Sunol Hike to Flag Hill

On March 6, 2007, pack, camera, and hiking stick in hand, I set out for the hike to Flag Hill in Sunol Regional Wilderness. Flag Hill is a steep climb on a narrow trail that is better hiking going up than it is going down. http://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol.htm

It was nearly 75 degrees as I hiked the steep trail toward the top. I was looking forward to reaching the top to take a rest. The Boy scouts were doing some anti-erosion work there and erected a sign.

The view looking back toward the Park HQ and park entrance road is pretty impressive, especially on such a beautiful day.

And, as always, the wildflowers are such a welcome sight. The Poppies, Buttercups, Shooting Stars, and Blue Dicks (yes, the other flowers always make fun of the Blue Dicks) were all starting to appear.


Up, up, up the trail goes past this weird looking Oak. I had the park to myself; no one was around and the Visitor Center was closed as well.

Well, I was not entirely alone.....


I did have a little company, although they were not too happy to have me there. Unfortunately, the males in springtime are interested in the females and are rather aggressive. The females are annoyed and trying to look after the young ones. None of them are actually too pleased to see a hiker tramping through an area they consider to be theirs.

I finally make it to the top and look out over the edge. What I thought would be a perfect spot for a rest turned out to be a perfect spot for a new hatch of small, gnat-like flies. I counted their number to be 14 million and there was only one of me. Being much more popular to them than I wanted to be, I quickly left the area, taking a few hundred with me.

The trail wound around the backside of Flag Hill and took me through some interesting areas. I was headed toward the Cave Rocks area and eventually down through the Indian Joe Creek trail.

I hiked along and came to the High Valley Camp area, a group camp and the perfect spot to finally take a break.

The picnic table in the far right of the photo was a welcome spot to eat my beef jerky, fruit, and cheese.

And, again, I was not entirely alone.....

I am always thinking about outdoor survival while hiking. If I had to spend the night or two, what would I eat? Where is the best place to erect a shelter? Is there enough firewood? In addition to waterproof matches, I always carry two other types of flint, so I could always make a fire for warmth, light, and signal. Here is a nice patch of Miner's Lettuce for some edible greens.

If all else fails, and you really get hungry, there is an awful lot of prime beef nearby... It's a little rare and preparation may take a while, but there is plenty! These disagreeable fellows made me walk around them since they did not like me being so close to their trail.

Heading back the next 3 miles took me along the creek for another wildflower display. More Poppies, Milkmaids, and Indian Paintbrush looked pretty cool.

...and the Shooting Stars were out in abundance....

I followed the Indian Joe Creek Trail back to the parking area. The fun part here is that the trail crosses the creek in five different locations, so you need to have waterproof shoes or, in my case, hiking sandals.

Just toward the end of the hike, I stopped to rest, take some shots, and eat my last tangerine. I was actually sad to leave the woods, the flowers, the hike and the trail, but had a great time.

Visit Sunol if you get a chance. In my opinion, it is one of the best regional parks around and close to anywhere in the East Bay.