Castle Rock, Little Yosemite, Mt. Diablo Regional, Hanging Valley, Stonegate, Mokelumne, Fairy Lantern, Shell Ridge, Diablo Scenic Trail is a 7.1 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Walnut Creek, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Pets: Please be aware that although dogs are allowed within Diablo Foothills Regional Park, they are not permitted in the nearby Mt. Diablo State Park. A section of this loop does enter the state park, so if you are traveling with a dog you must avoid this section. Diablo Foothills is an imposing gateway to the beautiful parklands of Mt Diablo State Park and Walnut Creek Open Space. The park has interesting geologic features, beautiful wildflowers in season, and a variety of bird and animal life. With sweeping vistas, nesting peregrine falcons, rare endemic plants, and spectacular rock wall formations, this park has a lot to offer those who are prepared for a workout! Lots of steep up and down single-track trails and fire roads abound. Typical chaparral and oak woodland savannah habitat are lovely in the Springtime. From Orchard Staging, head South on the Castle Rock Trail, following it .86 miles to the junction with the Little Yosemite Trail. Make a right turn and follow this single track trail uphill to the intersection with the Briones to Mount Diablo Regional Trail. Take a right turn onto Briones to Mt. Diablo Regional Trail and follow it past the China Wall road turnoff to the intersection with the Hanging Valley Trail. Turn left onto Hanging Valley Trail and go 1.09 miles to the sign post for Stonegate Trail. Take a right and follow Stonegate for .19 miles. Veer left to join the Mokelumne Coast to Crest Trail. *Note that the trail splinters here with 3 options that are social trails but they all rejoin the main trail.* After .38 miles, turn right onto the Fairy Lantern Trail. Follow this single track trail downhill for .35 mile till you reach the intersection with the Shell Ridge Trail. Take a left onto Shell Ridge and follow it exclusively for .9 miles. **Note, alternatively you could take the Shell Ridge Loop trail which connects up with the Shell Ridge Trail.** At the intersection with the Diablo Scenic Trail, take a right to follow it .39 miles. At the bottom of the hill, take a hard left on the Castle Rock Trail .4 miles to bring you back to the staging area.
Park at the Staging area off of Castle Rock Rd.
Driving Directions: Exit I-680 at Ygnacio Valley Road in Walnut Creek and drive east. After about three miles turn right on Walnut Avenue. After about two miles turn right on Oak Grove Road, then bear right onto Castle Rock Road and follow it to the Orchard Staging Area on your right.
March 7, 2021
March 7, 2021March 6, 2021March 2, 2021This is a nice trail during spring. Definitely don't do this when it start to get dry and hot over here unless you are prepared. I liked little yosemite trail the best. It has nice rock structures and a grove.
February 28, 2021This was an e-gravel bike ride. It was a variation of the original trail as bikes cannot go up Little Yosemite trail. Mostly rideable, but there were a couple of steep rocky downhills where I had to walk my bike down (I'm a little too old to face those :) . Gorgeous views of Diablo and the foothills. Will definitely come back.
February 27, 2021Great hike, really good hills!, superb views, worth doing! Loved it.
February 27, 2021Beautiful...cows were nice. Kinda tough with the hills at the end but overall excellent
February 27, 2021Beautiful day & hike. Went counter clockwise (opposite of how the description is written) so the insanely step part was uphill and at the beginning instead of a downhill at the end.
February 26, 2021Absolutely amazing views!
February 26, 2021Went in February so beautiful green rolling hills to walk on. Dog loved it.
February 25, 2021Lovely trail- I’d imagine it would be pretty muddy in some parts after a rainy day so be aware. It was perfect mid February hike though- the hills are beautifully lush right now unlike the summer when it’s yellow and dry. Not too challenging- there’s a good amount of ups and downs and never felt too strenuous.
February 22, 2021My family and I really enjoyed the lush scenery and the steep hills. Great workout! I must say, the cows were nice to see, but I’ve never been so close to them without a fence between us. It was also nice to be on a trail that was not heavily trafficked for the majority of our hike. We arrived at 8 AM and there was hardly anyone on the trail until the end our hike. The only downfall to this lovely hike is the abundance of horse dung on the trail. Other than that, great hike, highly recommend and will be back!
February 21, 2021February 21, 2021Steep parts but good trail. Not too muddy.
February 20, 2021steep uphill in the beginning. lovely wide open trails and plenty of cows to keep you company
February 15, 2021Gorgeous, an all time favorite. Muddy today, slick in spots and lots of accumulation on shoes, following a couple days of light rain. We adventured off trail in a couple spots, and I forgot to start the recording when we started, overall we went 8.25 miles with about 1700 feet in elevation gain.
February 14, 2021February 8, 2021February 6, 2021Super fun but the steep parts are STEEP!
February 1, 2021The trail is awesome. But the constant plane noise takes away from the peacefulness.
February 1, 2021The Trail was great however the distance and elevation appear off from what we recorded. 7miles distance starting from the overflow parking lot with 1,486 elevation gain!
February 1, 2021Great hike
January 31, 2021January 31, 2021Very nice hike.
January 30, 2021Oak grove on the way out and back in provide some lovely shade. The hills are gorgeous! Very sweet cows and cow families.
January 30, 2021Perfect for winter and spring. Sticky mud after the rain. So green. Rolling hills with cows.
January 30, 2021January 23, 2021Great for trail running
January 23, 2021January 17, 2021
