Back in February we did our first hike at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve.  The day I picked to visit this park and do a 8 mile loop, it turned out to be unseasonably hot, 77 degrees, the loop we planned was almost all sunny trails, and would’ve been a scorcher for us. Instead we did the shady and fun Chaparral Loop Trail, with some side excursions to mine openings. Black Diamond Mines as you might of guessed, used to be an actual mine, and there are remnants of mining towns throughout the 6,000 acre park.Of course all the mines are barred, but you can see in them a bit. The park offers tours, and there is even a book :  Images of America – Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve

We went to the main entrance and parked in the lot at the end, past the visitor center, not to be confused with The Greathouse Visitor Center which can’t be driven to and is near the trail head to the Chaparral loop. Though a short 4 mile hike (including side excursions), this fun popular loop and it’s side trails were a decent work out, a gentle elevation combined with rocky parts that were pretty jagged/ steep at points required careful footing through beautiful changing scenery.

 

 

There were natural looking man made stairs, and regular stairs at points.

And Some Bridges

A few incredible views which I didn’t quite capture…

 

There are the numbered items on the map below to visit, as well as some other signs that pop up on the trail that will take you off the trail for an 1/8 mile to something like a “store” or “The Rock” where people climb on and yell. Meandering is how we ended up at 4 miles, I think the loop itself is only 2.5 miles. For directions, just search the park on your phone map. I had service all the way to the park.

Many of our friends rave about this dog friendly place to hike with your dog, and we agree! Here are a few more photos:

 

 

Happy Trails and Safe Travels!