At 43600 Mission Boulevard, the Peak Trail and the Panorama Trail both start from a college campus. Both lead to the Mission Peak summit, and the East Bay Regional Park District lists the address as the preserve's Ohlone entrance, reached from Pine Street or Witherly Lane off Mission Boulevard. In November and December, the same hillside also hosts the last flea market of the year, a Shakespeare comedy staged in the round and a week of concerts. As the days get shorter, this entrance keeps its hours, and Weibel's other trailhead does not.
The Entrance That Keeps Its Hours
The East Bay Regional Park District's Mission Peak page lists the Ohlone College entrance as open daily, year-round, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Stanford Avenue entrance runs on a calendar. The section of the park shaded yellow on the District map is open 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. from April 1 through December 22. From December 23 through March 31 it closes at 8 p.m.
The District says those hours are strictly enforced. People found in the park, the entrance area or the parking lot after hours can be cited or arrested, and citations start at $300. The District also thanks visitors for using the Ohlone College side, saying that transit access and parking there have cut overflow parking at the Stanford Avenue staging area.
For a hike after work in late December, that leaves two hours of difference between the entrances: 10 p.m. at Ohlone, 8 p.m. in Stanford Avenue's yellow section. That gap is the reason the rest of this calendar centers on the college.
One Permit, a Hike and a Show
The parking rule is what lets a Mission Peak walk and an evening event happen on one visit. The District's page says that since November 1, 2017, cars in the Ohlone College lots must display a valid permit from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, weekends included. College holidays and semester breaks are free. Hikers can park in Lots E, G and H and in the parking structure, the fee is $4, and overnight parking is not allowed.
According to Ohlone College's parking FAQ, you can buy a daily permit online or at kiosks in student Lots B, C, E, H, K, P, V and X and on every level of the parking structure. Permits are now digital and tied to your license plate. If you buy one at a kiosk, put the paper permit where it shows on the dash. The FAQ also says a daily permit expires at 11 p.m. on the day you buy it.
So one $4 permit bought for an afternoon walk on the lower trails is still good for an 8 p.m. curtain, and still good after the show lets out. The trails close at 10 p.m. and the permit runs to 11 p.m. A climb to the summit and back is a much longer outing, so give it most of the day. The college can change its enforcement around holidays and breaks, so check the campus parking pages before a December visit.
November 14 Is the Fullest Day
The Ohlone College Flea Market runs on the second Saturday of every month from March through November, rain or shine, in Lot E from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free, and so is early-bird parking in Lot C during market hours. In 2026 the second Saturday of November is November 14, which makes it the last market until the March season opener.
The theater department's Shakespeare production gives its ASL-interpreted performance that same night. With the trail in between, the day looks like this:
- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The flea market in Lot E, with free parking in Lot C during market hours.
- Afternoon. A walk on the lower Peak Trail or Panorama Trail from the Ohlone entrance, which stays open until 10 p.m.
- 8 p.m. A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Smith Center, ASL-interpreted. Seats close at curtain.
The free Lot C parking only covers 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Staying for the afternoon and evening means a $4 daily permit.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, in the Round
Ohlone College's Theatre and Dance Department announced its fall production on October 20. The show is staged in the round, so the audience sits on all sides of the stage. Director of Theatre Michael Navarra explained the choice of play in the college's announcement:
"Midsummer is one of Shakespeare's most frequently produced plays because it has everything audiences want: love, betrayal, magic, and mystery."
Performances are November 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21, all at 8 p.m. General admission is $25, seniors pay $23 and students pay $20. You can buy tickets through the Smith Center box office or by calling (510) 659-6031. The college lists a content advisory for sexual situations and violence and says there is no late seating.
Parking on campus is $4. The lots closest to the Smith Center are V, W and X. Lots V and X both have permit kiosks, so you can buy the permit right beside the theater. The design team includes Camden Daly on music, Dhruv Patel on sets, Lisa Danz on costumes and Matt O'Donnell on lighting. Phoebe Collver-Freeland and Jasmine Rivas did the choreography, and Jacob Gonzalez staged the fights.
December Belongs to the Music Department
The music department played the first half of its fall season in October, with the Symphonic Band on October 18 and the Choir on October 24. The rest is packed into a single week in December.
| Date | Program | Time and venue | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Dec. 6 | Ohlone Symphonic Band Concert | 2 p.m., Jackson Theatre, Smith Center | Ticketed |
| Tuesday, Dec. 8 | Applied Music Recital | 7 p.m., Recital Hall, Room 2319 | Free |
| Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Jazz Blues Guitar | 7 p.m., location TBD | Free |
| Thursday, Dec. 10 | Ohlone Choir Concert | 7 p.m., Recital Hall, Room 2319 | Ticketed |
| Friday, Dec. 11 | Jazz/Rock Ensemble Concert | 7 p.m., Jackson Theatre, Smith Center | Ticketed |
The music schedule suggests buying tickets in advance through the Smith Center box office to skip the line, or you can buy them at the door the day of the show. It also says events may be added or changed during the season and that ticket prices can change without notice. As of this writing, the Jazz Blues Guitar night has no room assigned, so check that listing again the week of the show.
The Sunday band concert is the only daytime event of the week. A 2 p.m. start leaves plenty of light for a walk afterward, and the Ohlone entrance stays open until 10 p.m. even in December.
After December 11
The Jazz/Rock Ensemble on December 11 is the last show on the college's fall music schedule. Twelve days later, on December 23, the Stanford Avenue yellow section starts closing at 8 p.m. and keeps that schedule through March 31. The Park District's rule also exempts the college's semester breaks from the parking permit requirement. That points to a winter on this hillside with no shows and possibly free parking, though the college sets the break dates. Confirm them before counting on the exemption.
On the Stanford Avenue side, Fremont's Mission Peak residential parking permit program is approved through July 7, 2033. Residents and guests in the zone need permits to park on public streets on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. Weekday parking that isn't on a holiday doesn't require a program permit. If you're planning to have family over for Thanksgiving or the December holidays, those dates fall under the permit rules.
The flea market returns in March, on the second Saturday, back in Lot E at 9 a.m.
Mission Peak's hours and parking rules set much of Weibel's calendar, and the Joseph Sabeh Group keeps track of both. We're glad to share what we know about the neighborhood whenever it would help you, whether that's a weekend plan or a longer conversation.
