June 28, 2023
When we planned our California Missions trek, we discussed about how far we should hike on the 800-mile trail. I was concerned that the accommodation and food logistics would make it difficult to complete the entire distance without car support. So we debated trekking from San Diego just as far north as Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo.
But when I mentioned to Darren that the route crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge north of San Francisco, he was sold on completing the entire trail. Now in the Bay Area after two months of trekking from San Diego, we were only five days and 78.5 miles from actually setting foot on the bridge.
During this section toward the Golden Gate Bridge we would hike through the heart of the Bay Area and visit three more missions in the process.
Following a Bike Path and Urban Streets to a University Mission
We left the town of Los Gatos on a beautiful bike path that took us along the Los Gatos Creek for about six miles.
Walking down the Los Gatos Creek Trail
Turning on to urban streets, we hiked through the cities of Campbell and San Jose. Walking on city streets can be monotonous, but we looked for ways to make the hike fun.
After 11.2 miles of hiking from Los Gatos, we arrived at the Santa Clara University campus in Santa Clara.
We visited the bookstore to obtain our mission passport stamp before walking about five minutes to Mission Santa Clara de Asis on the campus. After the Spanish mission era ended, land around the mission was given to a Jesuit order and evolved into a university campus. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest higher learning institution in California.
The bell tower has three bells that were originally cast in 1798, 1799, and 1805. A fourth bell was a gift from Spain and cast in 1929.
Mission Santa Clara was founded in 1777 as the eighth in the network. It was the first mission dedicated to a woman (Saint Clare of Assisi). The mission was originally established in a different location, but floods and earthquakes caused it to be moved several times. The current church we saw was originally constructed in 1822 and rebuilt in 1928 after a 1926 fire.
The cross outside of the church contained pieces of the original mission cross, which stood outside of all the previous church sites.
When we ventured inside the church we were amazed to see such vibrant colors. The paint was originally made from cactus juice.
The ceiling above the altar represented heaven ruled by the Holy Trinity.
On the walls were statues that were saved from the 1926 fire.
Statues saved from the 1926 fire and displayed in the church interior
The garden around the church featured a wisteria arbor that was over 140 years old.
After our mission visit we hiked seven more miles on city streets (while passing the San Jose airport).
Just past the airport there was significant construction taking place on the street crossing over US Highway 101. We needed to walk on the busy street with no shoulder. To make matters worse, we also had to cross the road several times to work around the coned off areas. It was among the most harrowing sections of our entire trek.
After leaving the construction area, it was just a short distance to a series of bike paths. We walked on those for the rest of the day. Overall, it was a long 19.1-mile stage, and we were happy to finally arrive in the city of Milpitas for the night.
Rounding the Southernmost San Francisco Bay to Mission San Jose
When the missions were established in California, they were said to be a day’s horseback ride, or about 30 miles, from one another. However, during our next stage we only hiked about 17 miles between Mission Santa Clara and Mission San Jose.
Our 14.9-mile day started back on bike trails, including the San Francisco Bay Trail. It is a series of paths around the San Francisco Bay, currently totaling about 350 miles. We would walk on this path several times in the coming days.
Beginning the stage walking on the Coyote Creek and San Francisco Bay Trails
We were excited to glimpse the southernmost portion of the bay as we hiked. The San Francisco Bay is about 60 miles long and varies from three to 12 miles wide. It is also the largest Pacific Ocean estuary in the Americas.
A steady uphill brought us to Mission San Jose, about 8.7 miles into our stage.
The mission, dedicated to St. Joseph, was founded in 1797 as the 14th in the Alta California network. We had seen museum displays at several of the previous missions about music that the priests taught the Native peoples. At San Jose we learned how the native Ohlone people formed a choir and 30-piece orchestra that became famous throughout the region.
This mission was the second largest in the network, behind Mission San Luis Rey, with land reaching all the way to the San Francisco Bay. At its height, an inventory counted 12,000 cattle and 13,000 sheep. Many crops were grown here, and the mission supplied food to the nearby San Francisco Presidio.
An earthquake in 1868 destroyed most of the mission structures, including the original adobe church. The monastery wing, which now houses the museum, was one of the few surviving buildings. A replica church was completed in 1985.
We were amazed at the authentic detail of the rebuilt church when we entered.
Several items, including interior statues and a hammered copper baptismal, survived the earthquake and were placed back in the church. The statue of St. Joseph above the altar originated from Spain in the 15th century.
St. Joseph statue and baptismal
After leaving the mission, we treated ourselves to a restaurant lunch before turning west to walk toward the San Francisco Bay. Just before the end of the stage we stopped at a grocery store to buy some snacks for the next few days. We take turns shopping while the other person stays outside with the backpacks.
We ended the day in the city of Fremont, where we took a rest day before continuing north.
Exploring a Wildlife Refuge and Crossing the Bay
After the rest day, our 16.1-mile stage took us from one side of the San Francisco Bay to the other on the Dumbarton Bridge. It is the southernmost of the highway bridges across the bay. Before we reached the bridge we hiked through the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It is one of six wildlife refuges in the Bay Area.
Founded in 1974, Don Edwards was the first urban National Wildlife Refuge established in the United States. There are up to 280 species of birds in the refuge, and we enjoyed a little bird watching and photography.
After a long walk on a frontage road, we finally began hiking over the bridge. Dumbarton is the shortest bridge across San Francisco Bay at 1.6 miles long.
During the bridge crossing, we had great views of the bay. We could even make out the San Francisco skyline to the north of us. It was an emotional moment, as it began to sink in that we had hiked all the way here from San Diego.
After we exited the bridge, we rejoined the San Francisco Bay Trail through the city of Menlo Park in San Mateo County.
We passed the headquarters of Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and walked along several blocks of corporate buildings.
Meta headquarters sign; walking along the corporate buildings
At a Starbucks we met up with Imju. She reached out to us on the California Mission Walkers Facebook Page with some questions about the trail, as she is starting a section hike at the end of July. After having a snack at Starbucks and answering her questions, Imju walked with us for the last 3.5 miles of our stage, ending our day in Redwood City. It was great to meet her, and we wish Imju luck on her hike!
Walking with Imju; posing next to an El Camino Real bell as we enter Redwood City
Heading North along the San Francisco Peninsula to a Mission and Basilica Visit
Now on the San Francisco Peninsula, we followed California State Route 82, paralleling the El Camino Real, for an entire 13.6-mile stage. While walking through the cities of San Carlos, Belmont, San Mateo, Burlingame, and Millbrae, we traversed through both business and residential areas.
City signs during our stage
Hiking on the same street for such a long distance was a little mundane, so we again looked for things to make it more exciting. We spied a few mission bells along the route and noted the El Camino Real markings.
While in San Mateo, we found a peaceful park to take our grocery store lunch break at a picnic table.
Our day ended in the city of San Bruno, with our hotel for the night (a little too) close to the San Francisco airport.
It was a busy 14.8-mile stage to San Francisco the next day. We hiked a few more miles on the El Camino Real before joining Mission Street. In the process we walked through the cities of South San Francisco, Colma, and Daly City before arriving in the city and county of San Francisco.
We briefly celebrated the moment, two months and one day after leaving Mission San Diego!
About 11 miles into our stage, we stopped at the famous Tartine Bakery to split a Pain du Chocolat. It was so delicious.
Tartine Bakery display; enjoying the Pain du Chocolat
Just a short distance away was Mission San Francisco de Asis, the 19th stop on our trek. Also known as Mission Dolores (named after a nearby water source), it was established on June 29, 1776. It was pointed out to us at the mission that this date was five days before the US Declaration of Independence was signed.
The mission was dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi.
The mission church, completed in 1791, is the only one still intact within the entire network having withstood the historic 1906 earthquake. In contrast, the towering Mission Dolores Basilica next store (constructed in 1876), suffered great damage from the earthquake and was rebuilt in 1918.
Our visit was unique in that it included both the old mission and modern basilica. The mission church featured a beautiful wooden roof that was originally painted by the Native people using a vegetable-based paint.
The altar contained statues of several saints.
Unfortunately, the mission had a very high mortality rate, with over 5,000 Native people dying by 1832. At the time, the bay area weather was thought to be partially to blame.
After leaving the mission church, we entered the neighboring basilica. The massive interior was impressive, and our favorite feature was the stained glass windows featuring each of the 21 California Missions.
Close-up of three of the basilica’s stained glass windows
After leaving the churches, we walked past the Painted Ladies row of homes. The seven Victorian homes were constructed between 1892 and 1896 and are indicative of the 48,000 houses that were built in San Francisco between 1849 and 1915.
We reached the Marina District and our hotel, near the Presidio of San Francisco. The hotel had a rooftop lounge area, so we headed up there to get our first view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Even though it was foggy and hard to see, we couldn’t believe that we had finally made it to the bridge.
After a rest day, we will begin our final five day and 59-mile section to the last two Alta California missions and the city of Sonoma by first walking across the Golden Gate Bridge.
Our time in the Bay Area included hiking on the east side, a bridge crossing, and a walk up the San Francisco Peninsula. We also visited three distinct missions along the way. While viewing the Golden Gate Bridge from our hotel rooftop, we knew we had made the right decision to trek the entire 800-mile distance, even with all of the logistical challenges we had faced.
We created a short video with our impressions and highlights of this section. Take a look below: