Donner Canyon–Falls loop from Regency

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.

1. Donner Canyon Road
2. Hetherington Loop
3. Cardinet Oaks Road
4. Falls Trail
5. Middle Trail

Start: Regency Drive Trailhead

Where

End of Regency Drive, Clayton (no numeric address verified)

Parking

Only in designated street areas; parts of Regency Drive prohibit parking, and school parking is not overflow. Current street signs control.

Hours

State park operating hours apply inside the boundary.

Described by Save Mount Diablo's 2022 guide; check signs on the day.

Check access and route context

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

• Elevation gain was not reported by the guide.
• The falls run in the wet season; flow on any given day is not verified, and there is no waterfall to promise in September.
• Trail names are the guide's outline, not turn-by-turn navigation. Connectors the guide does not name are not filled in here.