Welcome to Travel Tuesday! Rose Peak is part of the NorCal “Six Pack of Peaks” Challenge! This is one of the longest hikes I’ve done thus far (other than Mount Sizer, which is coincidentally also part of the challenge)!
Hiking Rose Peak in Sunol
Distance: 18.8 miles (out + back)
Elevation: 4028 ft
Difficulty: Difficult
Duration: ~8-9 hours
Trailhead Address: 37.51044,-121.82836
Parking: Lot available
Hooray for cute cows!
Rose Peak is the highest peak in Alameda County! The trail is very lightly trafficked, so if you want more solitude, it’s a great pick! We only came across a handful of people on the entire hike.
If you’re preparing for a backpacking trip or working on long distance hikes, this would work nicely for both! It’s pretty exposed for most of the trail, so make sure you wear/bring your usual sun protection (e.g. SPF, sunglasses, hat)!
Make sure you bring plenty of water and salty snacks to get you through this hike–it’s definitely a long one!
You’ll get a lot of pretty views of the hills on this hike — we went in November, so everything was pretty brown, but if you go in the spring, it should be green and there may be lots of wildflowers! If you’re going in the summer, just be aware that it can get pretty hot!
If you want to break this up into a 2-day hike, you’ll need to reserve a campsite in advance!
It’s pretty darn windy at the top, so it’d definitely be a good idea to dress in layers for this hike!
We madeeee it!
Some areas can get pretty steep on the way down, so make sure you’re wearing shoes/boots with good traction. Hiking sticks would also be helpful (+ can give your knees a break)!
Be sure to get the Ohlone Wilderness Regional Trail Permit for each person in your hiking party! You’ll need to keep it on you for the hike (it doubles as a map and is good for a whole year, so it’s super worth it)! You can purchase it in-person at the entrance kiosks, online, by phone, and by mail!
- Have you ever been to Sunol Regional Wilderness?
- Have you ever done a “peak” challenge? I’ve done 2/3 of the Norcal ones so far — Mount Sizer, Mount Tamalpais + Mount Diablo!
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18 miles!!! I would have to camp somewhere on the way. My longest day hike so far was 16 miles and I was a zombie by the end. Looks like a great escape into the wilderness of Cali though. I absolutely love the landscapes of that area. Looks like a great trail!
It was a tiring one (my knees hated me lots by the end of the day), but was super cool to be able to complete in a day! :D Definitely a great escape!
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The views along this hike are so pretty! I don’t mind going on longer hikes as long as I’m fully prepared and have snacks with me – great tips for hitting up this trail!
Ooo, agreed! The snacks are definitely important!
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Squeee Farrah! Recently I have read so many of your smaller hikes, so it is fab to see you on a big, epic adventure! Alameda County and Rose Peak look beeeautiful!
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hehe, there will be an even bigger one shortly after I muster up the motivation to write it up! :P (Finally went on a backpacking trip again last month! :] )
Holy smokes, that’s a long hike for one day! I think I’d need to break an 18-19 mile hike into two days. Good for you!
That definitely would’ve made my knees a lot happier, hehehe. It was cool to be able to finish it in a day though! :D
What a stunning hike! That’s one epic route! The landscape looks beautiful and so dramatic though! It looks so peaceful. Thanks for the great guide!
I loved that it wasn’t a super crowded one (probably because it was so long, hehe)! Definitely good for if you’re looking for some peace/quiet.
Wow…this is an epic hike! I can see why Rose Peak is part of the NorCal “Six Pack of Peaks” Challenge. So beautiful! I would try this challenge!
Yeah! I think I have 2 more out of the challenge to be able to say I’ve done them all. Then I wanna do the other state (+ bottom half of CA) challenges!
Hiking in such a serene location is always a pleasure. I always go hiking with plenty of water and some fruits to keep myself hydrated and energized.
Great things to bring along! I need to pack more fruits with me on mine — they’d be so refreshing! :]
Found your post while researching for my Rose Peak day-hike this Spring. It looks like similar intensity as Half Dome and Grand Cayon. Would you agree? How would you compare Rose Peak to the other two? We are planning to hike Mt Diablo this Sat as warm up for Rose Peak.
Hi! I would say it’s comparable in intensity! — I did Half Dome the month before Rose Peak and although Half Dome has more elevation gain, Rose Peak is a few miles longer so those last couple miles made my hip very sad, haha. I sadly haven’t done the Grand Canyon one yet (started too late in the day :( ).
Mt Diablo would be a great warm-up hike! I’m doing Mount Umunhum this weekend with a few friends. :] Hope you have a great time!
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