MITCHELL CANYON
The Mitchell Canyon Staging area was made possible by the substantial purchases of Murchio property. If I told you from another 2,000-acre ranch would you believe me? This time the purchase is high up the mountain and spilling over onto the Clayton side and like the Kerley Parcels, this one was transacted over two different time periods.
The first large parcel was purchased by the State Park in 1967 and consisted of 502.86 acres. This transaction was with the George Murchio estate and is shown in yellow Southeast of the lower corner of the large 1350-acre purchase (shown in dark red) and completed in 1977.
Well before the actual Murchio purchases, the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association was quite active in building their own trails from their property into Mount Diablo State Park and also advocating for Mitchell Canyon trail connections.
Actually, the East Bay Area Trails Council (EBATC) and the California State Riding and Hiking Trail advocates like George Cardinet were also working diligently for new trails as this 1961 easement memo references
Note the reference to needing Stockfleth and Kaiser easement approvals as well as the Murchio. Just a reminder that trails, especially through private property are complicated and cumbersome.
This 1976 correspondence sounds just like the fears over in Diablo at the same time. “The end of the road is a great party place for teenagers”.
And this from 1977 showing how the East Bay Area Trails Council was involved:
We so take for granted what we have available today but keep in mind that hours of volunteer service, years of easement or safety preparation were required to officially open public riding and hiking trails.
I love the comment from the CMDTRA letter (included in the Equestrian article). “For reasons we cannot understand this property has never been opened to the public. We have been told it is hazardous to hike or ride through this property, but as our Club has used this property for riding for over 30 years under the previous ownership, we do not understand what the hazards could be.”
That statement is a reminder to all trail users and public open space users that Park Districts and Agencies are held to a higher standard when deciding how and when to open parcels of land or trails. We all need patience with the local agencies.
Mitchell Canyon Staging Area is the main State Park entrance from the Clayton side of the mountain. Equestrians can easily park their trailers and mountain bikers can unload and head up the mountain. While hikers can access the mountain from numerous gates or residential points of entry, the ability to park a vehicle and have bathroom facilities is important.
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