Mount Diablo

Bay Area Challenge Overview > The Peaks > Mount Diablo

Mount Diablo provides some of the best views in the Bay Area. On a clear day, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge and even the Farallon Islands beyond. To the east, you can see the Sierra Nevada Range.

There is even (supposedly) a direct line-of-sight with the summit of Half Dome in Yosemite.

Did you know?

The actual summit of Mount Diablo is inside the visitor center on the second floor! You actually have to enter the building to see the top of “the rock” that is Mount Diablo.

Mount Diablo Basics

• Summit elevation: 3,849′ (1,173 m)
• Vertical gain: 3,529′
• Hiking mileage: 13.2 miles
• Location: Mount Diablo State Park

Hiking Mount Diablo from the Mitchell Canyon Staging Area

Mount Diablo can be reached by car, but there's no challenge in that. You could start at any number of trailheads higher up the mountain. Again, not enough of a challenge. Starting at the Mitchell Canyon Staging Area not only makes this a double-digit mileage hike with serious vertical gain, but takes you up some other peaks along the way, on single-track trail that feels more wild than most of the park.

Trail Guides

Here are detailed trail guides to give you the information you need about each route:

• Hiking Mitchell Canyon to Mount Diablo – via our sister site SoCalHiker
• Mount Diablo Hike via Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center – via Outdoor Project

Travel Time

• Drive time from San Francisco: 1 hour (34 miles)
• Drive time from Oakland: 38 minutes (26 miles)
• Drive time from San Jose: 1 hour, 22 minutes (59 miles)
• Get turn-by-turn directions on Google Maps

Local Tips

• There is a $6 vehicle entry fee at the staging area.
• The gate to the staging area officially opens at 8am.
• Toast your hike with a beer from Calicraft Brewery in Walnut Creek.

Latest Mount Diablo Trip Reports

These hike logs will give you a feel for what the current conditions are, and the experience from other Six-Pack of Peaks challengers.