Diablo Foothills Regional Park (East Bay Regional Park District) - panoramio (2).jpg
MARELBU · CC BY 3.0

Fairy Lantern Trail–Little Pine Creek Road, 4 sights is an 8.3-mile out-and-back in Mount Diablo State Park near Alamo Oaks, CA. It climbs 1,650 ft, with sections as steep as 17% grade. It scores 80/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.

Elevation

0 mi341 – 869 ft · steepest grade: 17%8.4 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 37.89541, -121.99624
Nearest town Alamo Oaks, CA

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Fairy Lantern Trail–Little Pine Creek Road, 4 sights

8.3 mi · ▲ 1,650 ft · 3 hr 36 min

Elevation 342–868 ft

Out & Back · Mount Diablo State Park

Trailhead: 37.89541, -121.99624

Weather Aug 3: Clear, high 100°F / low 69° · precip 0% · wind 2 mph · sunrise 6:14 AM · sunset 8:16 PM

Toilets at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading SW.
  2. 0.2 miTurn left, heading SE.
  3. 0.3 miTurn right onto Shell Ridge Trail, heading SW.
  4. 0.9 miBear left onto Fairy Lantern Trail, heading SE.
  5. 0.2 miBear right onto Stage Road, heading SE.
  6. 1.3 miTurn left onto Sunset Trail, heading N.
  7. 0.4 miTurn left onto Falcon Road, heading W.
  8. 0.7 miSharp left onto Little Pine Creek Road, heading NE.
  9. 450 ftReach Shell Ridge Trail, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  10. 450 ftSharp right onto Falcon Road, heading SW.
  11. 0.7 miTurn right onto Sunset Trail, heading E.
  12. 0.4 miTurn right onto Stage Road, heading S.
  13. 1.3 miBear left onto Fairy Lantern Trail, heading NW.
  14. 0.2 miBear right onto Shell Ridge Trail, heading NW.
  15. 0.9 miTurn left, heading NE.
  16. 0.3 miTurn right, heading N.
  17. 0.2 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

54% dirt46% unspecified

Weather

ClearTemperature 100°F69°
Precip0%Wind2 mphUV8Humidity30%
Hourly temperature
100°65°
Sunrise 6:14 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 8:16 PM
Tue 92°67°
Wed 91°57°
Thu 98°56°
Fri 103°62°
Sat 103°60°
Sun 102°59°

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.8 mi in (~37 min). Leave by 7:19 PM for the 8:16 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:52 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Toilets at the trailhead

Other ways to reach this destination

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