Castle Rock and the China Wall Hike

Reservations required: mtdiablohiker@gmail.com

Join us for a nature excursion guaranteed to titillate both your sense of sight and smell. Our adventure takes under the spectacular cliffs of Castle Rock, up the Little Yosemite Trail, and past the enigmatic China Wall. Along the way, we'll be on the lookout for early-season botanical bloomers.

Part of our route follows the 19th-century stagecoach road up Mount Diablo. The road passes a sulfur spring that a stagecoach passenger described as smelling "like the cleanings from Rip Van Winkle's gun barrel, with some rotten eggs that came around Cape Horn with the 49ers mixed in." Phew!

This is a moderate 5-mile hike with about 700 feet in elevation gain. Bring lunch and water. Dress in layers and wear good hiking shoes. Bring poles if you normally use them. (First day of Daylight Savings Time). Rain cancels.

Leader: Ken Lavin