Mission Peak is a popular climbing destination near Fremont, though it's safe to say that it's popular more with hikers than it is with bikers. Still, there's nothing to stop you from biking up to it if you're looking for something different or you need a ride in this vicinity. The rocky peak is on a short cliff atop a sharp rise right above residential neighborhoods.

This ride climbs to Mission Peak "the easy way", that is, instead of taking the notoriously steep Hidden Valley Trail to the peak from Stanford Avenue (with an average grade approaching 17% for two miles), it approaches it via Peak Trail from the Ohlone College campus. Don't let that make you think this is an easy climb, though. It's a difficult climb! While this may be the easier way up, it's only relative. Most portions of the climbing route hovers around a 10% to 14% grade, with no shortage of 20% short bursts along the way.

All of the ride is on fire roads, except for a brief section of Peak Trail "behind" the ridge that is singletrack. This singletrack is a pretty steep and quite rutty climb for part of its length in the uphill direction, but its shady half is still pretty enjoyable on your way up; and the whole thing is a treat in the downhill direction, naturally.

While I typically recommend the part of the year when the grass is green as the ideal time for most East Bay rides, for this ride, I wouldn't place any such condition. The main attractions of the ride are the views that you get along the way and at the end (at the peak), and the enjoyment of those is not subject to the greenness of the grass very much. So, I'd recommend this ride regardless of the time of the year. You should be aware, though, that the peak is usually very windy and chilly even on otherwise sunny and balmy days. So, take into account the fact that, during cold or rainy weather, it will be doubly so. (You really shouldn't be up on one of the higher peaks in the area on a rainy day anyway.)

This ride doesn't actually reach the summit of Mission Peak itself. There is no biking trail that does. You'll have to leave your bike at the closest point of the ride to the peak, and then hike the rest of the way up to the summit (a 0.8-mile round trip). If you are riding with other people, you could chain your bikes together for some measure of security, because I couldn't see any stationary object with a loop through it or a high enough pole or tree onto which you can securely lock a lone bicycle.

There's also a hanglider/paraglider launch spot nearby whose access is through the same trail. You'll see a spur on the route plot that visits this spot. If you have some time and gliders actually happen to be present on that particular day, you could kill some time here watching them set up and fly.

Being (almost) an all-fire-road ride, this ride is not one to be sought after for pure biking pleasure. It's more about the views and an excuse to visit the peak. Being fairly high yet still pretty close to urban areas (measured in a straight line), the peak gives a much more up-close and top-down aerial view of the nearby residential areas than most mountain peaks that I'm used to.

One variation you can add to the route represented here is to follow the steeper Hidden Valley Trail downhill on the return (or start your descent on Hidden Valley Trail but then turn onto Peak Valley Trail for a bit more roundabout return) and then follow Mission Boulevard for 1.5 miles back to the trailhead. If, on the other hand, you prefer to avoid riding in traffic, you can keep this an out-and-back ride as shown here.

As of the date of my own ride here, parking lots D and H of the Ohlone College campus allowed public parking. There are payment stations at the parking lot, but I believe the parking was free on weekends. You'll want to double check both of these assertions for yourself. See below for parking information:

Ohlone Campus and Parking Map