Mt Diablo Summit

My God-father lives nearby, and he thought this would be a nice little distraction from the bustling cities below. He was right.The drive up was intense. It's been a while since I drove roads similar to this, so it wasn't too bad, up. Hopefully down is OK too. There is a small entry fee (per car), but also a senior discount. So we only had time for the Summit. There are more Yelp! listings for other parts of the park.OK, so I was not prepared for the breathtaking views! It was a slightly hazy, or was it smoggy, day... But the views were still fantastic!If the views were not enough, there is a visitors' center in the light tower at the summit. Inside is lots of information, a Rangers' Station, and several informative and/or interactive displays. And there is camping in Mt Diablo too! To make things even more interesting, we took a different route down. I don't like backtracking, so this was a bonus... And i wasn't too bad.

California hiking is....different. But overall this was a good trail. It was an easy hike, clear trail with no route finding or scrambling required and a whole facility at the top. In fact, you can even just drive. There's a $10 fee to enter the park and then a bit more driving until you reach the trail head. I went on a cloudy day so the view wasn't crazy but the clouds were cool.

Brought hubs to the summit because he's never been! What a fun drive. I drove so he could look out over the landscape. We saw a Tarantula cross the road! Do you know why it crossed the road? To get to the other side!!Tarantulas and rattlers are common on Mt Diablo. Just be aware and don't freak out. At the summit you'll find beautiful vistas. 360 degrees of them. The observation deck no longer has a telescope but it's still a must. Go into the visitor center and climb the stairs to get the best views around. The visitor center has Mementos, snacks and drinks. All very reasonably priced. The restrooms are down some steep-ish stairs and the stalls are small. Not accessible friendly. However, there was a picnic area we saw on the way down that did have restrooms easier to use. Want to get over 3,000 feet up? This is the place. Bring something to warm up in just incase. We found it much cooler than it was at the base. Entrance at Northgate was $10.

Nice place to explore. Beautiful views! The visitor center is quaint with a small display of the native animals. The actual summit is inside. We came when there was a bit of snow. Short little hiking trail. There are public restrooms here.

My friend and I meet monthly, and we go somewhere in the larger Bay Area. She took drove us to the Mount Diablo Summit because I had never been there.We didn't have much time, and that is something to keep in mind. It takes more time than you might think to drive to the Summit. My friend had a doctor's appointment that she had to keep. It made it so we couldn't stay long.There is a parking lot at the top with panoramic views. The day we went, the air didn't look so clean, but the views were still amazing! We had a packed lunch that we gobbled up as we took in the distant vistas. On the way up to the summit, there were signs for different trails. If you like to hike, just make sure you have enough time, and bring some hiking shoes. I know if we go again, we will allow more time.We had to use the restroom, so we went into a large rock covered building--which is a museum. We asked the manager where the restrooms were, and he told us to cross the parking lot and go down the stairs.So, when you go up there, if you want to find the restrooms, they are across from the building.The stairway down to the restrooms is kind of steep. There is a handrail to hold on to. When you exit the ladies' restroom, be prepared to see an AMAZING view!!!Both the museum and the restrooms are not wheelchair accessible.

First Hike in 2024; started the Six Peak Challenge.Self paid entrance fee at gate, bathrooms at trailhead, started at 8am when park officially opened. Some areas were muddy at the lower levels, we jumped over 6 creek crossings.My favorite sight was at the last lookout along Eagle Peak Trail to see Suisun Bay with a mountain range rising above the fog level, then a pink layer, a blue layer, and finally the full blanket of clouds.We hiked at a fairly quick pace, photos and bathroom at the summit then down to the Picnic Area for trail lunch at noon. Returning via Mitchell Canyon Fire Road was easy and serene.

Entrance fee $10, they have a restroom.. 20min zizig drive before the summit. Overall it's peaceful scenic drive.

Mt. Diablo is a must for anyone living or visiting the area. You will enter a whole different world by the time you reach the summit.The visitors center is welcoming and the staff are friendly and full of information.You can see so far in so many directions.There are firefly's, tarantulas, Conor's, wild pigs, mountain lions, on and on.There are bicyclist, including my dentist, that ride to the top. AMAZING!There are a amateur astronomers who meet at night at the top when there's a full moon.It even snows at Mt. Diablo.If you want to step outside the Bay Area and into another world My. Diablo is the place for you. -J.Porter

Well, it's not like the Von Trapp family scaling the Alps to escape the Nazis, but if Rolf gave them the keys to his Prius (surely he had one), then they could've come here after their escape. It even surprises me that I had never driven up to the summit of Mt. Diablo since I've been in the Bay Area since the Paleozoic era. It's the most prominent peak in the East Bay even though at 3,849 feet, it's not quite the highest point in the Bay Area. That would be Mt. Hamilton down in San Jose, but it's a visual touchpoint for a lot of travel vloggers on YouTube who have nothing else to say about this area.As an official state park, it costs $10 to enter by car unless you plan to show off and cycle up there. Don't do that on my account. I'll just buzz around you and hope you don't drop off the cliff. Just because I know Walnut Creek more than Danville, I took the North Gate entrance and then exited through the South Gate just to mix it up. Either way, it takes 45 minutes or so to get to the summit even when the long, winding two-lane road is relatively empty. You can stop for viewpoint stops, though I have to admit the Tri-Valley area wasn't that exciting visually. The scope of the panorama, however, was nothing short of impressive.Once at the summit, there was a decent-size parking lot, and if full, there was a spillover lot down a slight hill. I was pleasantly surprised that there was an actual visitors center with the expected taxidermy on display of the local fauna. You can place your foot on the actual mountain summit inside the building. There was also a newish looking observation deck and a vintage stone beacon tower where there's a Pearl Harbor memorial marker. There was even a gift shop where a helpful ranger answered any questions I had about the area. It would be a darn shame if you get back in your car before walking the easy-peasy Mary Bowerman Trail.It was named after a local botanist who saved a lot of the flora on the mountain during her lifetime. Less than a mile long and a big chunk covered by a wooden boardwalk, it looped around the peak just below the summit affording the 360-degree views you came for and a close-up look at a big rock called the Devil's Pulpit. If you take the South Gate route, make sure to make a stop at Rock City, a unique formation of huge rocks that provides picnic grounds and additional hiking opportunities to Sentinel Rock. You should allot at least four hours for your Mt. Diablo expedition if you don't want to careen down the mountain.RELATED - Up for a hike? Here's a collection of trails I've walked and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2OrC8nU

"96 Minutes going up, 56 Minutes going down. But it's not my Fault"This is one of the top attractions in the East Bay. There are a variety of ways to get to the summit. I run up via the summit Trail, but many bikers come up the road. I also see a lot of hikers on the trail. Most of them make it to the top. From the town of Diablo, it's 5 miles to the summit. There is a gift shop there, as well as exhibits explaining the history. I just skip the exhibits and buy some ice cream.Don't forget to say hello to Bruce, who often works the gift shop desk. He's the one who sells me the ice cream.There is a drinking faucet, as well as bathrooms at the Summit. There are plenty of spaces at the upper parking lot, but many more down below. But it's a quarter mile walk.There's also an interesting history about surveying. It turns out that Mount Diablo is an important point in surveying.Today I ran into a park ranger at the gift shop. He explained how they bring helicopters in to rescue hurt hikers. They lower a basket from the helicopter and bring you up in a funny suit. Don't let that be you!Today, I was a few minutes slower getting up to the summit. But it's not my fault! I was recovering from broken ribs and that slowed me down a little bit.I'm just glad they didn't have to bring the helicopter in for me. That would be so unmanly.