18 October 2009
So, we discovered a new place to hike today. And, boy, what a great place!
Diablo Foothills is part of the East Bay Regional Park system. It sits on the western flank of Mount Diablo in Walnut Creek, less than a 30 minute drive from our house.
It seems unbelievable to me (and wonderful, too) that I could live in the East Bay for 30 years, be a devoted outdoors person for that whole time, and still find new places of great beauty so close to our home.
What is so great about this park? The trails wind along seasonal creeks and meander over rolling hills. Although the park is in the heart of Contra Costa county, most of the sight lines are of open space. Majestic oak trees are sprinkled among the grass-covered hills. Spectacular rock outcroppings appear along the trail.
We parked near the Castle Rock recreation area along the eastern edge of the park. Our route initially headed due south and eventually took us across the southern boundary into another open space. We then headed west and climbed up to the ridge line following the Briones-Diablo regional trail for a time before dropping back down to the eastern edge and returning to our car. In all, we covered about 6 miles in 2.5 hours and for most of the hike the scenery was terrific.
It helped that the weather was perfect. After the heavy rain earlier this week, the ground was soft and all the dust had been washed away. The sky was partly cloudy which kept the temperatures cool and added to the visual appeal.
If you are in the area, check it out! It's well worth a visit.
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