Mount Diablo hike · Mount Diablo Interpretive Association route · from Mitchell Canyon Staging Area
Mitchell Canyon–Back Creek loop
- Distance
- ~7 mi, approximate, as the guide gives it
- Elevation
- 1,700 ft gain
- Difficulty
- Strenuous, in the guide's own terms
- Shape
- Loop
- Park
- Mount Diablo State Park sets hours, rules and closures
Listed among MDIA's eight popular hikes. That is the guide authors' judgement, not a count.
The guide's outline
The trails the guide names, in order. An outline, not directions: connectors the guide leaves unnamed are left unnamed here, and the park's official map is the reference.
- Mitchell Canyon Road
- Meridian Ridge Road
- Back Creek Trail
- Bruce Lee Road
- Coulter Pine Trail
Start: Mitchell Canyon Staging Area
- Where
- 96 Mitchell Canyon Road, Clayton, CA 94517
- Parking
- Designated staging area with a published vehicle entry fee, paid by cash or check as published; confirm current payment methods.
- Hours
- Park gate 8am to sunset.
- Facilities
- Water and toilets reported by MDIA; whether they are working on a given day is not verified.
There is no vehicle route to the summit from here.
Rules that apply
- Hours
- Plan on gates 8am to sunset. The 2026 operating order: no entry after sunset, all areas close 45 minutes after sunset until 8am, and vehicles and bikes should head out within 15 minutes. Approved after-hours events are the exception.
- Dogs
- Pets are prohibited on trails and fire roads; trained service dogs are allowed on leash. Developed-area rules differ.
- Bikes
- Road-width dirt and gravel fire roads and specifically designated singletrack, Class 1 e-bikes included. Other segments: not verified.
- Fees
- A vehicle entry fee is charged at the staging areas and gates and differs by access point. Check current amounts on the park page.
From Mount Diablo State Park; closures are not tracked here.
Worth knowing
- The guide returns toward the trailhead from Coulter Pine; check the final connector against the current official map.
- Trail names are the guide's outline, not turn-by-turn navigation. Connectors the guide does not name are not filled in here.
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