Completed: December 2, 2023 | Elevation: 2,369′ | Trail: Mitchell Rock and Eagle Peak Trail | Distance: 5.3 miles
It was clear that we weren’t going to finish all the Nifty Ninety peaks this year; with just one month left, there were too many peaks and not enough weekends. However, given that we were out of town several weeks this year, I’m inclined to give ourselves an extension by the same amount of time we weren’t home.
This is how I found myself hiking Eagle Peak on my own, without Chris, who was visiting his daughter in D.C. for the weekend. It worked out since we’d both done this hike numerous time; he wasn’t missing out on a new park or hike.
From Mitchell Canyon Staging Area in Clayton, I headed out on the trail behind the visitor center and made a sharp left onto Oak Road, up the road and then right onto Eagle Peak Trail. The trail entered the wooded slopes and began a steady uphill climb.
I reached Eagle Peak in a little over an hour and didn’t linger long, only enough time to take a photo, drink some water and pull out my poles. As I headed down, I came across splinters of a larger contingent of Chinese hikers, mostly women that I had passed on my way up, who kept asking me how come I was already heading back down. It was funny having to explain every 15 minutes or so that I wasn’t part of their hiking group, but it was a good opportunity to practice my Mandarin.
As I hustled my way down—grey clouds were rolling in and the weather was cooling off quickly—I realized that I had never been on the trail in this direction; we had always done this hike as part of a longer Mt. Diablo loop. I gained a new perspective of the trail and an appreciation of the beautiful foothill views.
Follow our progress bagging the Bay Area’s Nifty Ninety here.