Open: Saturdays and Sundays
Mar - Oct hours: 8 am to 4 pm
Nov - Feb hours: 9 am to 3 pm
See the Park Location page for directions
Summer Hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Winter Hours: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center volunteers | Tamara Steiner, Clayton Pioneer
Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center
Mitchell Canyon | Dereck Love
The Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center is located in Mount Diablo State Park at the south end of Mitchell Canyon Road in Clayton, CA. The visitor center is staffed by State Park volunteers and is supported by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association, whose main goal is to provide visitors with information so they can better enjoy the Park and its natural wonders.
The Center has displays about various aspects of Mount Diablo State Park, including geology, wildlife, trails, and plant life. Clothing, souvenirs, interpretive books and pamphlets are for sale. There are also postcards, note cards, trail maps, and water. A docent is on duty when the Center is open to answer questions and to handle sales of materials. The Center also serves as a meeting point for scheduled group hikes and lectures in Mitchell Canyon. We welcome all visitors to join us in the northern part of the State Park.
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Mitchell Canyon is a Great Place to Hike
Oh, the Species You Can See!
Mitchell Canyon features varied habitats with a great diversity of plants and animals. This includes uncommon-to-rare species, disjunct populations (populations separated from other populations of the same species, often by great distances), and endemic species (species not found elsewhere).
Near the soon-to-be Mitchell Canyon Education Center, Mitchell Creek winds through riparian habitat, chaparral, oak woodland, grassland, and some pine forest. Each of these habitats has its own population of plants and animals that may not be found in the others. Below are highlights of a few fascinating plants and animals that are found along Mitchell Creek.
Will you join us in helping to build the new Mount Diablo Education Center, so that for the first time, school buses can safely bring students from any neighborhood in Contra Costa County to experience the mountain?
