Trails
Summary
Difficulty
Distance
Black Diamond Trail Loop
Learn about the coal mining era while hiking the rugged hills of Black Diamond Mines east of Concord.
Learn about the coal mining era while hiking the rugged hills of Black Diamond Mines east of Concord.
Moderate
6.1 mi/
9.8 km
9.8 km
Guides
Learn about the coal mining era while hiking the rugged hills of Black Diamond Mines east of Concord.
Community Trips
I took my girlfriend on this for her first hike. It was a bit challenging due to the initial uphill part, and we had to rest twice, but it was I think a good newbie hike. Very boring in winter with brown grass everywhere, but at the top the view is very nice.
Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve is another great EBRPD hike filled with history. It was California's largest coal (= black diamonds) mining operation in the late 1800's - early 1900's and continued with sand mining through WWII. There's supposed to be over 200 miles of tunnels in the park. We followed a western loop starting at the trailhead at the end of Somersville Road. From here we walked down the road to Nortonville Trail, stopping at...
This is a great Hike for viewing Californian Native Plants up close without having to venture too far off the path. Try this hike in all but the hottest parts of the year.
