Castle Rock ride - mountain biking

The Castle Rock ride was shown to me by my friend Jim. We have ridden there at the beginning of spring and the end of summer. It's a really fun ride because of the spring that crosses the trail which winds through meadows and windcut sandstone on the way up Mt. Diablo.

We got soaked on the spring ride, splashing through the stream as it cut across the trail. River rocks line the stream making it possible to traverse given enough speed. Oak and buckeye trees provide shade and lots of feathered friends to keep you company. Other critters we spotted were squirrels and trail bounding chipmunks along with an occasional gartner snake (picture forthcoming). I'm told that coyotes roam the area. Lots of cows (and their patties) and occasional friendly horse-back riders.

The trail ascends gradually up through the foothills for the first couple of miles - and then steppens as it approaches Mt. Diablo. It appears to grow with difficulty the farther you go. Where we turned, you could see over Shell Ridge and much of the Diablo Basin.

--> How to get there

• Find Oak Park Road in the Concord/Clayton/Walnut Creek area (Treat and Ygnacio Valley intersect it).
• Follow Oak Park toward Mt. Diablo going past North Gate Highschool.
• Oak Park runs straigh to the Castle Rock park where parking is available.
• The trailhead is located at the end of the parking lot where I think you have to hop over a gate.

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