Stormy California Weather Brings Snow! Lets go Play!

Mt. Diablo is a prominent peak in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Located in Contra Costa County, it rises to an elevation of 3,849 feet and has breathtaking views of the the San Francisco Bay and surrounding areas. It is a great place for some amazing hikes and really popular for cycling with over 100 miles of trails offering a range of difficulties and terrains. The summit can be reached by car or by foot via various trails, including the Summit Trail, which is a 6.8-mile round trip hike that leads to the peak

It is incredibly rare to have snowfall in the coastal counties of California, especially in the Bay Area. The last time we had a big snowstorm across the Bay Area was on Feb. 5, 1976! So, this recent storm was really a treat! So many people were chasing the snow to find a place to take their kids without having to drive to Lake Tahoe. For families in Contra Costa County or nearby counties, we are so lucky to have Mt. Diablo nearby! Yes, it was a long drive up towards the summit, but I cannot stress enough how breathtaking the view is, and how many stops you can enjoy along the drive. The drive is littered with many stops that can be explored with stunning views in every direction. You can easily spend a full day here just driving and pausing to take in the scenery and enjoying a picnic. Let me tell you that even though it looks like all the snow has melted, there still is some, and it is so magical right now.

It took us about 45 minutes of straight driving to get to the Juniper campground parking lot. The summit is still closed, but you can drive all the way up to Juniper Campground and park there. Upon arriving, there were Rangers in the lot assisting with parking and directions to recommended trails to see the snow. There are two paths you can take, since the road is closed you can walk up the road to the summit or take the Juniper Trail to the Summit Trail. The walk to the summit by the road is about 2.5 miles and about a mile if you choose to take the dirt trail. We decided to take the trail and assess the snowy/icy conditions so that if we needed to turn back sooner, we could with no pressure to make it to the summit. The ranger told us that the trail is icy and muddy and to make sure we were prepared. Luckily we had our snow clothes, gloves and the trunk of the car so we slipped them on and started the trail without having high hopes of seeing any snow. The whole drive up everyone was saying theres no way theres snow and we had zero expectation of seeing any especially since there wasn't any near the parking!

Within 1000 feet of hiking we started to notice snow sprinkled on the sides of the trail. Kids quickly raced to the sides to start making snowballs and finding fresh snow to eat of course!

Found some fresh snow and I caught him trying to eat it!

When we started to hike uphill there was some icy/muddy patches, so its definitely a good idea to have hiking poles and hiking shoes with good grip, which helps to avoid slipping and falling. Here is a link to our favorites.

After the initial uphill climb you will begin to notice trees covered in thick, long moss! It was so magical and fairytale like and reminded me of the mossy rainforest of Olympic National Park! The moss was so thick, long and beautifully draping off the trees! Seeing these trees among the snow was even more magical than I could have ever imagined and it moon made for some fun games of hide-and-seek and just embracing these lovely moss carpet trees! AHHHH pure Bliss.....

In some spots it got about 5 inches deep of snow if not more! Truly a pleasant surprise! Personally I enjoyed the mossy trees more than the snow so don't be disappointed if you make it out and get nothing but these trees! Totally worth it in my opinion.

Lets not forget to mention the amazing viewpoints along the trail up to the summit. Every time the kiddos would find more snow they would venture of to the side of the trail for a bit and be rewarded with some fresh snow and beautiful views overlooking the bay on this beautiful clear day!

UPDATE: As of the morning of March 11,2023 the warm rains washed away most if not all the snow in the bay area but if theres any chance left to find some it would be here! And if you make the drive out here and don't find any, you will still get rewarded with these breathtaking moss covered trees!

I hope you are able to make the trip out soon with your families enjoy the last bit of snow we may have before a gorgeous spring season graces us!