Mt. Diablo Free Solo

My weekend plans changed and today was too beautiful to not be out on a mountain. So, I went “free solo” and hiked Mt. Diablo to bag my 3rd peak of the Bay Area Peak Challenge! It was a glorious day to be out on the trails. I hiked over 13.5 miles, gained 4219 in elevation in about 5 hours.   

I hit the trail from Mitchell Canyon at 7:20am and there were about a dozen cars in the parking lot already.  

It was a cool morning, and the sun was out. There was a very faint breeze, and the air was clear. The trails for the most part were not too muddy except for a few parts.  

From Mitchell Canyon I hit Mitchell Rock, Twin Peaks, and Eagle Peak. I was alone for the most part. I only saw two trail runners and about 8 other hikers that I passed.  

The trails were green, and you can sense Spring is coming soon. There were few flowers, but you could see all the buds and plants waiting for a few warm days to explode with their colors. 

 I made it to the top about 1045ish. There were a few bikers and day hikers at the top when I arrived. It was a gorgeous view from the top and a gracious German tourist took my picture.  

After a short break and snack I was back on the trail. But this time I took a bit of a different way down. It led me to a gate that I had to get over into a cow pasture. This was not the plan. I double timed it because I knew I should not be there. Fortunately, I made it out quickly and there was no issue. I will never take that route again.   

I made it back to Mitchell Canyon about 1pm. By now the parking lot was completely full including the overflow parking. People were just starting out and from what I overheard most of them were going to the falls.  

 It was a fantastic day to be out on Mt. Diablo. I have posted all the pictures and videos of the hike to this page. Also, there is a link to the All-Trails route I took. If you would like to ask more questions about my hikes, please feel free to message me and I will share all my info. If you are interested in my hikes, you can follow me on my Facebook page Jason’s Hiking Adventures, Bay Are Hikers, Instagram @jasonshikingadventures, Social Hiker, and All Trails. Thanks for reading! 

All Trails Map: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/contra-costa-county-hiking-b59a51a-2