Castle Rock and Diablo Foothills Regional Park

Although some high-use parks are starting to close to prevent the spread of COVID-19, there are plenty of less-used parks that are still open. The state park system is especially affected in the Northern California counties of Marin, San Mateo, and Sonoma Counties, but that is a dynamic list. Point Reyes had to turn people away from Chimney Rock this weekend because there were too many people trying to go and it was not compatible with social distancing. But there are still LOTS of parks that are not too crowded.

I went--for the first time--to Castle Rock and Diablo Foothills Parks, which are part of the East Bay Regional Park District.  Although there were other folks on the trial, I still had plenty of solitude along some of the trails deeper into the interior of Diablo Foothills. There were some cattle guards (so bring your hand sanitizer), but the wide fire roads of the park were great for hiking while maintaining 6 feet of distance. And it was so gorgeous! I loved this hike, and I can't wait to come back to both of these two parks. 

I followed the excellent route described here, at one of my all-time favorite websites (route is the same as the map I have included, from the EBRPD website for Diablo Foothills). This 6-mile hike was such a varied landscape that it was really interesting to walk. I was really taken by the TWO stunning outcropping of rocks: the castle rocks (with all the peregrine falcons circling around) in Pine Valley and China Wall, which is technically in Mount Diablo State Park.

I would love to come back here when the pandemic is over. Castle Rock also boasts a swimming pool, which would be so lovely to come to in mid-summer when it's hot out. I hope that the heat of the summer also slows down this frightening virus!

The wildflowers are starting to come out: blue-eyed grass, poppies, buttercups, and oxalis. Winter vetch was blooming too, but I did not get a photo of it. Perhaps it is still a tad on the early side: I was expecting to see more flowers than what was out. I bet that the wildflowers can be stunning. The rolling green hills with the views of Mount Diablo were just amazing--food for the soul. I highly recommend this park, and I am already thinking about my next visit here.