The views from the top of Mt Diablo are worth the drive up. For a great day, follow it up with a visit to the Automotive Museum at Blackhawk. It’s close, and it is world-class, in my view. If you want to top it all off with some good food, I’ve got a fish taco option for you.
Mount Diablo State park is extensive. You can spend days and weeks if you want to, but If you’ve not been, or it’s been a while, I suggest a drive to the summit on a clear day. You can see from the Sierra Nevadas to the Farallon Islands and everywhere in between. The mountain was a key survey spot for some of the earliest maps of Northern California.
The Road to take: From the South, take I-680 to the Diablo Rd exit in Danville and drive to the town of Diablo, turn left onto Mt Diablo Scenic Blvd. This becomes South Gate Rd and leads you to the gate of the State Park (entry fee for cars is about $10 these days). At the Junction Ranger Station, South Gate Rd joins with North Gate Rd (you can come from the Walnut Creek direction as well) and you turn right onto Summit Drive.
Just a few more miles to the summit, but along the way you can stop at Rock City (watch for the wind caves and Elephant Rock… another blog post will discuss hiking to this spot), and you can stop at the Diablo Valley Overlook near Juniper Campground. But the real treat is still at the Summit, so get on up there and enjoy the 360 degree views.
What to See/Do: After you’ve enjoyed the drive and the views, head back down the same road and when you get back to Diablo Rd, turn left (East) and head to the Blackhawk Plaza, at the corner of Diablo Rd and Crow Canyon Rd in Danville/Blackhawk. This is where you will find the Blackhawk Auto Museum, a true treasure of Automotive history and cars-as-art.
If you’re a car person, you will love the history of the cars, and if you aren’t a car person, you’ll still appreciate the beautiful artwork that is the cars. All in a very nice setting, I might add. This truly is a world-class museum, in an otherwise unexpected spot. Go visit it! Great day trip all by itself, if you want.
What to Eat: the newly re-opened (under new management) Grille at Blackhawk has a great outdoor seating area overlooking the pond, and more importantly, it has a great fish taco on the lunch menu! One of my favorites. Fish and Chips is also good, and they make a mean salmon entree at dinner. You can also try the sushi at Blue Ginko right next door. Either way, it’s a great way to finish off this day trip.
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