Black Diamond Mines in Late July

Summary: This East Bay hike is hot in July, but the mines provide natural air conditioning, and many of the trails are shaded in parts by Oak, Pine, and Manzanita. There is a lot of history here, and signs placed throughout the park to help you enjoy it. There is an intricate web of interesting trails to explore covering a variety of fascinating topography. Don't miss the cemetery, and take the time to read some of the touching inscriptions. You will have to hunt for them.

We chose Black Diamond Mines because it's only about 35 minutes from Vallejo, and though we've been once before, we wanted to go back because there is more than you can see in one visit. Much more. I first discovered this East Bay Regional Preserve using Google Maps. I just put it in Map mode and searched for my home town of Vallejo, then zoomed out far enough to see the green patches around us that represent parks. When I saw the large green patch south of Antioch I zoomed in and discovered Black Diamond Mines. There is a reasonable $5 fee, and a map is provided.

This time, we headed up the Nortonville trail to Rose Hill Cemetary pictured above. We read a very moving inscription on the headstone of a man who died at the age of 42 on July 25, the same day as our visit. We did see at least one determined mountain biker here, and I'd recommend biking earlier in the day. We were there around 1pm. A couple of notes for bicyclists. Wear a helmet, and slow down when passing pedestrians.

From the cemetery we continued on the Nortonville Trail, then took a left on the Black Diamond Mine Trail. The rocky outcrops in the picture show the kind of views you will see. There are also spectacular views of the hills, and off into the distance to the north and you can see all the way to the bay. Then we took another left down the Manhatten Canyon Trail. We crossed the footbridge to the Chaparral Trail, then you guessed it, another left that led us to the Eureka Slope.

This is a tunnel that bores down into the ground at a 45 degree angle. This is a cool spot to hang out. There is a wind blowing up out of the tunnel, and it is like standing in the open door of a refrigerator. On a hot day, this is just the thing. We then headed down the steps to the visitor center, which is closed until sometime in 2011 (when we hope it will reopen). The visitor center is down a mine shaft! You can stand in front of the gated entrance, and enjoy the cool breezes that blast out of the mine shaft opening. We enjoyed standing in the sun in the cool wind from the mine. It was air conditioning for the outdoors.