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Getting outside to enjoy nature, engage with the environment and exercise with purpose is among the personal priorities I have for 2025.
Save Mount Diablo and its partners are providing plenty of opportunities for me and many others to act on that new year’s resolution, with a range of events — familiar and brand-new alike — as part of its annual Discover Diablo hiking series.
“It is the goal of the Discover Diablo program to build connections between people, Save Mount Diablo and the land, helping our communities develop a strong sense of place and a deepened appreciation for our collective backyard,” Ted Clement, executive director of the local nonprofit, said Monday.
“Most importantly, we want to cultivate a love of the land in participants, as that is what it will take to ensure the precious Diablo natural areas are taken care of for generations to come,” Clement added in the press release unveiling the 2025 schedule.
And what a lineup it is.
Discover Diablo has 38 excursions on the calendar for the year, consisting of guided hikes, themed walks and other outdoor activities. They’re free, open to the public (although RSVP is required and many sites have parking or entry fees) and options are available to trailblazers of all skill levels, according to the nonprofit.
Popular themes are returning this year, such as the tarentula trek in September. Or should I say treks, plural, because in 2025 Save Mount Diablo has added a second spider stroll to the bill – the walk for families will be 5-8 p.m. Sept. 5 while the walk for adults is set for Sept. 19: “Find out if you have arachnophobia or fall in love with spiders as you are introduced to the gentle giants of Mount Diablo.”
New offerings in the 2025 series include “SuperNova! Stargazing with Mount Diablo Astronomical Society” on the night of Sept. 27 and “Queerness in Nature: An LGBTQIA+ Hike with Branching Out Adventures” on the afternoon of Oct. 18 — both at Mount Diablo State Park.
Save Mount Diablo is also debuting a landscape and wildlife photography excursion at Pinnacles National Park, a strenuous hike of five miles for most of the day on Jan. 25. Elevations will reach about 2,000 feet.
The series really aims to encourage people to explore conserved parklands on Mount Diablo and the greater Diablo Range.
That’s not only properties preserved by Save Mount Diablo; the program also features the land of the National Park Service, California State Parks, East Bay Regional Park District, Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, Contra Costa Water District and Stanislaus County Parks.
Some of the “nooks and crannies” are rarely open to the public, the nonprofit noted.
Now in its ninth year, the program is also about inspiring residents young and old, “to spark a passion for the Diablo Range and deepen people’s connections to the land and nature,” Save Mount Diablo reps said. “Discover Diablo hikes are guided by local experts steeped in the natural history and lore of the region, who both educate and entertain while emphasizing the breathtaking beauty that the Diablo Range has to offer.”
The fun gets underway on Jan. 25, with two events: the aforementioned photography hike at Pinnacles as well as Dr. Mary Bowerman’s 117th Birthday Memorial Hike from 10 a.m. to noon at Mount Diablo State Park (just one mile and 50 feet of elevation).
February will see two offerings, each on EBRPD land: “Green Hills, Ponds and Newts” at Briones Regional Park on Feb. 16 and a hike of Bob Walker Ridge (the “morning side” of Mount Diablo) on Feb. 23.
Spring beckons with the March installments, including an early look at wildflowers at Mount Diablo State Park on March 14 and “Spring Blooms and Birds” at EBRPD’s Chaparral Spring on March 30. There’s also a beginner rock-climbing event at Pinnacles on March 29.
As the weather clears (hopefully), Discover Diablo also opens up.
A snapshot of the 30ish events between April and October include “Sountering and Soloing” on April 11, “Castles and Peregrine Falcons” on Earth Day, “Spring Forest Immersion Walk” on May 10, “Reptile Ramble” on June 1, “Beat the Heat and Hike the Suburban Interface in Walnut Creek Open Space” on July 12, “Plein Air Painting Hike” on Aug. 23 and “Borges Ranch Fall Hike” on Oct. 4.
The series winds down with six events in November and December, wrapping up with “Twin Ponds Loop in Winter” on Dec. 14. For the full schedule and more information, go to savemountdiablo.org.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.
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