6 min
Overview
Mount Diablo Grand Loop circles Mount Diablo on an undulating route to phenomenal views of the Coast Range, East Bay Hills, and the Sierra Nevada on a clear day. Wildflowers and the northern waterways like the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Suisun Bay, and Carquinez Strait punch up the scenic value. Although there are shady stretches, most of the hike is hot and exposed. The prolonged sun exposure combined with steep climbs through the last quarter of the hike make it a strenuous outing. It is best in winter and spring. Looking north towards North Peak on the North Peak Trail. Start your hike from the wide pullout outside Juniper Campground. Walk down the road through the campground, where you will pass campers waking up in the morning. Head all the way back to the western edge of the campground. Wide pullout outside Juniper Campground. Road leading into Juniper Campground. At a sharp bend in the road, across from the restrooms, spot the sign for Deer Flat Road towards Mitchell Canyon Road. If you are new to hiking in Mount Diablo State Park, it’s good to know how the trail signs work. The name of the trail you are on is in small print at the top. The trail you are heading towards is in larger letters at the bottom, and the number below is the distance between the two. So in this case, the trail you are on is Deer Flat Road, heading towards Mitchell Canyon Road, which you will reach in 1.58 miles. It is a bit counter-intuitive, but you get used to it after a while. Take Deer Flat Road northwest towards Mitchell Canyon Road. The trailhead elevation is 2,940 feet, just 909 feet below Mount Diablo’s summit. As you hike out from the juniper trees, you get the benefit of that height. Looking southwest, you are eye-to-eye with the Santa Cruz Mountains, peering over sine waves of oak valleys. California bay trees provide a little bit of shade in the beginning, and in spring, Mount Diablo globe lilies dangle next to the road. If a layer of morning fog creeps in, you have the ethereal sensation of hiking above the clouds
Trail Stats
16.8 km
1005 m
1170 m
613 m
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