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[E3] Mt Diablo

Did this this Memorial Day weekend (May 25, 2003). This is my FIRST significant climb! It is a grinding climb, but when you are at the summit @ 3849 ft high, the experience is nothing but rewarding.

I started from Rock City camping ground. This is the first big camping spot inside park's entrance gates. The road is winding / narrow / steep. Water is available in the occasional camp grounds.

The climb starts straight away and never lets down! I took plenty of rest stops. The junction ranger station is a good place to take a break. This is where North Gate road and South Gate Road meet. From here on, it is just one road towards the summit. The summit is 4.5 miles away from here.

The section above Ranger station gets steeper. But don't forget to stop once in a while to admire the views. Once you reach Devil's Elbow you know you are close.

<> The last 100 feet or so is STEEP climb. There are no shoulders and it si a one way road. So hopefully you don't get any cars behind you!. I had to walk up that last bit, b/c I had no energy left.

Then, you are THERE, at the TOP. A sign board that reads </> Summit
3849 ft
definitly filled me with great sense of achievement.

There is a nice visitor center at the top. Snacks are available too. An ice cream sand wich never tasted better before :-)

The views from the summit are un paralleled. On a clear day you can see as far as eye can see. And for a cyclist, this is an ultimate climbing experience

Down hill is FUN. But the road between summit and ranger station is a little choppy. I was vibrating quite a bit when going downhill. Hope this section of road gets repaired soon.

Make sure your brakes are good, before staring the descent. The road is very winding, so I was squeezing my brakes all the time.

Tips

Fog can cover the top pretty quickly, even on a sunny day. So be prepared for it.
car traffic can be heavy on weekends. But most of them respect bikes (at least in my case). But ride on a week day if you can.

Photos

what lays ahead

me at top

me at top 2 :-)

all photos from the ride

How to Get there : map
Distance : 15 miles
Difficulty : Difficult
Ride Type : paved road with bike lanes (road bikes)

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