Visited Mt. Diablo yesterday

[trekkor]

Nice park. Fantastic views of the entire bay area.

I heard some where that there is only one other place on the earth where you can see more land from it's peak...Mt Kilamanjaro ( sp?)

The sky is noticably darker up there, too. It's just under 4,000 ft.

Inside the observation tower and visitor's center they left a boulder exposed that you can stand on...It's the actual summit.

I was noticing it has fossils in it, too.

$6 to park. I recommend the drive to the top, however many bike it or hike the trails.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517



KT

[TerryBPP]

My aunt and uncle in-laws live in Walnut Creek. There pool deck overlooks Mt. Diablo. Very cool mountain.

[stevepaa]

I used to ride my bike to the top when I was 12 and then come flying down the mountain. Very few cars then.

[trekkor]

I want to go back on a clearer day.

I forgot my binoculars on Monday.

They say you can see Half Dome and Mt Lassen when clear.
Also, when conditions are right a mirage-like image of Mt Shasta can be seen.

It was really nice up there. I could have stayed up there for hours.
Too bad the park closes at sunset. I'd love to go up during a meteor shower.


KT

[Capt. Crunch]

Its a great place. I was just up there and Danville last weekend.

[stevepaa]

hum, we used to camp overnight up there. is that no longer allowed?

[trekkor]

As far as I know, camping is fine.

I wonder how they get around the locked gates, though?

I wouldn't want to be locked in there.


KT

[Moses]

Originally Posted by stevepaa

I used to ride my bike to the top when I was 12 and then come flying down the mountain. Very few cars then.

I was lazy. We would wait at the bottom with our bikes till a pickup would haul us to the top. We had some hair-raising races down that mountain.

[Tobra]

You need to go up there after it rains. Clears out all the crap and greatly imporves visibility. That is an urban myth that you can see more land than anywhere else. The higher the mountain, the farther you could see, theoretically, and Mt Diablo ain't that tall.

[trekkor]

Originally Posted by Tobra

That is an urban myth that you can see more land than anywhere else.

I don't know where I heard that.

Most mountains have tall neighboring mountains that block a view.
From Mt Diablo, it's the highest peak and all the land around is flat. Pretty much all the way to the Sierras.

But yes, likely a myth. I was scouring the State Park site looking for a quote.
I guess if it were a fact they would be proud to print it, right?

I didn't bring my camera either...D'oh!


KT

[trekkor]

I found this.
Pretty impressive, regardless:

4-30-1862 Description of View, Mt Diablo elevation. Brewer estimated that the view embraced 80,000 square miles, 40,000 "in tolerably plain view – over 300 miles from north to south, and 260 to 280 miles from east to west". The view includes 60% of California, 35 counties and an area equal to the six New England states. Brewer’s party calculated the height of Mt. Diablo at 3,876.4’ (actual 3,849’).

http://www.savemountdiablo.org/AboutMountDiablo.htm


KT

[Moses]

Originally Posted by Tobra

That is an urban myth that you can see more land than anywhere else. The higher the mountain, the farther you could see, theoretically, and Mt Diablo ain't that tall.

Nope, it's true.

Mount Diablo is the ONLY mountain in one of the worlds largest valleys. You can see Lassen and Shasta in the north, the Sierra's to the east and all the way to southern California's great central valley.

The vast majority of land surveyed in our state is designated "MDM" Mount Diablo Meridian.

Only Kilimanjaro looks over more land.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23474

[Tobra]

Seems like I could see more on a clear day on the eastern side of the Sierras, but interesting to know that about Mt Diablo, I had read that too and figured it had to be BS. Always wondered what that MDM thing meant.

[ckissick]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Seems like I could see more on a clear day on the eastern side of the Sierras, but interesting to know that about Mt Diablo, I had read that too and figured it had to be BS. Always wondered what that MDM thing meant.

I've been to the top of Mt. Whitney in the Sierra and you can see quite a distance east, but there are a series of ranges that eventually block the view. Any you can't see far at all to the north, south, and west, due to nearby mountains.

Diablo and Kilamanjaro both stick out all alone. As for Diablo, being on the western edge of the Central Valley, it looks over a vast area of the huge valley, and you can see the ocean in places, as well.

Volcanic mountains in the northwest, like Ranier and Hood, also stick out alone, but they are surrounded by more rugged terrain. You need the flat land of the Central Valley and the featureless plains of Africa see the largest area.

Last time I was at the top of Diablo, there was a display talking about this phenomenon. You must have missed it, trekkor. Or it's gone now.

[trekkor]

I was out at Sears Point today watching the IRL and Grand Am Rolex cars and looky there...
Mt Diablo!!

I can't believe I never noticed it before...It's huge!!
Kinda strange how sometimes you tend to "not see" things that are right there.


KT

[trekkor]

I took some shots from Sonoma at Infineon Raceway today.

From turn 7:




From turn 2:





KT

[tcar]

Pssssh.... 4,000 feet.... 1,000 shy of Denver. More than 10,000 shy of Pikes Peak and that's more than 7,000 feet right above Colorado Springs.

Darker sky?

[trekkor]

We went back up on the mountain again today.






KT

[trekkor]

The observation tower at 3849 ft.






It wasn't the clearest of days, but nice to to be away from all of the noise.



KT

[trekkor]

You could still see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.




From the info at the park. Some of the land marks visible from the summit on a clear day:

Golden Gate Bridge, 28 miles
Farallon Islands, 70 miles
Half Dome in Yosemite, 130 miles
Mt Lassen, 165 miles

KT