Mount Diablo Summit and Morgan Territory Loop
State: California
Location: Mount Diablo
Length, One-Way: 61.4 miles
Ride Type: Loop
Elevation Change: 6300 feet
Best Season: Year-Round
Difficulty: 5
Trail Information
The ride up Mount Diablo and Morgan Territory Road is one of the more challenging rides in the San Francisco Bay Area. But these challenges are worth it for this rewarding ride to the top of Mt. Diablo. The climb up South Gate Road has several spots where it flattens to give riders some relief. However, the climb gets harder when you make the turn onto Summit Road. The killer is the last 1/8th of a mile at a painful 18% grade. Your descent down Summit Road and North Gate Road has several nice twists and turns, particularly several fairly tight hairpin turns near the start of the descent. After riding through Walnut Creek and Clayton, which have the busiest roads on the whole ride of the ride, the climb on Morgan Territory Road is largely shaded, which provides a welcome relief during Summer.
Take care on the first half of the descent on Morgan Territory Road. The road is a single lane in spots, very steep so you gain speed quickly and has several tight blind corners. But bottom half of Morgan Territory Road is wider and the sightlines are better. The ride back to Danville on Highland and Camino Tassajara is mostly nice country riding. However, development continues nearly unabated in this part of the Bay Area so more and more if this section is becomingsuburban roads.
Directions
Start at Blackhawk Plaza. Blackhawk Plaza is located at the intersection of Camino Tassajara, Crow Canyon and Blackhawk Roads.
Palo Alto to the Sea
