# Simple way to Mt.Diablo from Oakland Hills



## Got Time (Jan 23, 2009)

I'm looking for a "simple" (and current) way to get from Oakland Hills to Mt.Diablo. I found some online route sheets (which might be outdated?), but they warn that the way through Walnut Creek is "tricky" like this (from Cal Cycling):

50.47 North Gate. This is the North entrance to the park.
52.17 R Castle Rock Rd.
52.25 L Walnut Ave. at the roundabout.
53.27 L Las Lomas. Note: the route back through Walnut Creek involves
bike paths, sidewalks, parking lots, and general voodoo and trickery.
Following these directions is likely to get you lost so go with someone
who knows the way.
53.53 R San Carlos Dr.
54.27 L Los Cerros, which followed to the end will put you on a
sidewalk/bike path and pop you out on La Casa Via.
54.68 L Montego.
55.30 Tricky. L onto the sidewak of Ygnacio Valley, ride one block, then
hop off and turn left on Homestead Ave.
56.15 R Walker Ave. (becomes Mt. Diablo Blvd)
56.49 L San Miguel.
57.00 Sharp right onto Newell.
58.20 L Olympic Blvd. This is on the way back from Fruit Stand.
59.72 When you reach the T-intersection, go straight onto the bike path.
60.12 R off the bike path at the first opportunity, then left onto Olympic Blvd.
60.80 R Second St. then left ahead on Mt. Diablo Blvd.
61.58 R Happy Valley. This way back is called Half Happy because it goes
halfway up the backside of Happy Valley Rd. (Although you'll find this
climb anything but happy at this point.)
64.28 L Sundown Terrace. This is halfway up the steep part of Happy Valley.
64.71 After a couple of speed bumps, turn left on Dalewood Dr.
65.12 L Lombardy Ln. after a short downhill.
66.16 Lombardy Ln. merges with Miner Rd.
67.19 R El Camino Pablo.
68.36 L Wildcat Canyon for the familiar return to Berkeley.

or they take "the long way home" which I don't really want:
TOTAL FROM LAST
53.62 7.81 R Oak Grove Rd
53.68 0.06 L Walnut Ave
55.24 1.56 L Ygnacio Valley Rd
55.65 0.41 L Ygnacio Plaza Mall for lunch
55.98 0.33 R Ygnacio Valley Rd
56.25 0.27 L Bancroft Rd
56.83 0.58 L bike path
57.92 1.09 Junction with Oak Rd (L to Walnut Creak)
58.81 0.89 L Geary Rd
59.64 0.83 R Pleasant Hill Rd
60.05 0.41 L Withers Ave
61.05 1.0 R Reliez Valley Rd
64.11 3.06 S Alhambra Valley Rd
68.97 4.86 L Bear Creek Rd
77.34 7.37 S Wildcat Canyon Rd

PS: I don't have GPS (or "smartphone"), so I rely on a map and a route sheet.


----------



## budmol3 (Dec 7, 2008)

If you go south down redwood road there is a straightforward route to southgate.

oaklandmtdiablo - A bike ride in Oakland, California, US


----------



## Got Time (Jan 23, 2009)

Thanks for the URL; I should have been more specific: I'm looking for a "simple" way through Walnut Creek to the Northgate (coming from Oakland hills). I know the way to the Southgate (well, I have the route sheet and the map and it looks manageable), but if I don't want to go down the same way as up, then I also should be able to get to/from the Northgate through Walnut Creek.

It seems using Ygnacio Valley Rd is not a good idea (too much traffic going too fast?),

Google Maps suggests using "Iron Horse Regional Trail" but that might be a MUT with pedestrians (and maybe bad surface?) which I would like to avoid.


----------



## itsjon (Nov 4, 2005)

Iron Horse trail is a MUT, surface is actually not too bad. There are a lot of pedestrians, need to keep speed down. Ygnacio Valley is way too busy of a road with no bike lane and no shoulder.


----------



## savagemann (Dec 17, 2011)

I would take the Iron Horse trail and hang a right on the Contra Costa Canal trail.
Right on Walnut to the roundabout.
Left on N.Gate Rd and you are there.


----------



## w-g (Mar 9, 2006)

If coming from Iron Horse, go up to Contra Costa trail, turn right on Bancroft, this becomes Walnut, right on Oak Grove at round about, left onto Northgate. 
I go though Heather Farms and the neighborhoods to pick up Walnut to minimize the MUT experience.


----------

