From learning about medicinal herbs found within Mitchell Canyon to scaling rocky cliffs in Pinnacles National Park, our Discover Diablo program has offered numerous and varied free excursions.
Participants have the opportunity to explore Mount Diablo and the greater northern Diablo Range.
Our Recent Adventures
We started our Discover Diablo program in 2017 as part of our efforts to connect local community members with the spectacular natural environments on and around Mount Diablo.
Plein air painting hike. Photo by Denise Castro
Since its inception, our free hikes and outings have steadily grown year after year.
Now in 2023, we’re offering 36 free excursions each year.
We have been working to reach more groups of people to invite them into the world of conservation so that we can increase the momentum and appreciation of local conservation efforts.
Because of the biodiversity and climate crises, we desperately need more people, from all walks of life, to understand the value of conservation and engage in protecting nature.
On Belay!
In 2021, we hosted our first rock-climbing events, helping climbers of all experience levels scale some of the best climbing spots on Mount Diablo.
Inexperienced and experienced climbers not only enjoyed great climbs; they learned how to rock climb in an ecologically conscious manner and minimize damage to the cliff faces. They found out how to be good stewards and better climbers.
We have since expanded our climbing events to include excursions to Pinnacles National Park, where we’ve scaled iconic crags like “Tourist Trap,” a climb near the eastern entrance. Our most recent climbing trip to Pinnacles was in March.
Exploring Mount Diablo’s Spring Flowers and Herbs
Our Mitchell Canyon medicinal herb hike group. Photo by Haley Sutton
When the flowers start blooming, we start exploring. In April, we hosted three different wildflower hikes on Mount Diablo.
Hikers spotted endemic lilies and an array of other native flowers in bloom in Mitchell Canyon and near the summit on these springtime excursions.
Hikers also enjoyed a medicinal herb hike through Mitchell Canyon. Led by a clinical herbalist, Anna Marie Beauchemin, this hike educated participants about the medicinal herbs that can be found on Mount Diablo.
Hit the Trails: Mountain Biking
Photo by Mike Anciaux
Each year we host several mountain biking events on the slopes of Mount Diablo. In May, we took a group through the scenic trails of Smith Canyon into Curry Canyon Ranch, visiting some of Save Mount Diablo’s most important conserved areas.
As our groups ride through the wilderness, we work to teach them to bike like conservationists with an awareness of local wildlife that can be found along the trails.
Hiking through the Diablo Range and More
Discover Diablo hikers explore the recovery of the land in the fire footprint of the 2020 SCU wildfires in Del Puerto Canyon. Photo by Mary Nagle
Over the past few years, we’ve been taking people to parts of the Diablo Range that they’ve never experienced before. Our trips to Del Puerto Canyon have taken people to the top of the valley and along the banks of the valley’s life-sustaining creek.
As our mission continues to expand to protect more of the Diablo Range, we look forward to showing more people the extraordinary ecosystems of this mountain range.
Our Discover Diablo schedule offers an assortment of other events intended to teach people about our local wild lands, including bilingual hikes, meditation hikes, plein air painting hikes, and more!
How You Can Give Back to Nature
Diablo Restoration Team volunteers clearing weeds from gravel outside our Curry Canyon Ranch field station. Photo by Haley Sutton
Have you attended one of our Discover Diablo outings and felt the urge to give back to the local natural environments that have provided us with so much?
Want to get your hands dirty and make an immediate impact right on Mount Diablo? Volunteer with us at one of our Diablo Restoration Team days!
Our volunteers work hard, have fun, and help maintain our lands by removing invasive weeds and maintaining trails. They also plant, protect, and water thousands of native plants and trees through our 10,000 Trees and Plants project.
Diablo Restoration Team volunteers at Marsh Creek 7. Photo by Haley Sutton
At our most recent volunteer event we, in conjunction with the Bay Area Climber’s Coalition, hosted an Adopt-a-Crag workday on the Knobcone Point Trail.
That day, nearly 30 volunteers joined us to help clear dead plant matter from the trail. Their work opened up more space for rare species to grow in one of Mount Diablo’s wilder and more biodiverse areas.
