hill if I wanted to get home before dark.
My trip back took Piedmont to Cropley, Capitol, Tasman, the San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail south to Central Expressway, then back to Sunnyvale.
Ride Stats:
Distance: 61.7 miles
Climbing: 4500 feet
Calories burned: 2824*
*not including carrying/walking
the bike over/around obstacles
Find the full picture gallery: here.
©2006, Bill Bushnell
Please do not publish or distribute for profit without
permission.