California State Parks,
Contra Costa County
4 mile out and back through grassland and chaparral, to the curious Balancing Rock. Excellent wildflowers in spring.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 3.9 mile out and back hike is easy, with about 480 feet in elevation change. Trailhead elevation is about 1745 feet. From this trailhead you can climb or descend in every direction, so hikes can range from short and easy to long and grueling. The featured hike dips to about 1579 feet, and the high point is around 1850 feet.
Exposure:
Mostly exposed, with some pockets of shade.
Trail traffic:
Moderate.
Trail surfaces:
Dirt fire roads.
Hiking time:
2 hours.
Season:
Too hot in summer. Best in late winter and early spring.
Getting there:
From Interstate 680 in Contra Costa County, exit Diablo Road (exit 39). Follow the green "parks" signs: drive east on Diablo Road (turn right to continue on Diablo Road at El Cerro), then turn left at the (stop sign) junction with Blackhawk onto Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard. Drive north on Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard, which morphs into South Gate Road at the park boundary. Drive carefully uphill on this narrow road (watch out for bicyclists) to the entrance kiosk. Then continue about 1.5 miles to the broad flat parking lot on the right side of the road (the Curry Point sign is near the start of the trail, but it's the first parking lot past Rock City).
GPS Coordinates* for Trailhead:
Latitude
Longitude
(* based on Google Earth data, shown as degrees, minutes, seconds)
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, stores, and restaurants back near I 680 in Danville. The park has group campgrounds and individual campsites. Visit MDIA's website for more info.
Trailhead details:
Pay $10 entrance fee at the kiosk (if staffed). No drinking water or toilet facilities at the trailhead. There is a map under glass. Paper maps and pay phone are available at the entrance kiosk, and there are restrooms at Rock City. No designated handicapped parking. Trails are unobstructed, but poorly suited to wheelchairs. There is no direct public transit to the park.
Rules:
Most trails are multi-use. Some trails are open to equestrians and hikers only. No dogs. Gates open at 8 and close at sunset. The park is open from 8 a.m. to 45 minutes before sunset.
The Official Story:
CSP's Mount Diablo page
Mount Diablo Ranger Station 925-837-6129
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Download the park map pdf from CSP's website.
• Mount Diablo (& Surrounding Parks) map, published by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association, is invaluable (order at http://www.mdia.org).
• David Weintraub's East Bay Trails has a good map and descriptions of a hike departing from this trailhead (order this book from Amazon.com).
Curry
Point in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to the featured
hike.• View photos from this hike.
Diablo's
Curry Point Trailhead is a popular staging area 
on
the mountain's southeastern flank. With elevation around 1745 feet, Curry
Point is almost halfway up the mountain, and it's a good starting point
for some of Diablo less grueling hikes. It's possible to hike to the summit,
but the two routes to the top have disadvantages over the preferred Mitchell
Canyon routes. Summit Trail follows along South Gate Trail for a few miles,
and most hikers will not be pleased with the attendant traffic noise.
The other route; Curry Canyon Road to Frog Pond Road, Alder Creek Road,
Green Ranch Road, and then Summit Trail, is a long meandering 10-mile
round trip. Preferred Curry Point routes explore the rock formations and
chaparral of Knobcone Point, the sycamores, California bays, buckeyes,
maples, and coast live 
oaks
of shaded Curry Canyon Road, and the tiny ponds sprinkled through the
grassland around Frog Pond Road. Hikers out for a long out-and-back trek
can start at Curry Point, traverse Blackhawk Ridge and Oyster Point, and
walk all the way to the park boundary on Black Hawk Road and Oyster Point
Road/Trail.
These broad fire roads to the south and
east travel through interesting and varied plant communities. In winter
manzanitas flower and the hills begin to green. Spring brings copious
wildflowers to the rolling hills. Even after most of the grassland wildflowers
fade in late spring, chaparral plants such as chamise and chaparral pea
bloom along Knobcone Point, and a few late blooming wildflowers line the
riparian corridors. 
In
the stupefying heat of summer the plants fail to impress, but in autumn
maples, sycamores, and deciduous oaks put on a foliage show.
For the featured hike, begin on signed
multi-use Curry Canyon Road. In spring, the grassy hills on the sides
of the nearly level wide fire road are dotted with lupines and Ithuriel's
spear. There are unobstructed views north to the summit, and glimpses
of huge boulders south near Rock City. After just 0.11 mile, Knobcone
Point Road begins on the right at a signed junction. Continue straight
(Curry Canyon Road veers left) on Knobcone Point Road.
Knobcone Point Road, open to equestrians,
cyclists, and hikers, begins a gentle descent, with occasional clusters
of coast live oak providing some shade. A few gray pines can be spotted
along the trail. At 0.68 mile,
Devil's Slide Trail begins on the right side of the trail at a signed
junction. Continue on Knobcone Point Road.
The trail makes a brief climb through mixed
woods, where you might see Mount Diablo fairy lanterns in May. As the
trail crests, it meets Black Hawk Road at a signed junction at 0.83 mile.
Continue to the left on Knobcone Point Road.
Knobcone Point Road keeps a mostly level
course as it wanders into chaparral. Chamise, black sage, sticky monkeyflower,
manzanita, ceanothus, pitcher sage, yerba santa, and chaparral pea accompany
gray and knobcone pine. Climbing along the ridge, the trail offers wonderful
views of distant rock formations to the right. There's a rustic picnic
bench off the trail on the left, just before Knobcone Point Road begins
a slow climb through chaparral, with very little shade. You may see a
few madrones, coast live, and blue oaks, but the previously mentioned
plants
dominate. A signpost marks a faint dead-end trail on the left. As you
climb along Knobcone Point Road, look back to the northwest for outstanding
views, and a recap of the hike so far. You may even be able to see your
car at the trailhead. The trail levels out, and views diminish as the
slopes leading to Knobcone Point rise up on the right. Oaks shade the
fire road. At 1.76 miles, marked by a parks sign, the trail reaches Balancing
Rock on the right side of the trail. The formation is comprised of a huge
boulder, perched on a smaller rock. You can turn around here if you want,
but walk a bit further to the park border, at 1.96 miles. The boundary
is somewhat signed, but a fence stretched across the road and a dead-end
fire road on the right also mark the transition. From here, there are
nice views of more rock formations to the south. When ready, retrace
your steps back to the trailhead.
Total distance: 3.92 miles
Last hiked: Friday, May 11, 2001
 |
|||
|
