Mount Isabel

DATE: Monday, April 26, 2021
DISTANCE: 12.23km / 7.6 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 634m / 2081'
TIME TAKEN: 3:20
GRANT RANCH COUNTY PARK
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Unrest: Isabel
TAMIEN NATION, OHLONE AND MUWEKMA STOLEN LAND

SUMMITS:
• Mount Isabel: 1289m / 4230'
• "Mount Isabelita" (Peak 3312): 1009m / 3312'

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP

*Note: The header photograph of Mount Isabel was taken from Mount Hamilton on March 20, 2020, and does not reflect the conditions of the Mount Isabel hike on April 26, 2021.


Still in San Jose, I took another opportunity to tackle one of the local hikes I had on the list. Today, Mount Isabel, the highest peak in Santa Clara County outside of the Mount Hamilton massif. I didn't get an early start, but it wouldn't be needed for this short hike. Luckily, I had access to Amber's nimble Subaru Forester while she was away, and I took it up the winding road through Grant Ranch to the Smith Creek Fire Station Trailhead. It was nearly 10AM when I set out, down a bucolic country road that soon became a trail, going alongside the well flowing Smith Creek, which was lush with greenery. In less than 20 minutes, I was at the end of the "trail," and a gate that said "area closed." So, not trespassing, just closed, right? So I continued, because this was my path forward of course. There were wildflowers all around. I continued past the gate on and old fire / ranch road, which basically led all the way to the top of the mountain, only sometimes disappearing beneath a thick carpet of grass, wet grass which also did the job of soaking my boots all the way through.

It was beautiful day, partly cloudy, and I kept steadily ascending on the green road. Views of Santa Clara Valley and the Mount Hamilton massif came into sight. Things began to get a little more ominous about an hour in, as I spotted a ripped off deer leg, and I entered the area that had been burned in the Lightning Complex Fire. The burn included the top of the mountain, which looked formerly brushy, so perhaps this was a benefit to my travels. I topped out at 11:30AM, and sat on a rock to enjoy a snack and the view, Mount Hamilton especially, but also the vast lonely hills to the east. I followed mostly the same path back down, which went quickly on the sloping road, the only aberration being to hit the bonus Peak  3312' ("Mount Isabelita"). The return was otherwise uneventful, no more animal parts, and I was back at the car by 1:15PM for a three hour and twenty minute out and back journey. I highly recommend this hike, if you want to do a mountain trail in San Jose, because there's no trail up Mount Hamilton, and this is the next best thing.

FURTHER READING
• Mount Isabel on SUMMITPOST and PEAKBAGGER
• Point 3312' ("Mount Isabelita") on PEAKBAGGER
• Bob Burd goes to Mount Isabel

The Seven Gates Of Diablo

I wrote most of this, but never finished it, during the pandemic shutdown of 2020. It took me a long time to find the "Seventh Gate" to Diablo (through Lime Ridge), and even longer to write the Lime Ridge trip report that was the final piece of the puzzle. By the time I actually finished the "Seven Gates" article, Mount Diablo State Park had long ago re-opened to cars, and my information was basically useless. But here's the entire guide as it was originally meant to appear. And it's still fun to walk into MDSP from any of these access points! -HMM 5/21/2022

Mount Diablo State Park remains closed to vehicular access, but that doesn't mean you can't get in... you'll just have to walk a little bit. During the Covid-19 lockdown, I've spent a good amount of time exploring the ways to enter Mount Diablo State Park on foot. Just in time for it to get REALLY HOT out there, here is a list of the points I have used to gain access. Once inside the park, you have the ideal situation for social distancing, because barely anyone is there! I would almost say these "seven gates" lead to seven different worlds, because Mount Diablo has so many mirco-climates and micro-regions! Try a few different ones! There are other ways to enter Mount Diablo on foot, but many are within the private gated communities which surround the park on most of the West and South sides. These are the seven entrances that I have personally used.

1. SHARKEY ROAD: NORTHEAST SIDE ACCESS
On New Years Day, before the dreaded plague of Covid-19 was known, I used this entrance because it was closest way to get to Mount Olympia, a sub peak on the north side of the park. There is a small turnout on the south side of Marsh Creek Road, with with room for a few cars. It is about 2.3 miles from the intersection with Clayton Road if you're heading east, and before the Three Springs Staging Area. From this turnout you go through a gate and enter the park on Sharkey Road. From here you can reach many destinations on the north side of the park, or go all the way up to the top if you're feeling so inclined. I reached Mount Olympia that day, and continued on to the North and South summits later, which you can read about in the trip report HERE.

•SHARKEY ROAD LOCATION

2. REGENCY DRIVE OR RIALTO GATE: NORTH SIDE ACCESS
The Regency and Rialto Gates to Mount Diablo have been known since antiquity to cheapskates who want to avoid paying the entrance fee at the Mitchell Canyon entrance. The residents of the neighborhood, naturally got fed up with this, so beware, there is a two hour parking restriction for non residents on weekends. If you park here, respect the neighbors, don't litter, don't be an asshole.  From this entrance, you have easy access to such locations on the north side as Donner Creek, Wild Oat Canyon and Eagle Peak. After the pandemic had begun, I used the Rialto Drive gate as entry point to go see the waterfalls of Wild Oat Canyon, which you can read about HERE.
•REGENCY GATE LOCATION
•RIALTO GATE LOCATION 

  

3. BLACKHAWK SOCCER FIELD: SOUTH SIDE ACCESS
This one was one of the most inventive and challenging approaches to the park. For those looking for a bit of effort and adventure. You begin at the Blackhawk Soccer Field, on Blackhawk Road. It has a parking lot, but it's gated and closed (due to Covid-19 or always, I don't know). The roads along these exclusive country club communities in that area are uniformly "NO PARKING ANY TIME," and you can't park in the neighborhoods, because they're gated and private. So what to do? Park at Blackhawk Plaza shopping center, and from there, walk or bike (or take an Uber! Whatever!) two miles gently uphill to the soccer field. From there, an old ranch track called Black Sage Road winds it's way up the hill behind the field. This takes you north to the Mount Diablo State Park boundary, goes over a hill, and dumps you at a dirt cul-de-sac at the base of Fossil Ridge. From there, you must scramble up a very brushy hillside which has kind of a trail in it, if you can find it. In a few minutes, you burst from the shrubbery onto South Gate Road, right by the South Gate Main Entrance to the park. From here, you are free to explore one of the most interesting areas of Mount Diablo. Read how I used this entrance to reach Rock City HERE.
•SOCCER FIELD LOCATION
•BLACKHAWK PLAZA LOCATION

4. HOWE HOMESTEAD: ACCESS FROM WALNUT CREEK
This is by far the most preposterous of all my methods of walking into mount Diablo, with about a 4.5 mile walk from Howe Homestead Park in Walnut Creek to the Mount Diablo State Park boundary. It's a quality walk, let me assure you. You are entirely in parkland the whole way, and pass through four other parks before Diablo. The reason that Howe Homestead Park was even on my radar as an approach to Mount Diablo is because it is 1.5 miles from Walnut Creek BART station. I was formulating a carless hike in which I would take BART to Walnut Creek, bike to Howe Homestead, and walk into Diablo from there. You could still use BART for this hike if you want. But there is a free parking lot at Howe which is open from sunrise to sunset. Read about how I used this trailhead to do an epic hike that took me almost 18 miles through the parklands HERE.
•HOWE HOMESTEAD PARK  LOCATION
 

5. GREEN VALLEY TRAIL: SOUTHWEST ACCESS
During normal times, access to Rock City via Wall Point Road, on Mount Diablo State Park's southwestern edge is easily achieved through the Macedo Ranch Staging Area. But because all vehicular access to Mount Diablo is closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, this is not an option. An alternative? Enter through the Green Valley Trail, an inconceivable right of way that was somehow carved out of the exclusive residential neighborhoods that surround it. As far as I can tell, outsiders are not permitted to park in the upscale enclave near the trailhead. The closest unregulated parking that I could find is on Stone Valley Road, by Monte Vista High School. You then have about a half mile to the trailhead, which you can walk or bike (or take a Lyft! Whatever!). Check out this report about a loop I made from Green Valley, up to Rock City, and back out of the park via Wall Point Road and Emmons Canyon HERE.
•TRAILHEAD LOCATION
•PARKING LOCATION

6. FINLEY ROAD: SOUTHEAST ACCESS

Finley Road, at the north end of Tassajara, can be used as a back door to Mount Diablo State Park or Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. Finley Road ends at a gate, at a private property line, so you have to park about a half mile down the road on a dirt shoulder and walk back to it. Once beyond the gate you can continue on "Old" Finley Road towards Morgan Territory, or hang a left on the Oyster Point Trail, which will lead you into the Black Hills region of Mount Diablo SP. While far from the summit, this secluded corner of the park has charms of it's own: myriad rock outcroppings, oak shaded ravines, and even an inexplicable pine forest! Read the report HERE.  
•TRAILHEAD LOCATION

 

7. LIME RIDGE: NORTHWEST ACCESS

Lime Ridge Regional Open Space occupies the northwestern corner of Walnut Creek, at the border with Concord. While Lime Ridge is open to the public, of course, the continuation of the journey through to Mount Diablo SP is not, which makes this hike the most questionable of the "Seven Gates Of Diablo." I saw on my Mount Diablo map that dirt roads connected the short distance that separates Lime Ridge Open Space and Mount Diablo State Park. I was not confronted by any human beings getting across the interstitial private land, just tons of cows! Once I made it into MDSP, I used official trails to gain the summit of Black Point. Read the trip report HERE.

•TRAILHEAD LOCATION

Pleasanton Ridge

DATE: Saturday, May 23, 2020
DISTANCE: 16.35km /  10.16 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 579m / 1898 ft.
TIME TAKEN: 4:18
SUMMIT: Pleasanton Ridge High Point: 1,629 ft.
PLEASANTON RIDGE REGIONAL PARK
ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Ramones: Pleasant Dreams


PHOTO ALBUM
MAP

A few days prior to this, I had considered my 16 mile outing in the hinterlands of Mount Diablo to be my last hike of the season in the East Bay Hills, which were increasingly getting warmer and drier. It was time to focus some attention on the Sierra Nevada now!  But out of the blue, an old friend hit me up to go on a hike in Sunol Regional Wilderness. In spite of the fact that it was a pretty hot day, we weren’t getting an early start, and  it was also a Saturday (I usually avoid going out on the weekends at any cost, since I can pretty much hike any day I choose, unemployment has it’s benefits!), I readily agreed to meet up with Bryce so I could catch up with the old buddy and talk music, life, etc.

I tried to meet Bryce at the Sunol parking lot, at the appointed time, but even before I got there, I knew this would be a no go. Even Welsh Creek Road, on the approach, was jammed with cars, trying to turn around and get out, not one parking space in sight. When I got to the gate of Sunol, there was a prominent sign reading “Parking Lot Full,” and I believed it. Just then, I saw Bryce driving out, and he kind of shrugged. We pulled over at a turnout together, back down the road, to consult,  and I suggested Pleasanton Ridge instead. I had never been there before, but it was on my local hit list. This turned out to be a good choice, as we pulled into the Foothill Staging Area, we saw the parking lot was not even half full. Not bad for a beautiful Saturday in late May.

We took off uphill, on a meandering course that began with the Woodland Trail. No particular goal in mind, but I was angling to get to the high point of the ridge if possible. It was typical California rolling hill country, turning from green to brown at this time of year, cowshit country, the beasts were about. But there was a nice breeze and some especially majestic oaks. It wasn’t long before a view opened up to south to Maguire Peaks and Mission Peak. We turned north, and cruised the ridgetop. To our left, the higher, but privately owned,  Sunol Ridge beckoned for some future trespassing. Most of the park seems to be double trails, a ranch/fire road and a complimentary single track trail (or trails) that go alongside it, or weave around near it. We used both of these options alternately as they suited us.

Continuing north on the Thermalito Trail eventually joined us up with the Ridgeline Trail, on which also continued north, through the area which temporarily becomes Augustine Bernal City Of Pleasanton Park. Once through the enclave, you are back in PRRP. Much to my delight, the high point of the the Pleasanton Ridge formation was found, almost by accident. But then verified by smartphone of course. There was a bench, a water tank, and a ton of ducks for some reason. Also, what are these strange little monuments? We took a different was back to the parking lot, creating a sort of grand loop out of the  Ridgeline, Meadow and Sycamore Grove trails. A nice afternoon outside. And bear in mind, friends out there, if you ask me to go for a hike with you, I probably won’t say no. Unless I am already on a hike.

FURTHER READING
BA Hiker: Some general info in PRRP
Redwood Hikes: Big pictures and a little info
Bob Burd: Bob visit the Pleasanton Ridge highpoint

Windy Point

DATE: Wednesday, May 20, 2020
DISTANCE: 26.54 km / 16.49 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 910m / 2986 ft.
TIME TAKEN: 7:15
MORGAN TERRITORY REGIONAL PRESERVE
MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Scorpions: Wind Of Change

SUMMITS:
•Windy Point: 644m / 2112 ft.
•Black Hawk Ridge: 622m / 2040 ft.
•Oyster Point: 642m / 2106 ft.

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP

"SEVEN GATES OF DIABLO" #6

Finley road, at the north end of Tassajara, outside of Livermore, can be used as a back door to Mount Diablo State Park or Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. Finley Road ends at a gate, at a private property line, with no parking right at it. So you have to park about a half mile down the road on a dirt shoulder and walk back to gain entry. Once beyond the gate you can continue on "Old" Finley Road towards Morgan Territory, or hang a left on the Oyster Point Trail, which will lead you into the Black Hills region of Mount Diablo SP. While far from the Diablo summit, this secluded corner of the park has charms of it's own: myriad rock outcroppings, oak shaded ravines, and even an inexplicable forest of Knob-cone Pine!

I figured this would be the last Mount Diablo hike of the season, until the cooling rains of winter arrived. It was about to get 'ot! Bloody 'ot! And while I don't mind hiking in the heat (a good way to sweat out the toxins!), getting up really early to avoid the worst sun of the day can be fun, I have personal transportation and fat government checks rolling in to subsidize my whimsical outdoor lifestyle, so for me, the coming heat of the Bay Area inland valleys signaled a time to focus my attention on the Sierras, and other cooler, breezier places. But before we go up there, let's have the last Diablo hike of spring 2020! This was a continuation of my Mount Diablo State Park exploration which had been ongoing during the Covid-19 pandemic. I was looking for all the ways to walk into the park from the outside, the entrances were all closed to motor vehicles. This was entry point number six.  Finley Road entrance doesn't start you off in MDSP, or even the adjacent Morgan Territory, but it gives you access to both, an isolated backdoor. In fact, it's one of the most obscure of all entrances to Mount Diablo, being over five miles as the crow flies from the summit.

My hike began about 10AM, walking up the pastoral country road from the turnout down Finley. It was less than ten minutes to walk to the gate, ten more minutes on the road through private estates, and I was at the boundary of Morgan Territory. Two notable features after this were a washed out section of road, and a dilapidated old house. I can just read the real estate listing now! Scenic location! Filled with air and light! Bring your contractor and make your dream a reality! Turned left on Oyster Point Trail, which brought me to the MDSP boundary in six more minutes. Oyster Point Trail follows along a forested hillside of the ridge that contains Oyster Point, it felt a little bit wild, rustic, no people around at all. As I gained some elevation, I could see out at Marsh Benchmark to the east (previous hike), and north to the extensive rock formations that characterize this remote corner of the park. As always, I took note of El Diablo's first appearance. By 11:32 AM, Oyster Point Trail dumped me out of the woods, and into an open meadow, where an easy to miss signpost was not missed, and it directed me up to the summit of Oyster Point. The trail is faint and lightly used, but I was able to find my way up to what I determined was the actual high point, and also the placemark stick by 11:48AM. Back down, back along the trail. I was headed for Black Hawk Ridge now.

Oyster Point Trail continued west from the meadow, down and up and down through two creekbeds and through another semi-wild, woodsy area, where I encountered a lone mountain biker. I was dismayed to see some unsightly high tension power lines cutting directly through one of the most elegant rocky sections. Like an almost national park level of geological splendor, and THIS is how they choose to embellish it? "Where should we put these fucking power lines? How about right here, directly through these rocks? OK! Looks good to me!" I consoled myself thinking that someday, the power lines would be gone, and the rocks would still be there for millions more years. After this, I reached a five way intersection crossroads, and turned south. Up to the Blackhawk Ridge, which is rather open, and gave me a good view back to Oyster Point. Following the top of the ridge, I found the exact high point of Blackhawk, which is a small rock monolith. Continuing along the ridgetop,  I caught a gimpse of my future destination, Windy Point. I chose to walk down the trail to the far west end of Blackhawk Ridge, and then loop back on a lower trail, so I could see a bit more of the park. The lower trail brought me east, back to the five way intersection. I now turned north, and soon split off of the fire / service road (that leads to access the power lines), on a single track trail that leads into an area colloquially known as "José's World." This is the heart of the rock formations of the Black Hills area. I sat down upon one of them, and finally ate lunch. Then half-heartedly looked for a path through the brush and boulders that would bring me to the area high point known as "Knob Point." But I soon decided to save it for another day. I still had a long path ahead of me.

José's World Trail cut through from one fire road to another, and I popped out on the next east/west trajectory, first turning west (left) to have a look at Balancing Rock. It was now 2PM. Then I went back east on the fire road, past José's World, continuing to a private property gate. I took the ranch/fire road through the mostly open fields to the base of Windy Point. It was only just before I reach W.P. that I officially re-entered MDSP again. Windy Point was reached by cutting uphill from the road, through the grass, to yet another oak and rock crowned East Bay hilltop. But it wasn't just any East Bay Hill. Rush fans take note, the summit of the hill has an elevation of 2112'! Maybe now you know the real reason I wanted to climb it! Windy Point lorded over the area, and gave me another view out to Marsh Benchmark, and beyond.  It was now 3:09PM, and I had completed my agenda of features to visit for the day, so it was down, down, down the ranch roads, down the Tasajara Creek watershed. I took a break at a cow pond, which, unusually, had a name: Bob's Pond. Tassajara Creek Trail was a nice woodsy path that was in the oaken shade of the canyon. By 4:50PM, I had rejoined Finley Road, and was headed back through that corner of Morgan Territory, back past the abandoned homestead, back through the gate, back to the van. It had ended up being a long day, about 7.5 hours going 16.5 miles. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and bought ingredients for the lasagna.

FURTHER READING
•Hiking Project: Some info on Oyster Point Trail
•Bob Burd: Bob handles Windy Point and Blackhawk Ridge in an efficient manner

Wall Point

DATE: Thursday, May 14, 2020
DISTANCE: 13.98km / 8.69 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 532m / 1746 feet
TIME TAKEN: 7:01 hours
SUMMIT: Wall Point 488+ m / 1600+ ft
MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY CA

SOUNDTRACK: Black Sabbath: Behind The Wall Of Sleep

 

PHOTO ALBUM 

MAP

 

"THE SEVEN GATES OF DIABLO" #5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Diablo State Park is still closed to vehicle access, so here is another one for my "Seven Gates Of Diablo" project. Trying out many different ways to park outside somwhere and walk in. My research led me to this hike, another good option for approaching the Rock City area.

Unusually, Amber came to visit me in Oakland, instead of me going to San Jose to visit her, so I took her on a hike in my neck of the woods. Mount Diablo! Am I getting sick of it yet? No! Honestly going to different parts of Mount Diablo is going to different landscapes, different microclimates, almost like going to different worlds. With the Macedo Rancho Staging Area parking lot closed, I would have to implement one of my park and hike and bike schemes to gain this entrance to the park. We drove out to the affluent suburb of Alamo, and first, scouted out the Green Valley Trailhead by car, which is in a semi "private" residential enclave, parking along the roadside limited and restricted, and I don't know how  seriously they take that. Not wanting to risk a ticket or tow, I proceeded with the original park and bike and hike plan. I dropped Amber off at the trailhead, and drove back to park on Stone Valley Road by Monte Vista High School, the closest unregulated parking that I had found in my research. I pulled my bicycle from the cargo hold, sped down the road, and was back at the trailhead in about five minutes. I locked the bike to something, and we proceeded east along the Green Valley Trail, an improbably slice of public access through a very private area. I wondered aloud how it even came to exist.

The trail wasted no time in crossing two excellent footbridges, which I duly documented. Past the final suburban cul-de-sac, we burst out into the fields and oak meadows, the green grass of spring beginning to crisp golden by this time of year. The trail was never far from the colony of luxury homes at the edge of Alamo, and it brought us within sight of one of the most preposterous Xanadu mansion I have ever seen. I actually recalled reading about this notorious house the news. After this, there was another strange moment when the trail went right through the garden of another wealthy estate. They could have easily made the trail go around it, but they for some reason directed through the garden, with two gates, and improbably tolerate hikers crossing the property. It wasn't too long after this that we Mount Diablo State Park boundary, and turned up the Summit Trail, up Dan Cook Canyon. Here, the luxury estates were finally left behind, replaced by increasingly large rock outcrops. The Summit Trail (a fire road, actually) was a steadily incline that eventually fed us right into Live Oak Campground, where we admired some of the campsites. Then I gave Amber a tour of Rock City, which was still fairly fresh in my mind from last time. We walked around through the various rock features, which as a fan of Pinnacles National Park, I though she would enjoy. (Mini-ccles?)

It was pretty quiet out there, people-wise, but not abandoned, and we claimed out own rock to have a little picnic on top of. The rain teased a bit, but did not follow through. After lunch, we went up to Sentinel Rock, which was her favorite. We didn't have all day, so then we headed out, down Wall Point Road, which was new to me, and provided a different view of Sentinel Rock. Wall Point is a fire road that slopes gently downhill, and carried us west, back to the edge of the park. I made sure to stop off and tag the summit feature, yet another oak and rock studded East Bay hilltop, Wall Point. The rocky outcrop features typical of the area continued as we descended, giving us something to look at. We took a left turn at Emmons Canyon Road, which led south to the Mount Diablo State Park boundary, back into the "private" neighborhoods. The rest was just a street walk, through a neighborhood, back to Green Valley Trail, bike back to the van, van back to the trailhead, pick up Amber, van back to Oakland, Amber back to San Jose, and a good day to you all.

FURTHER READING
•Alltrails: This is almost exactly what we did
•Redwood Hikes: Another account of basically the same loop. Great big photos. 

Yerba Benchmark / Grant Ranch

DATE: Tuesday, May 12, 2020
DISTANCE: 12.95km / 8.05 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 429m / 1409 ft.
TIME: 3:35
JOSEPH D. GRANT COUNTY PARK
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA
SUMMIT: Yerba Benchmark: 749m / 2457 ft.
SOUNDTRACK: Sleep: Some Grass

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP










 

 

 

 

This was the second time I'd been to Grant Ranch Park, the first time being only to drive through it on the way to Mount Hamilton a few months earlier. Joseph D. Grant County Park, as it's officially known, is the largest of the Santa Clara County Parks, situated between East San Jose and Mount Hamilton. I had been going on quite the tour of San Jose Parks this spring, so it was inevitable that I would end up here at some point. Specifically, to reach one of the high hills.

Amber and I arrived on a cool, mostly cloudy morning, and parked at an old barn near the beginning of the San Felipe trail. Now, they call these trails, but what they really are is old ranch roads. I steered us south, secretly hoping to mount the provocatively name Panochita Hill. On the way, we passed the decrepit Snell Barn, had views of the higher mountains to the east, and plenty of rolling oak meadows, still green at this time of year. The sight of Snell Campground jogged Amber's memory of an epic night of camping many years ago. Eagle Trail to Brush Trail. The sun never fully emerged, but nor did it ever rain. At the southern border of the park, the Dutch Flat Trail took a sharp turn to the west, and I did not see a clear path (or any path at all) up to Panochita Hill, so I silently abandoned that project. Now came the best part of the hike, as we climbed up to the ridge that forms the west side of the park. Over the crest of the hill, the Valley came into view, sprawling out beyond. The high point of the ridge "Yerba Benchmark," was found along the way, as we moved north along the ridgetop. Though I didn't find the USGS benchmark plaque, there was a sitting bench, and I had climbed at least one hill for the day's outing. At this point, we had almost returned to our starting point, and we closed the loop, descending east now onto Dutch Flat Trail, leaving the ridge, and arriving back at the car in short order.

FURTHER READING
•Bob Burd: Bob visits YB and many others
•Alltrails: Here is a loop very similar to the one we did

Morgan Territory

Morgan Territory
DATE: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
DISTANCE: 15.46 km / 9.61 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 510m / 1672 ft.
TIME: 3:44
MORGAN TERRITORY REGIONAL PRESERVE
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Sepultura: Territory

SUMMITS:
Bob Walker Ridge: 603m / 1977 ft.
Marsh Benchmark 787m / 2581 ft.

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP 1
MAP 2









Morgan Territory Regional Presereve is an East Bay open space, not quite attached to the south-east corner of Mount Diablo State Park, named for the wayward Alabama colonizer and grizzly bear killer named Jeremiah Morgan. The park was first established in 1976, and encompasses 5,000 acres of rolling hills.

I was back in Oakland. It was day 39 of of Covid-19 lockdown, by my personal count. I wanted to hike, and got up early for that reason, but I could not leave the house. There are strange psychological factors at play in a pandemic. I procrastinated, fiddled around, probably did the dishes or something, and eventually dragged myself out and headed to Morgan Territory for my late start. Not too many cars in the parking lot of the main staging area. I got out an immediately headed north-east on the Volvon Trail. Most of the people I saw that day were near the beginning, and I lost them soon after. It was partly cloudy, breezy, and I was clipping along at a fine hiking pace, once I finally got out there, through the oak studded hills. I wish I'd had a reason to go down Whipsnake Trail, the next intersection, because that's a good name for a trail, but I was headed for Bob Walker Ridge, the only named high point in the whole park, so I turned north on the Blue Oak Trail. Here, I gained a little elevation, and was able to see out east into the central valley. Blue Oak was a winding old farm road, progressing through scattered groves and undulating green hillocks, and it was only a matter of time until El Diablo reared it's massive head above the next ridge. I must say, it was quite pleasantly verdant out there, the grass was tall, and I took note of how it was stirred in the breeze.



When I got to the Volvon Loop Trail, I veered to right, so I could go along the east side of Bob Walker Ridge. I didn't stay on the trail  too long before I cut off into the grass to get to the high point of the ridge. There was actually a faint trail leading up to the top, where like so many other East Bay hill summits, an oak thicket and some small rock outrcroppings were present. After this, I went back down (east) to rejoin the Volvon Loop Trail. I went around the north end of Bob Walker Ridge on the trail, and then curved back around the other side, south. Lots of cows on this side. Oh did I mention this is a big cow farm park? When I got down to the big intersection of Volvon Loop, Eagle Trail and Stone Corral Trail, I ran into a group of athletic looking young people, not a mask in sight. I was hoping to keep my distance, and breeze right pass them without a word, but they stopped me to ask a question, something like: "We saw you start at the same time as us, from the parking lot, how long do you think to complete the Volvon Loop?" I replied, maybe two more miles, and they balked. I was surprised, athletic young people should be kicking my ass on this shit1 Look at them, getting out-hiked by a beer swilling, drug taking anarchist! One I was away from the kids, I finally sat down on a boulder and took a break, checking my ankles for ticks. Then it was down the Coyote Trail, out of the meadows and into the trees, following the creek.



The Coyote Trail was a good change from the previous landscape, and a fun walk, shaded under a consistent oak foliage now, and climbing up and down the little rocky steps on the hillside along the mostly dry ravine bed. There was only one problem, and this wa something I'd never seen before, until the pandemic struck, maybe I was just lucky in the past, or maybe this is a new thing, but: people sitting down, taking a break RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRAIL! A SINGLE TRACK WITH ROCKS AND TREES ON BOTH SIDES AND NO ROOM TO GO AROUND THEM! WHAT THE FUCK?! And they act surprised when someone needs to get past?!?!  Anyway... I didn't let it ruin my day. I moved on from it ya know? Like ya should, and soon I was back at the parking lot, having completed my loop, and I was faced with a choice: go home now, or add to the hike some more? I had plenty of day left at this point, so I kept going across Morgan Territory Road and up the Clyma Trail now... on my way to Marsh Benchmark. I took Clyma Trail, an old ranch road, seemingly, to the logical conclusion of it's usefulness to me, and bend in the road at it's southwest extremity that was closest to Marsh BM. From there, faint trails in the grass came and went. I followed as best I could, without crossing the fence into private property. Someone's ranch house was eminently visible at the park boundary. If they had been looking off their back porch, they would have seen me. Anyway, I continued up, the way that I found, and soon intersected the service road that leads up to the top. Marsh Benchmark: This is the radio tower crowned hill that lords over the Livermore Valley area on the north side. I had noted this mountain before, driving through the area on interstate 580, and it was satisfying to now be on top.




I was glad I had made the effort to extend the day's hike, now I felt like i had accomplished something, as well as satisfying my mountain hunger. Unlike Bob Walker Ridge, Marsh was a substantial peak with 360 degree views. There was an especially good angle on Mount Diablo and Oyster Point. East, into the Central Valley. South, down to Loma Prieta even. I found the actual benchmark, too. I sat down on the concrete foot of a radio tower and had a snack. From the top of the hill, I saw a much better trail going down the north side, much better than the way I had come up, so If you're keen to go up Marsh Benchmark, look at my map, and go up the north-west way. the way I came down. That is, if you care about being on a trail. Back then, I had an irrational fear of getting ticks, so I was always looking for a way to not go through the tall grass. I wrapped things up at the summit, headed down, and took some pictures of the awesome clouds, and a sturdy footbridge, I got back to the van in the parking lot, and as I drove home to Oakland, contemplated how 2020 would be a lost year for rock and roll.



ON PEAK NAMES
Bob Walker Ridge: Named for nature photographer, environmental activist, San Francisco Sierra Club president, and one of the founders of Sierra Club's Gay and Lesbian Activities Section (GLS), the first such group. Bob's photography brought much attention to the Morgan Territory and East Bay Hills area, and his activism ensured that they would be preserved as parkland. Of all the hills and mountains in California named after dead white guys, I find this to be one of the most unobjectionable!
Marsh Benchmark: If if didn't have the USGS benchmark on top, what would this place be called? Just Marsh? Marsh Mountain? Why does "benchmark" become part of the name, when it has a benchmark on it?

FURTHER READING
•Bay Area Hiker: The usual good descriptions and big photographs
•The Outbound: This describes a similar loop to what I did
•Redwood Hikes: Big photos and hiking recommendations
•Bob Burd: Bob pays a visit to Marsh Benchmark on the way to Oyster Point

China Wall

DATE: Monday, April 20, 2020
DISTANCE: 28.92km / 17.97 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 1,045m / 3430 ft.
TIME TAKEN: 7:52
HOWE HOMESTEAD PARK
SHELL RIDGE OPEN SPACE
DIABLO FOOTHILLS REGIONAL PARK
CASTLE ROCK RECREATIONAL AREA
MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Ramones: Chinese Rock

SUMMITS:
•Quarry Hill: 152m / 500'
•Fossil Hill: 128m / 420’
•Shell Ridge: 270m / 885’
•“Stonegate Hill” 238m+ / 780’+
•China Wall High Point 325m / 1066’
PHOTO ALBUM
MAP

"THE SEVEN GATES OF DIABLO" #4

4:20. The high holiday of the stoner realm. I, as usual, would not smoke any pot this day. Oh, to be contrarian. I guess I felt kind of bad for all those poor stoners who would have to smoke all alone today, quarantined, instead of in a merry circle, together outdoors in the park, like they usually do. My only contribution to the cannabis culture continuum was to accidentally walk up a hill that was 420 feet above sea level. I didn't accidentally walk up it, but is was accidentally 420 feet.

I began my rambling journey, which would cover almost eighteen miles and eight hours, shortly after 7AM. I had just hit the Danville Smart & Final, and had the back of the van loaded with toilet paper, paper towels and a giant jar of pickles, which in Coronavirus times, felt like winning the  lottery. Pandemic capitalism produces some strange winners, doesn’t it? Oh, to spend my meager cash, whenever I want, on whatever I want, and call it FREEDOM! 

Howe Homestead Park

As I set out on the trail, I actually wasn’t feeling that great, (little sleep, slight hangover) as I had gotten quite drunk “with” my girlfriend on FaceTime last night. I groggily set out from the parking lot of Howe Homestead Park in Walnut Creek, the westernmost extremity of the the blob of conjoined parkland that stretches east, seventeen miles to Mount Diablo, Morgan Territory and eventually Round Valley. If they could somehow connect this superpark to Black Diamond Mines Regional Presrve, through additional property acquisition, it would really be something! Bigger than some European countries! I’d had my eyes on Howe Homestead Park for awhile already, as a potential starting point for a carless hike. It is merely a 1.5 mile walk or bike from Walnut Creek BART station, and then you’re at the doorstep of a whole world of regional parks and preserves. BART was not on the table during this time, but luckily, I have a vehicle, and Howe Homestead has a free parking lot, open from sunrise to sunset every day. 

Anyway, I was off, into the first of five different park jurisdictions I would pass through that day. I intended to explore the area, which I'd never visited before, and go up some of the various hills and rock features, and ultimately make it out to Castle Rock, a massive and mysterious protrusion at the western edge of Mount Diablo State Park. The Kovar Trail led up and out of what looked like a community garden, up into the oak studded grassy hills that would define the landscape for most of the day's rambling. It was cloudy and cool, perfect hiking weather, and it wasn't much climbing before I could see out above the suburban homes for views of Shell Ridge and Mount Diablo.  

Shell Ridge high point (center right)

The first elevation destination was Fossil Hill, which doesn't really have a trail up to it, but still an easy walkup. Crowned with small rock outcroppings and some bushes, it provided a vantage point of the immediate area, mostly other low hills. Back down into the valley, there were lots of flowers out, especially these yellow ones. Luckily I'm not allergic to them, because they're everywhere! I followed the Indian Creek Trail through most of the long valley between Shell Ridge and Joaquin Ridge, and it's a nice backstreet alternative to the Briones-Diablo Regional Trail, which is like the hiking freeway through the region. I moved east and then north to check out a feature called Haystack Hill, but the perimeter of it was surrounded by an "electric" fence! It didn't look electrified at all, it looked like it was made out of string. I grew up in the country, and I know what electric fences look like! But maybe they've found a way to make them out of string now. I didn't try my luck invading the boundary of Haystack Hill, and immediately progressed south to the Ridge Top Trail, and took it up to the high point of Shell Ridge, the dominant feature of that area. The summit was mostly grassy, and slightly rocky, with an empty Gatorade bottle thrown in for good measure. The high point of Shell Ridge is at the southeast end of it. The entire Ridgeline can be traversed via the Ridge Top Trail, I should do that sometime.

China Wall formation

I veered south from that point, through an area of stagnant cattle ponds, and walked around a lightly forested protrusion called Old Man's Hill. I didn't see anything close to a trail going up it on from any side, and in my tired, hungover, paranoid state at the time, I thought the tall grass would be full of ticks, so I didn't go up. But while in the area, I saw a really cool looking pointy hill, which turned out to be accessible from the Stonegate Trail. For the purposes of my writing, I shall call it "Stonegate Hill."  (Or "Stoned-Gate", for 4:20?) At the top of this pointy hill, I took my first snack and water break of the day, and diligently checked my socks and lower legs for vampire spiders. From here, I continued southeast, through more open oak meadows, through Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area (which Castle Rock is not even in) to the border of Mount Diablo State Park. At the fence here, I took a hard right and went up along it to the high point of the China Wall area. On the way up, I passed by some fascinating geological features, and a herd of cows that ran away when I got close (Don't worry cows! I don't like beef!) The hilltop was nice, and it turned out to be my major summit achievement of the day, but the real feature of China Wall, from which it gets it name, is just to the east, where a spine of bizarre rock formations undulates linearly up and down the hillsides and through the valley.

Over the wall, my journey now took me on an inefficient S-curve, from Briones-Diablo Road, to the Little Yosemite Trail. One last nasty aside here, this Little Yosemite is the second place in the Bay Area that I've been to that looks NOTHING like Yosemite. Not even a little. So maybe be a bit more careful before you throw that name around? Lil' Yos' took me to Stage Road and a picnic area, where I turned east, along the healthy flowing, and lushly vegetated Pine Creek. An uphill move on the Sunset Trail led up a steep gulch, past some torturous rock formations, signs of things to come at Castle Rock! Excitement was building. But when I topped out at Falcon Road, I was smacked in the face with a sign saying that Castle Rock is closed from February through July each year for the Peregrine Falcon nesting sites! Strangely  enough, this was not the first time I had been denied access to a place called Castle Rock due to Peregrine Falcon nesting! So what we learned today is that Peregrine Falcons LOVE castle rocks.

With no reasonable way to proceed, unable to form a loop through Castle Rock as I intended, I was forced to retrace my steps back down the Sunset Trail to Stage Road, where I had a sad snack lunch in the picnic area. I saw that I had approached Castle Rock in the EXACTLY WRONG way so as to miss ALL the signs saying it was closed.  At this point, I had already walked thirteen miles from the van, and was hoping I could take a more direct way back! Boosted by a caffeine and sugar laden tea drink, I then hightailed up the Buckeye Ravine Trail, stopping only for a glance back at my failed objective, the majestic Castle Rock formation. After this, I mostly stuck to the Briones-Diablo Freeway, which got me back to the van in just under five miles, much more direct than the circuitous ramblings of the morning. I didn't make it to my main objective for the day, but I saw some other cool stuff, and explored a vast swath of territory I'd never seen before. Not making it to Castle Rock just gives me a reason to return, and it's great to have a reason to come back here.

ON PEAK NAMES

"Stonegate Hill" I picked this nickname for it because it doesn't have a name on the map, and it's by the Stonegate Trail. To me, it's a hill worthy of a name

China Wall Is this racist by today's standards? Is China Hill cancelled?

FURTHER READING
•East Bay Trails: Information, photos and video of Shell Ridge
•SF Gate: Shell Ridge
•BA Hiker: China Wall and Diablo Foothills Regional Park
•East Bay Hill People: China Wall