Mount Diablo, CA
Mount Diablo, at 3849 feet though not the highest point in the Bay Area, (Mount Hamilton in San Jose at 4200 feet is the highest), dominates the sky line and begs to be hiked. It sports an impressive bird list year round but the best time to see birds is in spring when the creeks are flowing and the wildflowers are blooming. It can be brutal in summer when the temperatures can soar to 100 degrees. There are many hikes crisscrossing this large state park but for the best vistas try the Diablo Loop. Start at the Juniper Campground on the road to the summit. Take the Juniper trail, cross the road after a little while and start up the summit trail. If you can brave the crowds take the .46 mile trail to the summit and then return the way you came to the Prospectors Trail. Take Prospectors to Murchio Gap. You may consider a side trip to almost as high North Peak, elevation 3700 feet but only if you are willing to hike straight up and then straight back down on the steepest trail I have ever been on. Then return to the Prospectors Trail, continue to Deer Flat, and then the steep climb out back to Juniper Campground. It's about a 10 mile loop with a 2200 foot elevation change. Check out the birding section for a better idea of the many birds you might see on a spring day on Mount Diablo. We saw scrub jays, stellar's jays, bushtits, oak titmice, dark-eyed juncos, lazuli bunting, red-tailed hawk, turkey vultures, wild turkeys, ash-throated flycatcher, house wrens, house finches, rock wrens, lark sparrows, horned larks, and a pack of coyotes on our hike in 100 degree heat on July 20, 2003.
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