Visitors to Mount Diablo are set to have access to a wider range of protected wilderness areas than ever beyond the state park's boundaries, with the opening of a long-anticipated connection trail coming at the end of the month.

Organizers with Save Mount Diablo have announced the opening of the Knobcone Point trail connection between Balancing Rock and Riggs Canyon next week, with the 1.25-mile portion of trail through 580 acres of the Curry Ranch area being celebrated for opening access to Riggs Canyon, Morgan Territory and Las Vaqueros.

"All these trails we have built are portals that allow the public to enter nature and be transformed for the better," Ted Clement, executive director of Save Mount Diablo, said in the announcement.

Curry Canyon, acquired by Save Mount Diablo in 2013, is described as the "final missing major canyon entrance to Mount Diablo." The Knobcone connection has been in the works since the organization acquired the 1,080-acre property a decade ago.

As it stands, park visitors have to travel through four canyons between Rock City and Ridge Canyon, with state park staff being forced to leave state park territory in order to access Ridge Canyon. The new trail will aim to remedy both issues, offering access between the canyons along a ridgeline.

"This trail is the major recreational puzzle piece in the Mount Diablo area, allowing park users to connect the mountain to Morgan Territory and beyond to Los Vaqueros, furthering their adventure into this extraordinary place," land programs director Sean Burke said.

Finishing touches on infrastructure and fire prevention are underway ahead of the opening ceremony set for Curry Point at South Gate Road next Wednesday (March 29) at 9:30 a.m. While the trail is set to open as planned rain or shine, the ceremony could be canceled under excessively rainy conditions. n