Читать книгу 101 Hikes in Northern California. Exploring Mountains, Valleys, and Seashore онлайн

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To Reach the Trailhead Take the Ygnacio Valley Rd. off-ramp from Hwy. 680 in Walnut Creek and proceed 9 miles east on Ygnacio Valley Rd. to Clayton Rd. Turn right and in 1 mile turn right again on Mitchell Canyon Rd., proceeding 2 miles to the lot at the road’s end. There is a day-use fee of $10 per vehicle.

Description From the parking lot (0.0/640'), begin by the fire gate and information sign and start up Mitchell Canyon Rd., bearing left onto Mitchell Rock Trail at the immediate junction. Stay on the wide trail as you pass two junctions for Bruce Lee Trail before turning right on singletrack Mitchell Rock Trail (just past the second Bruce Lee intersection). In season, abundant wildflowers liven the ground here and throughout the hike—look for California poppies, yarrow, paintbrush, lupine, irises, orange bush monkeyflower, yerba santa, blue dicks, Ithuriel’s spear, and the endemic Mount Diablo fairy lantern.

As you climb upward into thick forest, note the increasing number of pine trees. Two pines are found in this area, both producing massive cones with sharp hooks on the scales. Gray pine is the more common, abounding throughout California’s foothills and easily identified by its wispy character. Its upper half, often drooping slightly to one side, tends to fork into a multitude of small branches with no clear center trunk. Its long grayish needles come in groups of three and give the tree its name. Coulter pine, on the other hand, is straight, stout, and considerably less common than gray pine, occurring only in the Coast Ranges from Mount Diablo south. They are at the northernmost limit of their range here and can be identified by their single trunk, long stiff needles (also in groups of three), stouter appearance, and gargantuan cones. Coulter pine cones are the largest known, giant loaves 12–14 inches long that easily weigh several pounds.