Completed: June 8 & 9, 2024 | Elevation: Schlieper Rock – 3,080′, Rose Peak – 3,817′ | Trail: Sailor Camp Trail > Ohlone Wilderness Trail | Distance: 20.6 miles (out & back)
It wasn’t time to put away the gear just yet. After completing our backpacking trip to Mount Sizer, we were back on the trail the following weekend for a two-night outing, this time into the Ohlone Wilderness, to bag Schlieper Rock and Rose Peak.
On Saturday, we arrived at Del Valle Regional Park around 9:00 A.M. and drove to the West Beach lot. There were only a few cars and we found a shady spot under a tree.
When we finally hit the trail, close to 9:30 A.M., the temperature was in the 60s, perfect for hiking. We were also lucky; earlier in the week, the Bay Area had been rocked by a ‘heat dome’, which really had me worried, but fortunately, it lifted just in time for us.
The section from Sailor Camp Trail to the Ohlone Wilderness Trail sign-in panel, just under a mile, was a good warm-up. Past this point, the trail started climbing in earnest. Two day hikers passed us as we slowly made our way up the hill towards Boyd Camp, where we took a break and refilled our water bladders.
Continuing through Sycamore Flat, I stopped to watch an Acorn Woodpecker peck away at a dead oak tree dotted with holes. Across our recent hikes, we had seen many of these granary trees, but never the culprit responsible for making them. So clever!
Hiking down to Williams Gulch and losing all that elevation gain was a bit disheartening, but we took this opportunity to have an early lunch.
We sat on a large rock in the cool shade by the creek. It was a whir of activity with many small, orange butterflies dancing around. Occasionally a pair of larger white and black ones would join them.
I also managed to pick up a hitchhiker that stayed with me all the way up to Schlieper Rock.
After crossing the creek, the trail climbed through an area called the Big Burn. We gained 1,300 feet in elevation over the course of two miles, starting with a series of switchbacks that took us above the tree line. Pausing to catch the occasional breeze, we admired the views of Livermore Valley that stretched all the way to Mount Diablo.
As we left the Big Burn behind, it was just a short distance to Schlieper Rock, our 87th Nifty Ninety. (The photo doesn’t do it justice, it’s definitely much bigger.) We set down our bags and clambered to the top. It was possible to see the ridge on the far side that we had come down.
After enjoying the panorama, we headed back to the trail and less than a mile later, came to a pond. This was our turnoff for Stewart’s Camp where we would be spending the next two nights.
We hiked down to the gulch, crossed a dry creek bed, and then walked up another half mile to the campsite, which we had to ourselves. It was 3:30 P.M. With plenty of time left in the day, we pitched our tent and relaxed, watching the birds and butterflies flying from tree to tree around us.
The next morning, we didn’t rush since the hike to Rose Peak was the only planned activity. Around 9:00 A.M. we left camp, with just our day packs (yay!), and walked 0.60 miles on Greenside Road, out of the little valley we were staying in, and re-connected with the Ohlone Wilderness Trail.
Most of the elevation gain had already been hard earned the day before, but we still lost several hundred feet heading downhill to North Fork Indian Creek, only to gain it all back in order to reach the peak.
A side trail led to the top, which was crowned by a small rock outcropping. Chris startled a young buck that was munching on the leaves of a tree ringing the peak. While the peak itself wasn’t much to look at, it certainly afforded great views of Mount Hamilton and up the peninsula.
Two guys summited not long after we arrived. One was training for Mt. Whitney, which he planned to do as a day hike, and was testing himself to see if he could do at least 20 miles in one go. Since it was only 12:30 P.M., I’m venturing a guess that he’ll have no problem.
Meanwhile, the two of us perched on Rose Peak’s summit and had a simple lunch of tuna, crackers, nuts and freeze-dried fruit before retracing our steps to the Ohlone Trail. Walking back to camp, we decided that not having to rush was worth the tradeoff of having to carry a heavy pack. We might have been able to reach Rose Peak in a day, and certainly could have gone faster without the extra weight, but the fun of backpacking and getting to just be in nature was worth it.
On Monday morning, we woke up before the sun at 5:00 A.M., and started packing up the gear. Our goal was to be at the car before noon so that Chris could be home in time for afternoon meetings. The heat was also returning so we wanted to be climbing out of Williams Gulch before it got too hot.
Leaving camp, we had to hike back up to the Ohlone, but once there, it was mostly downhill. The Big Burn was as much a pain coming up as it was going down. Hiking from Williams Gulch to the Sycamore Flat was not as bad as we had anticipated; it had seemed steeper coming down. When we reached Boyd Camp, we stopped for a short break and got more water for the final two miles to the parking lot.
These last miles, while downhill, felt endless. My back was getting achy and I was definitely ready to take off my pack. Finally, we saw glimpses of asphalt through the trees, and as we stepped onto the lot, I could not have been happier to see Axle. It was 11:30, leaving us plenty of time to clean up – Chris’ sock tan was 50% sun, 50% 2.5 days of dirt – and stop for lunch in Livermore before making the drive to San Francisco.
A journey that started over a year ago is close to its end, but two peaks remain unattainable as of this writing: the trail to Berryessa is blocked by a landslide and the one to Pine Mountain is still closed due to fire damage.
All we can do is hope that the trails re-open soon, but in the meantime, we’ll look for new hikes and keep on exploring the Bay Area.
Follow our progress bagging the Bay Area’s Nifty Ninety here.