Moses Rock Ridge

Overview

The Moses Rock Ridge route ascends the sweeping west ridge of Mount Diablo which bears the same name. The smooth, grassy, denuded slopes of this portion of the mountain contrast sharply with the steep canyons and uninviting crags on the mountain's north, east, and south faces.

Approach

Exit Ygnacio Valley Road from I-680. Right onto Walnut Avenue (NOT Walnut Blvd.). If you go too far, a right onto Oak Grove Road accomplishes the same thing. Walnut Ave. and Oak Grove Rd. meet at a rotary. Continue south through the rotary, then turn left onto Northgate Road. From the entrance gate, drive about 3-4 miles. On the left, keep a sharp eye for a trailhead marker and a "no dogs" sign. A parking area is just around the corner. This trail is the Angel Kerley Road, and appears to be the first trailhead along the road.

Route Description

Refer to this tripmap for reference

Hike up a steep portion of Angel Kerley Road for 0.5 miles.

Variation 1 - "Scenic Route": Go left up Burma Road. Turn right (uphill) onto Deer Flat Road after 1 mile. Continue up Long RIdge, which turns into Moses Rock Ridge, for another mile. Here you'll meet Mothers Trail, which is the more direct route.

Variation 2 - "Direct Route": Continue up Angel Kerley Trail for 0.3 miles. Turn left (uphill) onto Mothers Trail and climb 900 feet over 0.7 miles until the intersection with Deer Flat Road.

Continue along Deer Flat Road for another 1.5 miles. The end of the trail is paved, as it passes through a campground. Just before reaching the main road (Summit Road), follow signs to the Juniper Trail, at the Laurel Nook Group Picnic Area.

Follow the Juniper Trail for another mile, crossing Summit Road once, to trails end at the lower summit parking lot. Follow the obvious path to the summit proper for another 1/2 mile.

Burma Road variation summary: 5.6 miles, +3070 feet, -400 feet. Mothers Trail variation summary: 4.4 miles, +2980 feet, -300 feet.

Essential Gear

Summit temperatures are much colder than at the base. Lower trail is hot during the summer; upper trail is cold and exposed in the winter. Plenty of water at the summit. Poison oak is EVERYWHERE on the Juniper Trail.

GPS Waypoints

I made some GPS waypoints for major intersections along the route. Cut and past the text below into a text editor (Notepad, for instance), save as a text file, then import into TOPO! or directly into your GPS unit if possible.

TOPO! GPS Data Format DegMin NAD83 ElevFeet UTC-Time DFLATBURMA,37,53.202,-121,57.628,1545,04/27/2003,15:50:38,BURMA ROAD MEETS DEER FLAT ROAD ANGBURM,37,52.516,-121,57.280,1461,04/27/2003,15:51:45,ANGEL KERLEY TRAIL & BURMA ROAD ANGMOTH,37,52.645,-121,56.974,1720,04/27/2003,15:52:28,ANGEL KERLEY ROAD & MOTHERS TR DFLATMOTH,37,52.947,-121,56.859,2279,04/27/2003,15:53:01,DEER FLAT RD & MOTHERS TRAIL DFLATJUNI,37,52.639,-121,55.843,2957,04/27/2003,15:53:45,DEER FLAT RD & JUNIPER TR JUNIPLOT,37,52.759,-121,55.215,3650,04/27/2003,15:54:09,JUNIPER TR & SOUTH PARKING LOT SUMMIT,37,52.897,-121,54.864,3810,04/27/2003,15:54:38,MT DIABLO SUMMIT

Images

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