CAMEL ROCK TRAIL |
There are trails in the park that are not well known, one of these is the Camel Rock Trail a gentle, intimate singletrack trail that parallels the lower reaches of North Gate Road. This trail has been improved in recent years through the efforts of the park’s trail maintenance crew, and it now provides the curious hiker with an easy, comfortable pathway through a decidedly unique environment.  To reach the
trailhead, drive your car up North Gate Road past the 3.0-mile marker to the crossing of
Burma Road trail (the 1,000-ft. brown elevation sign is just beyond). There are two gates
at the crossing on opposite sides of the highway; the trailheadis reached through the upper gate numbered 59-11. Parking is afforded at roadside. The Camel Rock Trail starts at the signpost some fifty yards beyond the entrance gate. You may well wonder at this point why the trail is named as it is. Indeed, Camel Rock is not on the trail. If you want to spot it, walk a little farther up Burma Road to the point where it curves to the left at the beginning of its steep rise - then leave the trail and cross the meadow to the right. Camel Rock will come into view to the south. It is just one of several camel-like rock formations that you will encounter along the trail, terminally eroded protrusions of greenstone. You are free to let your imagination discover novel shapes in these crumbling monuments, eye catchers as you start your descent toward the trail’s terminus at the park boundary. Your downward progress will take you through alternating zones of grasslands, chaparral, and oak savannahs. Many small streams cross your path, some of them with tiny musical waterfalls even into the dry season. Those waterfalls must sing a great deal louder during winter storms, as evidenced by the deep stream gullies harboring water-smoothed rocky beds. The gullies impart some up-and-down episodes to your voyage, but the general trend is always downhill. Your efforts will be enhanced by the pleasing aromas of the chaparral shrubs - black sage, California sagebrush - as well as the charming vinegar weed. And be sure to look out for the concrete basin with its year-round treasure of spring water, a memento of past cattle ranching, yet a continuing benefit for wildlife; it is hidden among encroaching shrubs just below the trail. After another gully crossing, you will emerge from a shady grove unto rolling grasslands completely devoid of trees and shrubs. Look uphill: you will note that this zone of poor vegetation is separated by a sharp line from a zone of more profuse chaparral. The line represents the edge of a band of serpentinite which spans Mt. Diablo’s lower reaches. Serpentinite is a magnesium-rich mineral which forms a soil not favored by most shrubs and trees. Indeed, as you walk on, you will run across outcrops of the mineral, with aspects ranging from a slick, glass-like green to a crumbly blue and even a white powder. A final sharp descent brings you to the park boundary and the North Gate Road. You now have to decide how to get back to your car. Why not complete a loop which will introduce you to a different kind of experience? Cross the road and find the signpost of the Little Pine Creek Road. Follow this as it parallels the creek for a while and then begins to climb. You will rise to the crest of a ridge after considerable huffing and puffing, but you will be rewarded with wonderful views of the undulating slopes of the mountain itself and of other ridges across Pine Canyon. Little Pine Creek Road eventually joins Burma Road, which will take you back to your car. The loop length is three miles, with a final climb of about 500 feet. Allow two hours. The only hazard might be ticks; it is wise to check your skin when you get home, as it is after any hike on Mount Diablo. |