Visiting the Silicon Valley for work, but do not have the time to run up to the Sierra’s for some Summits on the air, then the hills around the Bay offer some SOTA action with views across the Bay, out towards the Pacific, or overlooking the cityscape below. Wine Country holds some summits as well. So hopefully the peaks listed here will help you out.
If you happen to be in San Francisco proper, then grab an Uber/Lyft over to Mt Davidson (W6/NC-423) for an evening activation and watch the sunset. When the sun starts hitting the houses over in Oakland it’s quite the neat effect. This is one of the most activated peaks in California, and is also on the list as one of the most S2S’d peaks in the system thanks to K6EL. San Bruno Mountain (W6/CC-072) is also a nearby mountain, but depending on time of day you could probably walk there faster ;-). Mt Davidson does see a lot of foot traffic as folks walk up here after work for the views. Do be respectful.
Peaks in the East Bay:
- Mt Diablo (W6/CC-045) and North Peak (W6/CC-051) can be done as a two-fer over a few hours. The walk between the two is 30-60 minutes long. (Stay on the trail).
Peaks North of Golden Gate
- Mt Tamalpais (aka Tam) (W6/CC-063)
South Bay
- Mt Umunhum (W6/CC-052) – a drive-up. Best done mid-week when there are few visitors.
- Coyote Peak (W6/NC-399)