Ohlone Trail

This ambitious Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center – Ohlone Trail loop from Galindo Creek Field Station attempts to link two vastly different cycling environments. While the Ohlone Trail offers a graded ranch road experience with gentle hillside rollers and open space views, the Mitchell Canyon section quickly escalates into a challenging ascent. Expect steep grades, wicked switchbacks, and loose, rocky terrain that is far more suited to mountain bikes than touring cycles, especially beyond the initial two miles of wooded fire road.

Planning this specific 23.9-mile (38.4 km) touring cycling route, with its 3125 feet (952 metres) of elevation gain and estimated 3 hours and 21 minutes duration, requires careful consideration of the terrain. The Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center provides access to Mount Diablo State Park, but the park's trails are notoriously difficult for touring bikes. The Galindo Creek Field Station is primarily an academic facility and not a public starting point for this type of recreational loop.

The Mitchell Canyon area is renowned for its diverse habitats, from shady oak woodlands vibrant with spring wildflowers to chaparral and grasslands offering panoramic Bay Area views from higher elevations. This region is part of Mount Diablo State Park, known for its significant elevation gain and historical connections, including Jedediah Smith's beaver trapping in the 1820s. The Ohlone Trail, in contrast, serves as a connector through open space, skirting the Boundary Oak Golf Course.