I spoke with Don deFremery who is chairing the MDIA committee to revise the Trail Map of Mt. Diablo, and asked him several questions about this effort.

Karen:
I was wondering if there is an effort to revise the Trail Map of Mt. Diablo?

Don:
To date there have been four editions of the Trail Map for Mt. Diablo, the current edition being the 4th. New trails have been built, old trails abandoned, and now with portions of new land added to the state park, the boundaries have changed. Thus a new map is a worthwhile venture, so folks like you, Karen, won’t get lost.

Karen:
Who is in collaboration with you on this effort?

Don:
Our committee is composed of from eight to ten people, all of whom are MDIA members, working on the Trail Map Project Committee. Several of the members are retired park rangers and one is a current park ranger, Carl Nielson, who is our liaison with the park.

Karen:
How does one go about redoing such a map? Are you using the same topographic base map?

Don:
The current 4th edition, as well as the new one we are working on, is based on two U.S. Geological Survey 7.5 minute series quadrangle maps, the Clayton Quadrangle (1953 photo revised in 1968) and the Diablo Quadrangle (1953, Photo revised in 1980).
Each of the committee members is responsible for approximately 6 quadrants of the MDIA Map, and they walk all the roads and trails, checking for accuracy of new ones and to see if old ones are still the same.

Some of the members are using altimeters to check elevations, but others are simply following the creeks and canyons and verifying map locations. This can be difficult if the stream channels have changed course possibly due to flooding.

Karen:
What new park additions will be shown on the map?

Don:
The areas to be added include new trails in the western portion of Morgan Territory, and the Three Springs area which is now part of Mt. Diablo State Park. The new land acquired by the State Park in Blackhawk near Sycamore Canyon will also be added. This portion of newly acquired land consists of 252 acres. Other portions that are included on the Trail Map are Diablo Foothills, Shell Ridge, Lime Ridge and Sugarloaf.

Karen:
When will the new map be available?

Don:
Since each person has to walk all the roads and trails, and since we may need to do some rechecking and verification of trails, it could still be quite some time until the 5th edition is ready for print. In the meantime, MDIA is continuing the effort to acquire funds for the revision and press run.