Mount Diablo State Park

Little Yosemite Valley Trail & Sunset Trail via Red Road

15 mi · ▲ 3,441 ft · 6 hr 43 min

Little Yosemite Valley Trail & Sunset Trail via Red Road is a 15-mile out-and-back in Mount Diablo State Park near Cowell, CA. It climbs 3,441 ft, with sections as steep as 32% grade. It scores 80/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.

Elevation

0 mi325 – 1,293 ft · steepest grade: 32%15.1 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 37.90191, -121.99331
Nearest town Cowell, CA

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Little Yosemite Valley Trail & Sunset Trail via Red Road

15 mi · ▲ 3,441 ft · 6 hr 43 min

Elevation 326–1,293 ft

Out & Back · Mount Diablo State Park

Trailhead: 37.90191, -121.99331

Weather Sep 20: sunrise 6:55 AM · sunset 7:10 PM

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading NE.
  2. 1.8 miSharp left onto Red Road, heading SE.
  3. 1.3 miSharp right, heading SW.
  4. 0.4 miTurn right, heading W.
  5. 50 ftSharp left, heading S.
  6. 1.4 miTurn left onto Little Pine Creek Road, heading SE.
  7. 300 ftSharp right onto Falcon Road, heading W.
  8. 0.7 miTurn right onto Sunset Trail, heading SE.
  9. 0.4 miTurn right onto Stage Road, heading S.
  10. 0.6 miSharp left onto Little Yosemite Valley Trail, heading SW.
  11. 0.8 miReach Sunset Trail, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  12. 0.8 miSharp right onto Stage Road, heading NE.
  13. 0.6 miTurn left onto Sunset Trail, heading NE.
  14. 0.4 miTurn left onto Falcon Road, heading NW.
  15. 0.7 miSharp left onto Little Pine Creek Road, heading E.
  16. 300 ftTurn right, heading NW.
  17. 1.4 miSharp right, heading NE.
  18. 50 ftTurn left, heading N.
  19. 0.4 miSharp left onto Red Road, heading N.
  20. 1.3 miSharp right, heading NW.
  21. 1.8 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

13% dirt87% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 6:55 AMSunset 7:10 PM

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 2.2 mi in (~72 min). Leave by 5:37 PM for the 7:10 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:28 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

More sunset hikes nearby

Other ways to reach this destination

More from this trailhead