Mount Diablo State Park
Contra Costa County · near Danville / Walnut Creek · SF Bay Area
Camping · Rock Climbing · Gravel & Bikepacking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Elevation
- 3000
- Campsites
- ~60 sites
- Season
- Year-round
- Fee
- ~$30/night
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Grade range
- 5.4 to 5.12 · Trad, sport, and top-rope on sandstone
- Best season
- Fall through spring · Summer is very hot inland · Don't climb the sandstone when wet
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best season
- Fall–spring (brutally hot in summer)
Permits and booking
- Reservation required
- Yes
- How to reserve
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia (6 months ahead). Camp on the flanks of the Bay Area's iconic peak, with famous summit views (said to be among the largest viewsheds on Earth). Showers vary; no big RVs (steep road). Hot in summer.
- Permit
- State park day-use fee. No climbing permit. Respect the fragile sandstone (wait at least a few days after rain) and any seasonal raptor-nesting closures.
What is here
- Setting
- mountain
- Amenities
- Iconic Bay Area peak · Vast summit views · Wildflowers & hiking · Near the East Bay
- Best for
- Bay Area peak camping + huge views
- Features
- Legendary summit viewshed · East Bay's iconic mountain · Spring wildflowers · Miles of trails
- Terrain
- foothills
- Amenities
- Iconic 3,849-ft summit · Enormous panoramic viewshed · Paved & dirt climbing options · State park camping
- Best for
- A big East Bay summit climb with vast views
- Features
- Climb an iconic Bay Area peak · A vast, far-reaching panorama · Paved-and-dirt route options · Sierra-to-ocean panoramas
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Hazards
- Extreme summer heat · Big sustained climbs · Exposed, little shade/water · Rattlesnakes, ticks, poison oak
- Good for a first timer
- No
Camping detail
- Camp type
- developed · walk-in
- Intl tip
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia 6 months ahead. Camp on the East Bay's iconic peak — the summit view is among the largest on Earth (Sierra to Farallones on a clear day). Spring wildflowers; hot in summer (spring/fall best). Steep road (no big RVs). Combine with the East Bay trails. Huge views minutes from the suburbs.
Rock Climbing detail
- Nickname
- The East Bay's Home Crag
- Climb types
- trad · sport · top-rope
- Rock type
- Sandstone
- Route count
- Hundreds of routes across Boy Scout Rocks, the Watchtower, and other formations
- Signature routes
- Boy Scout Rocks · The Watchtower & upper formations
- First timer note
- Mount Diablo is one of the East Bay's classic learn-to-climb-outdoors venues — Boy Scout Rocks in particular is beginner-friendly with easy top-rope setups. The summit drive offers one of the most expansive views in California (allegedly the second-largest viewshed in the world after Kilimanjaro).
- Intl tip
- Mount Diablo's summit drive and visitor center are worth the trip alone — the view reaches from the Farallones to the Sierra on clear winter days. The park's spring wildflowers are spectacular. Combine with East Bay dining in Walnut Creek or Clayton.
Gravel & Bikepacking detail
- Ride types
- day-gravel · adventure
- Surface
- mixed
- Remoteness
- 2
- Riding
- A big solo peak with paved and dirt roads climbing to a 3,849-ft summit with a remarkably far-reaching view — from the Sierra crest to the Farallon Islands on a clear day
- Terrain note
- Sea level to 3,849 ft; mixed paved/dirt; huge exposure; scorching summers
- Camping
- Yes
- Intl tip
- The solitary 3,849-ft peak over the East Bay — a landmark climb famous for a remarkably far-reaching view (Sierra crest to the Farallon Islands on a clear day) — one of the most extensive for a peak of its modest height (the old 'second only to Kilimanjaro' claim is a debunked myth). Classic paved ascent plus dirt and fire-road options for gravel adventure. Demanding: long sustained climb, big exposure, little shade/water, brutal summer heat (fall–spring best). Rattlesnakes, ticks, poison oak. State park camping on the mountain. A big, unforgettable summit.
- Trip lengths
- day
The guide
Mount Diablo is the East Bay's iconic peak, rising 3,849 feet from the valleys and visible from across the Bay Area — and campi…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mount Diablo State Park — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.885, -121.914