During 70′s we had ourselves a big t-shirt fad. There were all sorts of custom T-shirt stores around; The Shirt Shoppe, The T-shirt Shack, etc. Folks were big into wearing T-shirts adorned with pithy sayings and cool decals. One that I’ve always remembered read “Go Climb a Rock,” which apparently was the logo for the Yosemite Mountaineering School.

Well this past Saturday the boy and I joined some friends and did just that, except the rocks we climbed were at Rock City located in the Mt. Diablo State Park.

Having grown up in the San Francisco/Bay Area, I’ve been to Rock City a few times in my 40-something years, however my last visit was probably during the latter part of the 80′s, and most definitely “pre-boy.” So when friend KC invited us to spend the day with his folks and family I jumped at the chance to show the boy all the good, wholesome fun to be had climbing around on a bunch of rocks. Sarcastic as that might sound (even more so if you know me), Rock City is a great time.

Located somewhere just beyond the 2,000 ft level in Mt. Diablo State Park, Rock City is, described thusly in the Mt. Diablo State Park online brochure; “Rock City: You will find unusually large sandstone formations and small caves here.”  Wow, is that some exciting copy or what?

Be not deterred by the lack of colorful adjectives, would be outdoors-person. Rock City is an awesome place to spend the day. You can climb all over those “unusually large sandstone formations,” and many have had actual foot/hand holds ground into them over the years. The views are spectacular, plus you’re getting exercise, fresh air, and sunshine. And because KC’s parents are so generous and well organized, I also got hot dogs and fried chicken. I can’t promise the same on any visit you might make.

Many visitors have taken to carving their names, and in some cases the occasional vulgarity, into the rock, and while this sounds something akin to vandalism, it actually adds a certain charm to the place. In honesty I prefer the dedication of those willing to take the time to carve something as opposed to some lazy sods that actually used markers to add their names to the sandstone.

There are numerous picnic sites available, each equipped with a table and a bbq stove/grill, and while we did grill, (and when I say “we” I mean KC’s dad) I’d recommend bringing sandwiches or the aforementioned fried chicken. The distance between the actual grill top and one’s charcoal is rather yawning, thus requiring us (us also equals KC’s dad) to assist the charcoal in its task by adding wood and small animals to the blaze. I’m kidding. It’s against the law to gather firewood. Actually I have no idea if that’s true, and if it is KC’s dad broke the law.

Anyway, I can say from personal experience that the boy and I had a great time at Rock City. The entry fee to Mt. Diablo State Park is $7.00 per car.

For more information you can check out the California State Parks website.

A few words of caution; keep a close eye on small children. There are many places where they can get lost, and many very large, very high rocks from which they can fall. DO NOT let young children climb on the rocks without an adult present. Also, this being California mountain country you might run into a rattlesnake. In fact, we did. Fortunately it was on our drive down the mountain and we were able to snap some pictures from the safety of our car. Even still, they’re pretty scary and I cried a little.

Photo by Joe Romano