California State Parks,
Contra Costa County
0.7 mile loop hike around the summit of Mount Diablo, with excellent views the entire way.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 0.7 mile loop hike is very easy. The entire trail is almost completely level, with just minor elevation changes.
Exposure:
Mostly exposed, with some pockets of shade.
Trail traffic:
Moderate.
Trail surfaces:
Dirt trail and one paved segment.
Hiking time:
1/2 hour.
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 at the junction with El Cerro), then turn left at the (stop sign) junction with Blackhawk onto South Gate Road. Drive carefully uphill on this narrow road (watch out for bicyclists) about 7 miles to a stop sign, then turn right onto Summit Road. Continue to the summit, about 4 more miles. Just before the road splits into two one-way segments, park in a small dirt area on the right (or park in the large lot back downhill a few yards).
GPS Coordinates for Trailhead:
Latitude
Longitude
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:
A few designated handicapped parking spots across from the start of the trail, and the first 0.18 mile of the trail is suitable for wheelchairs. Lots more parking just downhill in a big paved lot. $6 entrance fee. Restrooms, pay phone, and maps a little further uphill at the Summit Visitor Center (a Fire Interpretive Trail brochure is usually available at the start of the trail). Gas, restaurants, and stores in the town of Danville, near the 680 exit on Diablo Road. There is no direct public transportation to the park. Note: carsick alert! If you or anyone in your vehicle is prone to carsickness, drive very slowly (no more than 20 mph) on the park roads. As there is no optional route to the top, slow smooth cornering may help avoid carsickness.
Rules:
No bikes or dogs. Horses are technically permitted, but you will probably not encounter any on this trail. 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/book choices:
• Use AAA's San Ramon Valley map to get there.
• Download the park map pdf from CSP's website.
•
This hike
is described and mapped in 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Francisco,
by Jane Huber (yup, that's me, the creator of this website). Order
this book from Amazon.com. • Mount Diablo (& Surrounding Parks) map, published by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association, is invaluable (order at http://www.mdia.org).
• Mount Diablo Interpretive Association offers many featured hikes and events that explore Mount Diablo. You can also order maps and books through them.
• Save Mount Diablo is a good source of current events on the mountain, including the progress of preservation campaigns.
• Trails of the Diablo Valley describes many Diablo trails.
• David Weintraub's East Bay Trails features descriptions of several Diablo hikes, with accompanying maps (order this book from Amazon.com).
Fire Interpretive Trail in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to the featured hike.
• View 43 photos from this hike.
If
you've never been to Mount Diablo,
the summit, and nearby Fire Interpretive Trail are great places to start.
At the Summit Museum and Store, you can view some educational exhibits,
pick up maps, free brochures with suggested hikes, and the pamphlet that
accompanies the Fire Interpretive Trail. Then head downhill about 500
feet from the summit parking lot to the Fire Interpretive Trail. The 0.7
mile path (the first portion of which is paved and wheelchair accessible)
is a self-guided tour that informs visitors about geology and plants,
all the while offering basically the same astounding views as the summit,
without the crowds. After completing the short loop, if you're inspired
and immediately ready for more hiking, you can head out from the summit
trailhead to North Peak, a close to 5 mile out-and-back trek, or head
back downhill in your car to one of the other trailheads off Summit Road
and explore 
some
different perspectives of the mountain.
Summer is my least favorite time of year
to visit Diablo. Take it from me, July is not the time to hike the 9 mile
loop from Mitchell Canyon to the summit and then back down again. Too
hot and dry! Diablo's famously expansive views are diminished during smoggy
summer days, while clear winter days afford the best vistas, as well as
comfortable hiking. Spring and autumn possess their own charms, most notably
wildflowers in spring (but also muddy trails), and deciduous foliage (primarily
maples, black oaks, and poison oak), fewer visitors, and frolicking tarantulas
looking for love in autumn.
For the featured hike, start at the
Fire Interpretive Trailhead: if you've driven to the the summit, get
back in your car and drive back downhill to where the two one way sections
of
the road rejoin. There are a few spaces on the left side, and if those
are full, keep going a little further to the huge flat parking lot on
the left. Walk back across the street from the small parking area,
and look for the signed start of the trail. Canyon live and interior
live oaks canopy the flat paved path. Post two serves to identify poison
oak, but if you're visiting in autumn and winter, all you'll see is a
dead looking bunch of branches. Beware, though, for this leafless foliage
still exudes itchy oils. Fire Interpretive Trail steps out into rocky
chaparral. With the help of the interpretive pamphlet, you can learn about
the rocks of the mountain: greenstone, greywacke, and chert. A long look
downhill to the left reveals a quarry where diabase is mined. Along the
sides of the trail look for creambush, clematis, California bay, and some
gray pine. A wooden platform with benches makes a fine rest stop, 
where
you can check the keys to distant and nearby land features. On a hazy
day, it's hard to believe that clear weather permits occasional glimpses
of Mount St. Helena (66 miles away), Snow Mountain (112 miles), Lassen
Peak (181 miles), and even the Sierra Nevada. Unless the weather is completely
uncooperative, you should be able to identify Mitchell Canyon and Suisun
Bay. Just past the end of the wooden platform, at 0.19 mile, the paved
part of Fire Interpretive Trail ends (wheelchair users and folks with
strollers, this is your turnaround point).
While enjoying the unobstructed
view of North Peak, keep an eye open for soaring hawks. Fire Interpretive
Trail enters a dry area dominated by chaparral plants. The rocky, level,
and narrow trail is lined with cercocarpus, buckbrush, pine, creambush,
bay,
and shrub-like interior and canyon live oaks. Although the pamphlet urges
you to look for signs of the 1977 fire, it takes an experienced eye to
discern any change in the vegetation. As the trail sweeps through a bare
stretch, the red-tinged monolith known as Devil's Pulpit looms ahead.
Fire Interpretive Trail curves to the right, at 0.38 mile, revealing a
nice view uphill to the summit. Grassland dominates the landscape, and
you may see at least one or two wildflowers just about any time of the
year, sprinkled throughout the grass. Native juniper shrubs hunker close
to the ground here and there. The views of the southern section of the
park are stunning. Chamise and yerba santa thrive on the rocky slopes
and near the end of the trail oaks, and poison oak crowd the path. A blue
elderberry tree stands guard as the trail empties out into the small parking
area. If you are visiting in late summer or autumn and haven't been lucky
enough to encounter a tarantula on the trails, keep a lookout on the drive
back downhill. They sometimes can be spotted crossing Summit Road (here's
a photo).
Total distance: 0.67 mile
Last hiked: Monday, September
16, 2002
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