Hiking at Mt. Diablo
Feb. 21st, 2022 09:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerSaturday afternoon we hiked at Mt. Diablo. It was already mid-afternoon by the time we reached the trailhead just below the peak. The late-ish hour was a result of us not leaving home until after lunch and then driving to a more distant park entrance. The unexpected detour was totally worth it.
Although Mt. Diablo is one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area, 3,849' (1,173 m), a paved road goes all the way to the top. We stopped just short of the top, maybe 100-150 vertical feet below it, where there's a trail that loops around the summit. It's one of our favorite hikes in the park. "Favorite" is a relative term, though, as we've only hiked this trail twice before, and once was cut short due to snow. Our one previous full hike up here, we hiked this trail 5 years ago.
We set off going clockwise around the trail below the summit. Views to the north of Mt. Diablo open up almost right away. In the picture above you see Eagle Peak, elev. 2,369'. Beyond it, in the distance, the waterway you see is the Carquinez Straight. Further off to the left (west) it opens into the San Francisco Bay. Off screen to the right (east) is the Delta, where the waters of the mighty Sacramento River and San Joaquin River meet.
As we work our way clockwise around the summit the views shift to bring North Peak, elev. 3,557', into focus. North Peak is only a few hundred feet shorter than Mt. Diablo. Shorter is shorter, though. That's why North Peak has a dull name and no visit center atop it, just a bunch of commercial antennas.
The view here is to the northeast, out across the Delta. Geographically, this is where the Bay Area gives over to the Central Valley.
As nice as these views are they also constantly reminded us of the dirt and haze in the air. It was like this last weekend when we hiked in the area. Back then I thought it would blow out to sea as part of California's "breathe in, breathe out" weather pattern. Well, it's still here. And the impact is that from a viewpoint like the one above it's hard to see more than 10-15 miles before things get lost in the haze. On a clearer day, looking east and northeast across the Delta and the Central Valley, you can see 100+ miles from here.
In writing about various peak hikes I've lamented that the one big drawback to hiking to a summit is that you can't really see the mountain you're climbing. The iconic view is under your feet! That's why all the pictures I've shared so far have been views other than Mt. Diablo itself. But here's where taking the trail just below the summit really pays off: we can see the summit!
This is also where we chose to change direction a little bit from our previous visit. Five years ago we continued the loop trail around the summit. You can see it contouring around the left. This weekend we decided to go up over the top, following an unmarked but obvious foot trail up the steep remainder of the slope to the lookout tower at the top. Off in the distance, BTW, is the Tri-Valley Area, home to cities such as Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon, and Danville.
Update: keep reading in part 2!
Although Mt. Diablo is one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area, 3,849' (1,173 m), a paved road goes all the way to the top. We stopped just short of the top, maybe 100-150 vertical feet below it, where there's a trail that loops around the summit. It's one of our favorite hikes in the park. "Favorite" is a relative term, though, as we've only hiked this trail twice before, and once was cut short due to snow. Our one previous full hike up here, we hiked this trail 5 years ago.
We set off going clockwise around the trail below the summit. Views to the north of Mt. Diablo open up almost right away. In the picture above you see Eagle Peak, elev. 2,369'. Beyond it, in the distance, the waterway you see is the Carquinez Straight. Further off to the left (west) it opens into the San Francisco Bay. Off screen to the right (east) is the Delta, where the waters of the mighty Sacramento River and San Joaquin River meet.
As we work our way clockwise around the summit the views shift to bring North Peak, elev. 3,557', into focus. North Peak is only a few hundred feet shorter than Mt. Diablo. Shorter is shorter, though. That's why North Peak has a dull name and no visit center atop it, just a bunch of commercial antennas.
The view here is to the northeast, out across the Delta. Geographically, this is where the Bay Area gives over to the Central Valley.
As nice as these views are they also constantly reminded us of the dirt and haze in the air. It was like this last weekend when we hiked in the area. Back then I thought it would blow out to sea as part of California's "breathe in, breathe out" weather pattern. Well, it's still here. And the impact is that from a viewpoint like the one above it's hard to see more than 10-15 miles before things get lost in the haze. On a clearer day, looking east and northeast across the Delta and the Central Valley, you can see 100+ miles from here.
In writing about various peak hikes I've lamented that the one big drawback to hiking to a summit is that you can't really see the mountain you're climbing. The iconic view is under your feet! That's why all the pictures I've shared so far have been views other than Mt. Diablo itself. But here's where taking the trail just below the summit really pays off: we can see the summit!
This is also where we chose to change direction a little bit from our previous visit. Five years ago we continued the loop trail around the summit. You can see it contouring around the left. This weekend we decided to go up over the top, following an unmarked but obvious foot trail up the steep remainder of the slope to the lookout tower at the top. Off in the distance, BTW, is the Tri-Valley Area, home to cities such as Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon, and Danville.
Update: keep reading in part 2!
