Mount Diablo Foothills
Walnut Creek / Clayton (East Bay) · near Walnut Creek / Clayton · SF Bay Area
Paragliding
At a glance
- Skill level
- advanced
- Best season
- Spring–fall thermal season · Mid-day for the strongest thermals
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Paragliding detail
- Flying types
- thermal · xc
- Conditions
- East Bay thermal and XC flying in the foothills near Mount Diablo. Inland thermal conditions provide a contrast to the Bay Area's coastal soaring, with cross-country potential over the East Bay hills.
- Ushpa
- USHPA P3+ recommended for thermal/XC. Inland thermal conditions can be strong mid-day. Confirm current launch access, which varies with land management.
- Intl tip
- Mount Diablo State Park's summit (3,849 ft) has one of the largest visible areas of any peak in the world on a clear day — reportedly from the Sierra Nevada to the Farallon Islands. The drive to the summit is a worthwhile pairing with an East Bay flying day.
The guide
The foothills around Mount Diablo give East Bay pilots inland thermal and cross-country flying close to home — a contrast to th…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mount Diablo Foothills — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.8817, -121.9142