Guides
A 40-minute audio guide to a panoramic trail encircling one of the Bay Area's highest peaks.
The Grand Loop offers a bird's-eye view of the Bay Area, and sometimes glimpses far beyond, of the Farallon Islands, Mount Lassen, the Sierra Nevada, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. It's also a a hotspot for wildflowers in the spring. At each of 12 stops in this audio guide, naturalists point out the sights and sounds, tell tales of the mountain's...
This park is one of the ecological treasures of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Many visitors to Mount Diablo head straight for the summit to enjoy the famous view. Summer days are sometimes hazy, and the best viewing is often on the day after a winter storm. Then, you can look to the west, beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, to the Farallon Islands; southeast to the James Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton at 4,213 feet elevation;...
Open grasslands and ocean vistas with stair-climbing in a deep Redwood canyon
This trail has numerous vistas of Mt. Diablo, much of the East Bay, and up into Napa Valley. Down in Secret Valley the trail gives a solid sense of what the early explorers and settlers experienced in this part of the state. One absolutely gets the feeling of traveling down one of the old stage roads. Portions of the trail are open to equestrian...
Winter and spring rains create scenic waterfalls in this hike at Mount Diablo, the East Bay's signature peak.
While Mount Diablo State Park is best known for towering vistas from the mountain's twin East Bay summits, the seasonal rains that visit the San Francisco Bay Area every year create several scenic waterfalls in the mountain's rugged canyons. This hike starts out from the Regency Gate in the East Bay town of Clayton -- parking is free in the neighborhood:...
The lush greenery of Mitchell Canyon leads to an invigorating climb to Eagle Peak, a favorite of local hikers.
Everybody loves to visit the summit of Mount Diablo, but many seasoned San Francisco Bay Area hikers prefer this hike to Eagle Peak via Mitchell Canyon, which takes in all the features that make Mount Diablo State Park unique. Mitchell Canyon is shady with abundant wildflowers in the spring; Eagle Peak culminates a rugged hike to jaw-dropping vistas...
Hike from South Gate Dr. on the Summit Trail to Sentinel Peak and assorted 'Wind Caves' on Mt. Diablo
The hike starts by the south entrance to Mt. Diablo State Park and follows the Summit trail past the Live Oak camping area. From there it's just a short walk to the Rock City area in the park which is marked by a wide variety of rock structures including the so-called 'wind caves'. These were actually formed through erosion by flowing water creating...
Skip the summit crowds and see Mount Diablo's North Peak. Strenuous 10-mile hike.
If you're bugged by the existence of a parking lot atop Mount Diablo -- the East Bay's signature peak -- you're probably just the type to check out nearby North Peak, which gets far fewer visitors and offers just as many awesome vistas. My favorite path to North Peak is definitely the hard way: five miles and over 3,000 feet of climb on some of the...
Seasons signal ideal times to hike Bay Area trails; best hikes for each season of the year
The San Francisco Bay Area enjoys excellent hiking weather year-round -- ample sunshine, rare storms, scant snow -- but savvy local hikers still match their destinations to prime weather conditions. Spring, for instance, brings an explosion to wildflowers. Summertime gets warmer the farther you get from the coast, so most hikers look for deep shade...
Best places to hike in the San Francisco Bay Area
If you have just one chance to hike in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of these destinations should be on it. The North Bay is primarily Marin County, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, and some of San Rafael County. East Bay includes Contra Costa and Alameda counties. South Bay encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountains south of...
8.7 mile trail near Morgan Territory and Mt. Diablo, California
This hike is a nice lollypop with some very nice views. The trip starts in Morgan Territory Regional Park and goes through a section of Mt Diablo State Park. Park on south side of Finley Rd - walk 3/4 mi. on blacktop to trailhead. Continue on Old Finley Rd, R on Walnut Tr, R on Amphitheater, L on Crestview, L on Highland Ridge, continue past Old Finley...
Trips
After a couple of weeks of rain, it's prime time to go on the falls loops on the Clayton side of Mt. Diablo. Lots of daffodils on the lower parts of the trail, too!Regency Gate > Donner Canyon Rd. > Cardinet Oaks Rd. > Middle Trail > Falls > Meridian Ridge Rd. > Meridian Point Trail > Back Creek Trail . Back Creek Rd. > Regency Gate.
The definitive Mt Diablo hike - Summit from Mitchell Canyon (loop)
Clayton, California, United States
Hiking | 13.0 miles
Hiking | 13.0 miles
Something else that I've been meaning to do for a long time: a hike from the base of Mount Diablo to the summit. While cleaning the house few months ago, I found an old brochure I got from a past visit, listing the "demanding hikes in Mt Diablo State Park". The "Summit from Mitchell Canyon" one caught my attention. It is featured as "the definitive Mt Diablo hike". Definitively appealing.Most of the...
Hike by the East Bay Casual Hiking group. We started at the base of Mt. Diablo on the south side just past Athenian School and headed up to the Summit Trail and then on to Rock City. After a snack break we climbed to the top of Sentinel Rock and then headed back down to the start. Nice warm and sunny day once the early morning fog burned off.
Late afternoon - sunset hike.Started from Juniper Campground to Juniper Trail to overflow parking lot at summit. Took Summit Trail on the way down and connected back to Juniper Trail to finish the loop.
A tough little 13 mile buttkicker of a hike which should be quashed by plentiful post hike brews to aid in your recovery.
We arrived at Mitchell Canyon parking only to be greeted by fierce winds whipping down the slopes of Diablo. This didn't bode well for our summit attempt as we expected winds to only worsen up on the mountain. We did get some pretty good gusts on the west facing slopes but thankfully they were fairly...
Mt Diablo Grand Loop with the EveryTrail Team
Mt Diablo State Park, California, United States
Hiking | 6.3 miles
Hiking | 6.3 miles
Today the EveryTrail team went on a hike at Mt Diablo State Park to test our new audio guides feature. The hike was a solid 6 miles, and a bit more up and down than we expected going into it (and it was all very steep, so you have to watch your step). We stopped at several places along the hike to listen to the audio notes about history and preservation of the area,...
North Peak SummitMt Diablo Blue Oak Camp GroundGreen Ranch Trail toRhine Canyon toProspector's Gap toNorth PeakreturnJuniper Trail
The wildflowers are in their peak. With Red Larkspur and chia.
