Save Mount Diablo Unveils Long-Desired 1.25-Mile Knobcone Point Trail

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — A 1.25-mile-long section of trail on Mount Diablo that has been closed to public access for nearly 100 years is set to reopen soon.

On March 29, Save Mount Diablo will officially open the Knobcone Point to Riggs Canyon trail connection. This section of trail winds through the upper 560 acres of Mount Diablo’s Curry Canyon Ranch, through one of Mount Diablo’s wildest areas. It travels from Balancing Rock and Knobcone Point, to Cave Point, to Windy Point and Riggs Canyon.

Although the trail was once available to the public ranging all over the mountain before the proliferation of cattle fencing, it’s been nearly 100 years since it was legal, Save Mount Diablo's Executive Director Ted Clement said Thursday in a news release.

The trail will considerably expand the amount of open space available to explore Mount Diablo’s southern hills. It will effectively fully connect Rock City and Mount Diablo to Riggs Canyon, Morgan Territory and Los Vaqueros via publicly accessible trails, Clement said.

Curry Canyon is the final missing major canyon entrance to Mount Diablo. Curry Canyon Ranch has over nine miles of fire roads, most of which will continue to be closed for now, while Save Mount Diablo works with California State Parks to transfer much of the property to the park.

Currently, Mount Diablo State Park visitors must climb in and out of four canyons from Rock City to Riggs Canyon—going forward, they can follow a ridgeline with spectacular views.

Right now, state park staff must leave the state park to reach Riggs Canyon. Opening the ridgeline fire road on Save Mount Diablo’s property will solve this access and management issue.

In preparation for the grand opening, Save Mount Diablo’s staff and volunteers have been installing infrastructure, including access gates and informational signage.

They have also been removing dead material to minimize fire risk in the area. The removal of dead and scorched plants in this area will encourage new growth of native and endemic wildflowers and chaparral plants this spring, Clement said.

This project has been a decade in the making—in the works since Save Mount Diablo acquired the 1,080-acre Curry Canyon Ranch property in 2013.

Curry Canyon Ranch contains what was the largest remaining unprotected canyon on Mount Diablo’s main peaks. It harbors distinctive habitats including knobcone pine forests and a mile of rocky cliffs.

"Thanks to our terrific supporters, staff, partners, and volunteers, like our Trail Dogs, Save Mount Diablo has created and opened a number of public trails the last two years," Clement said. "Last year, we created and opened over four miles of trails at our new Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve. This year, we will finish and open an important 1.25 +/- mile trail on Save Mount Diablo’s Curry Canyon Ranch that will allow the public to hike from Knobcone Point at Mount Diablo State Park, through the upper portions of our spectacular Curry Canyon Ranch, to Riggs Canyon at the state park. All these trails we have built are portals that allow the public to enter nature and be transformed for the better."

Traveling along this newly opened trail, visitors will be immersed in the knobcone pine forests after which the area is named and stunning sandstone rock formations. They may see golden eagles and songbirds fly overhead.

This trail will open up a rarely traveled area; it will give hikers an opportunity to explore and experience the solitude of one of the extraordinary parts of Mount Diablo.

"This trail is the major recreational puzzle piece in the Mount Diablo area, allowing park users to connect the mountain to Morgan Territory and beyond to Los Vaqueros, furthering their adventure into this extraordinary place," said Sean Burke, Save Mount Diablo Land Programs Director.

A trail opening ceremony will take place at the Knobcone Point gate near Balancing Rock at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 29, weather permitting. Save Mount Diablo invites the public to hike in for the ceremony. Event attendees will meet at 9:30 a.m. at Curry Point in Mount Diablo State Park on South Gate Road. There is a park entrance fee of $10, and parking at Curry Point is limited. The hike from Curry Point to the ceremony is a little over 2 miles.

After the ceremony, staff will lead a hike to the Riggs Canyon gate. The hike from the Knobcone Point gate to the Riggs Canyon gate is 1.25 miles.

In the event of heavy rain, a ceremony will not be held but the trail will still be opened to the public as of March 29.