Last time when I hiked up Mt. Diablo it was from the Mitchel Canyon Visitor center. It was an unforgettable group hike because of the 104 degree temperature that we endured but still no regrets for doing it. This time I decided to do a solo from the Mercado Ranch Staging area. I reached the park entrance 20 minutes prior to the posted opening time i.e 8 am PT. I always take a little chance in arriving early so as to never miss to hike immediately after the gates open. An elderly biker at the parking lot warned me that when he went on a hike the previous weekend there were several snakes that he encountered but all were gophers. Regardless that put me on alert to watch out myself.

The weather at the start of the ascent was little cooler than I expected but as I gained elevation the clouds slowly opened up and the temperature was starting to climb steadily. The trail starts with the Wall Point Road from the parking lot and after a mile or so there is a sign to follow Dusty road or continue on Wall Point Road. This is where I headed towards the Dusty road so that I can cover the loop and return via Wall Point Road to complete the trail. Though it was still middle of Spring the trails were surrounded by already brown hills due to the early drought. Nevertheless as I began to ascent, patches of wild flowers and some of the perennial trees still added variation and beauty to the mountains. From the Juniper trail onwards the trail had some shades but it was getting more warmer but still pleasant. I reached the Summit 10 minutes before noon. It was nice to see a moderate number of hikers, young families and others at the summit and also noticed that the camping grounds on my way up were almost full.

After taking a few snaps and dropping at the visitor center followed by my lunch snack, I decided to head down via the Ridge View Trail and the Wall Point Road. The temperature by now felt like being on a hot summer day. The next couple hours I almost scooted down to the trail head as there were not any shades but did not forget to keep myself dehydrated.

It was another wonderful hike. And I would advise (like most folks who have hiked up here) to carry lots of water and cover yourself with enough sun screen but not the least if you are new to hiking, make sure to train yourself to condition as it would be certainly strenuous. But go for it, whenever you get a chance, especially during winter, fall or spring time. You will never regret.