mount diablo state park

Lots and lots of windy roads, tight spots and having to share it with bikers made it a tough drive, couldn't enjoy the views on the way for fear of driving off cliffs lol. At the top, and on the way, views were great. Reminds me of hwy 1 scenic drives. Definitely worth going once just to clear out that bucket list, not going anymore.

On the way back home from my recent Pebble Beach adventure, I wanted to travel to the top of Mt. Diablo, which I've viewed for many years from as far away as my home near Auburn (about 70 miles as the crow flies).While this peak, at just under 4,000 ft elevation, is certainly not one of the tallest in California, it's location between the relatively flat Sacramento Valley to the East and San Francisco Bay to the West helped make it an important landmark with a long history. For centuries this Northern California mountain has served as both sacred mountain as well as a major surveying landmark dating back to the Spanish era.If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend a drive to the top of Mt. Diablo.....the views are breath taking. It's about an hour and a half diversion off I-680 near Walnut Creek (and one of the twisty-turny drives you'll ever take)....

My cousin visited me from Canada and I was wondering what's there to do around East Bay. Decided to take the hour drive and head up Mount Diablo. If you are going up make sure to dress warm, check the weather to make sure its a clear day, and be alert. Watch out for the hikers and bikers, man they were so dangerous. They were speeding down the hill. This road is shared by walkers, bikers, and VEHICLES! Stop and take pics on the way up. Once you make it to to the top, its beautiful. Take in the fresh air but make sure to bring a jacket, man it was cold up there. Love the views.

After 1 year my friends success made me came to this place, guru really tried very hard to took me here. I always refused to join them because I don't like hot so that time we came before sunset. From our area to this place took about 48 minutes drive and the road really like a snake and made me headache because my friends drove the car but I tried to saw scenery from car and it's look nice. Actually I should said thank you to my friends because of them I can saw beautiful scenery and can't got it if not came to this place and I really enjoyed it too. This place has clean restroom and that really surprised me. From top area can saw Golden Gate Bridge if the sky clear when cloudy can't get it and we were lucky because we can saw it from far and high area.

The mountain has many entrances both official and not. You can go pretty much any day for a hike on the mountain and never feel like your one of many but have the mountain almost to yourself. I love the eagle peak hike, it has many different levels of difficulty so pick your trail and have a great day hiking.

Beautiful and peaceful for short hike or long one. Wear layers and bring water. Don't forget the sunscreen.

Mount Diablo State park has so much to offer. It can be accessed from the North and South gates and is really very close to San Francisco (40 minutes) and Walnut Creek (10 minutes) which makes it a great afternoon trip. There are various parks, picnic locations, and campsites, but I highly recommend driving to the very top to soak in the view. On a clear day, this is a highlight of the East Bay. In fact, I would say only make this trip on a clear day, the view is what it's all about. Also, be very careful on the drive up and down - bicyclists own the roads and there are many who are (remarkably) peddling their way up this massive mountain!

The ride down is what really is the most worthwhile part of the journey on Mt. Diablo. Also, the incredible views atop. The view from atop is beautiful. There is a small gift shop to purchase souveniers at the summit. Bathrooms (I'm surprised they weren't too clean) are located there along with a park ranger to answer questions. The very top lookout has sparse parking, so many cars have to go slightly further down and people walk to the top. Not a far walk, though. I visited on a fairly clear day. I wouldn't recommend visiting Mt. Diablo in bad or foggy weather. I had to reread the directions to make sure I took the right road to drive to the top. The park has several entrances, so it can be confusing because not all of them lead to the top. I took the freeway south on I-680 and exited on Treat Rd (for the northern entrance). Then follow the directions from their webiste to the entrance to the summit of Mt. Diablo.The reason why I didn't rate this attraction higher is due to the fact there were too many bicyclists on the mountain. The bike riders that went down the mountain were going way too fast and were a constant nuisance and distraction. They were racing down the mountain much faster than any cars were driving. In fact, I heard one biker cuss at the person in the car in front of me, which was completely uncalled for. I assume that biker thought he owned the mountain. The mountain is everyone's and everyone must be safe on it and treat others with respect.

While visiting family in the Bay Area for New Years, I took my family up here for a quick visit. I say quick as the weather, while clear and sunny, also had gusting winds and a chill factor that brought the temperature down to 36 degrees. So ...While the view is AWESOME from the top and there are a lot of hiking trails, picnic areas, and geocaches, walking around outdoors wasn't on the agenda that particular day.The visitors center is small but sits right at the top of the mountain giving you unrestricted views of the entire Bay Area. Supposedly, on a perfectly clear day, you can see Mount Shasta, some 200 miles to the north. When we were there, you could see out to the Golden Gate Bridge, all of the north and south bays and parts of Altamont Pass.It is gorgeous. Make sure to bring a camera and, if you're there during winter, heavy clothing and jackets. It was cold. We'll come back over summer and do some hiking.Note that there is a $10 entrance fee, as of the date of this review. Parking is ample at the top by the visitors center. If you choose to stop along the way for photos or short hikes, make sure to pull off into one of the turn outs. The road to the top is a narrow, two-lane, switchback road and you will be sharing it with cyclists. Give them a break and do NOT pass them on blind corners. Too many drivers I saw that day were simply racing up to the top and missing a lot (and making the drive somewhat dangerous for everyone else).On a day similar to when we were there, you can only stay maybe an hour ... it's just too cold. During summer, plan to stay all day. Bring a picnic lunch, your camera, and spend some time hiking, taking photos, and geocaching. It's a terrific park.When we were there (12/31/2014), the restrooms at the visitor center were out of order. The visitor center itself, is nicely laid out but small. I believe they do walking tours periodically. Check the website for more information.

Wow! Amazing views in all directions, great hikes, rock climbing, and within an hour of most bay area locations! This might well be the perfect day trip. The views would be great any time of the year, but even more so in winter when the mountains all around are all green.The winter day was very clear and bright with blue skies and not a speck of cloud. The ascent started at a good pace, but after about 1000 ft we started to encounter a lot of bicyclists. This will slow you down every now and then, and since the road is narrow, you have no option but to wait for a chance to pass on the left. And the road is very twisty. So make sure you never take your eyes off the road. But the scenery is stunning right from the get go, as evidenced by the constant oohs and aahs from my wife and kids.The parking lot at the summit is fairly small. So you might as well park at the bigger lot just before the summit, and take the summit trail to the top to get a bit of workout. Take your time and enjoy the 360-degree views from the observation deck. A pair of good binoculars will help. In winter, make sure you have dressed in layers, and have a pair of gloves handy.We hiked the Mary Bowerman interpretive trail, and when we passed through the shaded areas it was really freezing. But the moment we rounded a corner and came into sunlight, it was much more bearable. Then we headed straight to Rock City, which was a blast.One thing that should be improved is the signage. Some prominent vista points are not as well marked as you would expect.

Beautiful view.Took the Canada relatives, boy were they in pressed with the ride up and down, also the beautiful sight.

All of the islands in Hawaii have many things in common, in terms of natural scenery, and each has its own unique features. The same is the case with all of the mountainous state and regional parks in the "east bay" in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mount Diablo State Park is located to the east of a 30 mile stretch of regional parks extending from Las Trampas park near Castro Valley and Tllden Park in Berkeley. All of these parks, including Mount Diablo, have trails where you can trod for a thirty minute stretch without seeing a single residential building. All of these parks have a plethora of gnarly oak trees, gentle canyons, and twisting streams (usually taking the form of dry stream beds). What is unique about Mount Diablo State Park, is the height of the mountain, which provides a view of the vast farmland that extends to the Sierra Mountains. Also, what is unique about Mt. Diablo, are the huge boulders found in the area called, "Rock City." A beautiful quality about the hiking trails at Mt. Diablo, is that the winding trails can take you through secluded canyon trails, filled with sycamore and oak, and then through a higher elevation grassland atop a rolling hill that is free of any tree or bush, and then through another gully or secluded canyon. Perhaps what I like best about the hiking trails on Mt. Diablo are the many manzanita trees, both large and small. The Oakland hills have spots with many manzanita, but the variety found is greater in those at Mt. Diablo. Thus, for photographers who want to create a portfolio of manzanita images, it is quiet possible that Mt. Diablo is the primary "must go" location in California. Mt. Diablo has many picnic areas, though picnic areas can also be found at other east bay parks, e,g., at Chabot Park in San Leandro, and at Tilden Park in Berserkeley. Some of the boulders on Mt. Diablo are as tall as those in Joshua Tree National Park, and are used by visitors for climbing with ropes. Of course, as far as huge boulders are concerned, it is unfair to compare those on Mt. Diablo with those at Joshua Tree, since Joshua Tree National Park is renowned throughout the world for its astonishing boulders and for rope climbing. Unfortunately, Mount Diablo has the inconvenience of harrowing, twisting roads to the entrance kiosks. The last time I drove on such a road that was so twisting, narrow, and dangerous, was when I took the narrow road from Goosenecks State Park, past Valley of the Gods, and up to White Mesa and on to Natural bridges National Monument, in Utah. "Whew, very scary!"For residents residing to the east and west of Oakland hills, what I recommend over Mt. Diablo, is Las Trampas. Over the past 25 years, I have made about ten visits to Las Trampas. The advantages of Las Trampas are many: (1) Easy access from the freeway and no twisting roads, (2) No entry fee, (3) Great variety, where the eastern half has gullies and canyons filled with gnarley trees, with rolling hills covered with only grasses, and where the western half has drier areas with sandstone caves, (4) stables for renting horses, and (5) Rounded boulders covered with colorful lichens, where the surface resembles a pizza pie. The parks in the Oakland hills have trail heads accessible from the east and west, and these parks are distinguished by very steep canyons covered with thousands of tall redwood trees and millions of ferns.

rock city was my favorite, mainly because i love to climb and boulder. and the view from the summit is great. i didn't do the hike but definitely bring plenty of water! the park had water fountains but they were shut off due to the drought. i was driving to the summit and i saw some people on the side of the road waving me down and i stopped and they were like, "WATER?!" luckily, i had just put a 36 pack into the trunk of my car that day. now i can say i saved four lives at mount diablo ;D

Took friends from out of state up to top for great view. Wonderful views all the way around even though it was a bit hazy today. Best views are in Winter just after a storm or high winds. Bring a picnic lunch to better appreciate out state parks.

I searched the internet and reviewed the different hiking trails. As a jogger, I opted for something long and that would be a work out. I found a review on a strenuous hike that is just over 10 miles long (North Peak Hike at Mt. Diablo). The review I referenced said this was an all day hike...but I completed the hike in 5 hrs. It definitely had some tough sections of climbing and if you're not in shape, it would probably will take all day to complete the loop. When I did stop to rest, it wasn't for more than a couple minutes.You park at the Regency Dr location (from Marsh Creek Rd) which is a neighborhood area. The trails have marker signs...the tiny writing on the top is the trail you are on...not the large vertical writing. According the review I reference, taking the Donner Trail up and the Back Creek Trail back is the tougher direction to go...so that is the direction I took. I drew up my own map from the internet, but I couldn't clearly see the name of all the trails. After a mile or so, my map was only a little bit of help as the trail names were new to me. But I followed my instincts and keep going up. I only crossed paths with one person coming in the opposite direction...he too was attempting the hiking loop I was attempting. He was unsure of his trek and was turning back. I continued following the signs that directed me to Mt.Olympia but still wasn't sure I was on the right course. I could see the North Peak towers and was hoping there was a connecting trail. I made it to the top of Mt. Olympia...and there it was, a connecting trail! It took me to the top of the North Peak at Mount Diablo! It took just under 3 hr to make it to my destination. The last section to the top (by towers) is an out-n-back steep road. This means a slow strenuous climb up...and you must also go slow coming down so as not to slip...which I did once. I used the Bald Ridge trail (appx 1/2 from top) trail option for my trip down. There is still some up & down hiking but not much. This eventually led to the Back Creek trail which led back to where I parked. On the way down, there again are several steep sections were you must go slow to avoid slipping...which i did a few more times.I began my hike at 11:40AM. Now hiking mid summer means it is going to be hot. I grew up in the desert and am somewhat acclimated. I took a quart of water, a half gallon of sports drink, and some cookies & a soda (my reward for making it to the top). I had half my water when I got back to my car. On my way down, I ran across a young couple on the Bald Ridge trail that had started their hike around 1:30PM. They were having a tough time and were still a long ways from the top. They had water & food, but no sports drink.I encountered lots of shade on this hike and even ran across a couple deer in the early part of the hike. WARNING: If you're not in reasonable shape, I would not recommend you do this hike. If you are in OK, shape and attempt this hike...then start early. If you an avid hiker/jogger...knock yourself out! This is exactly the kind of hike you're looking for...meaning you're going for the workout as much as the hike. If you try this hike in the "wetter" seasons, I would be very concerned about trekking the steeper sections...especially when thinking about coming down.