Mount Diablo - South Gate

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Mt. Diablo, west of Walnut Creek, is the closest of the three big mountains in the Bay Area. Mt. Tamalpais in Marin is 2,571 ft, Mt. Diablo is 3,849 ft, and Mt. Hamilton near San Jose is 5000 ft. It has been claimed that on the clearest of days the landmass viewable from the summit is second only to Mt. Kilimanjaro which peaks at over 19,000 ft. Our former webmaster has personally seen Half Dome in Yosemite, Mt. Lassen and the Faralon Islands (35 miles past the Golden Gate) from the summit of the mountian. Whatever the view from the top, climbing Mt. Diablo is a challange. There are two roads into the state park which meet at about 2000 ft above sea level (Ranger Station); one road from there leads to the Summit. There is water at the Ranger Station and at the Summit. The climbs are Tunnel, Mt. Diablo and Wildcat. The descents are North Pinehurst and Mt. Diablo. Mt. Diablo probably has the most patrolling police of any of the routes, and they will ticket speeding cyclists. Besides, the beautiful scenery coming down is too blurry at full speed! Mt. Diablo Scenic Blvd. This is the start of the South Gate climb (elevation 570 ft). Start your watches as you pass the Athenian School. Fast climbers can reach the summit from there in under an hour. This climb really is fantastic. This climb was also taken during Stage 7 in the Amgen Tour of California 2013.

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