28 March 2017

A ramble from the Warm Springs BART station to the summit of Mission Peak, and back: 28 March 2017


It has been about 17 years since BART decision-makers publically mentioned the possibility of adding 5.4 miles of train track between the Fremont BART station, the southerly most station in the East Bay, and Warm Springs, which is located in the southern portion of Fremont. I read recently that BART was finally opening the new Warm Springs BART station on Saturday, 25 March 2017. 

I looked at a map to see the exact location of the newly opened Warm Springs BART station, and after a short review of the map, I decided to do a ramble from the Warm Springs BART station to the summit of Mission Peak, 2,520 feet (768 meters), and then back to the Warm Springs BART station. The distance traveled would be approximately 10.5 miles (16.9 kilometers). About six miles of trails and 4.5 miles on public streets. The cumulative elevation gain would be about 2,542 feet (774 meters). 

Donna joined me on this somewhat strenuous hike. We left the Berkeley BART station at 7:45 am and arrived at the Warm Springs BART station at around 8:50 am, at which time we immediately started our ramble to Mission Peak. It took us about 5 hours and 30 minutes to do the hike.

Click on an image to see the full-size photograph.
The Warm Springs BART station. The view is looking west. 

The Inside the Warm Springs BART station. The view is looking southwest. 

A view of Mission Peak as seen from the Warm Springs BART station. This picture is looking east. 

Here is another view of Mission Peak as seen from the Warm Springs BART station. 

A view from the Ohlone Wilderness Trail. The Tesla car factory is located in the light-colored factory buildings seen ahead to the left of the center. That area is also the location of the new Warm Springs BART station. The view is looking west. 

On the Ohlone Wilderness Trail. Fremont is ahead. The view is looking northwest. 

Looking east from the Ohlone Wilderness Trail. The summit of Mission Peak beckons. 

Cows grazing near Peak Meadow Trail. The view is looking southeast. 

A view of Mount Diablo, 3,849 feet (1,173 meters), as seen from near the summit of Mission Peak. This scene is looking northeast.

Donna is enjoying our adventure. We are now on the Peak Trail and are very close to the summit of Mission Peak. The view is looking northwest. 

The summit of Mission Peak. The view is looking west.

We are descending Horse Heaven Trail. Here is a view of the summit of Mission Peak. This scene is looking northeast. 

The beautiful hills of California. 
The Ohlone Wilderness Trail is visible; we will be leaving the park shortly, and then we will walk back to the Warm Springs BART station for the train ride home. It is approximately thirty-five miles from Warm Springs to Berkeley via BART. 

This map shows the locations of the Warm Springs BART station and Mission Peak Regional Preserve. The area shown is in the southeast portion of the Bay Area. 

The distance traveled was approximately 10.5 miles (16.9 kilometers). Six miles were on trails, and 4.5 miles were on public streets. Mile markers are displayed on the GPS-generated track. The cumulative elevation gain was about 2,542 feet (774 meters). 

This graph shows the elevation changes encountered during the hike. 
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"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera." Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams
"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt


The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs that were posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view these photo galleries.

Panasonic GX7 camera body mounted with a Panasonic 14mm-42mm lens was used to take these photographs.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com