Watch CBS News

People Living Near Mission Peak Say Curfew Does Little To Stop Selfie-Obsessed Hikers

FREMONT (KPIX 5) – People who live near Mission Peak in Fremont are upset that hikers are ignoring a new curfew. The new rules were prompted by the trail's sudden popularity, stemming from hikers eager to take selfies from the top and post them on social media.

On Instagram, the hashtag #MissionPeak has more than 88,000 posts. And every weekend, thousands of people make it the top to snap photos and selfies against a spectacular backdrop.

"Everyone wants a picture," said hiker Abraham Perez. "And to prove that I made it to the top, take a picture."

The East Bay Regional Park District estimates that about 6,000 people make the hike every weekend. The problem? There are only 42 parking spaces at the Stanford Avenue trailhead.

"Mostly it's just the car alarms, doors slamming, at ungodly hours, littering," said Sonal Gandhi, who has a home nearby.

Gandhi said the spillover has turned her quiet street into a parking lot on weekends. The majority of hikers are good neighbors, but even a fraction of such a big crowd can cause problems. And she said the new curfew hasn't helped.

"When you take 3 to 4 or 5 thousand people coming in, more on the weekends, it's very difficult to follow. It's very difficult for people to follow, because there was a time just a week before that there was no curfew," Gandhi said.

Some hikers told KPIX 5 that they will have to change their routines.

"I've been using the park for 20 years, 3 times a week," said hiker William Yrigui. "This is debilitating a lot of people from being able to use the park. The park is supposed to be promoting exercise for everybody"

Jim O'Connor of the park district said, "The amount of illegal use was so extreme we felt compelled to take some action for that."

The district is urging hikers to use other entrances that lead to the peak or to check out the district's other parks.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.