Near Round Top Loop Trail
Sign #1: "dark basalt dike, a feeder of lava to the crater, that cuts through a sequence of tuffbreccias (grayish brown) and pebbly mudstones (light gray), inside and near the crater bottom."
Near Round Top Loop Trail
View from the Water Tank
Near Round Top Loop Trail
Mount Diablo view
Near Round Top Loop Trail
Down to the stone maze
Near Round Top Loop Trail
Fog burning off over the hills.

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Driving Directions
Hike Trail

Round Top Loop Trail

4.0 (2 Ratings)
Round Top Loop is one of the most popular trails in the park.
1.5
mi
Distance
236
ft
Gain
moderate
Difficulty
BirdingFamily FriendlyViewsWildflowersWildlife

Route Details

Flatter
Steeper
1.49mi
Distance
236ft
Elevation Gain
180ft
Elevation Loss
20%
Max Grade
1,616ft
High Point
1,402ft
Low Point
Path Type
Point to Point
Description
Start at the parking lot and head up to the water tank. At the water tank, you'll see a basalt dike, a feeder of lava to the volcano crater, tuffbreccias, and pebbly mudstones. This spot has a nice view of the rest of the park. From here, go back down to Round Top Loop Trail. The trail is a flat, wide fire road with a lot of medium-sized rocks. This part of the trail has no tree covering. It is easy to twist an ankle on the first 0.41 miles of the trail after the water tank (if you are not paying attention). Follow the signs to Quarry Pit (sign #2). You'll see a wooden fence at the top of the quarry. This is the best view of the labyrinth. I highly recommend going down into the quarry to hike through the labyrinth. From here, the trail loops back to the parking lot. This part of the trail is a really nice tree-lined singletrack. For more information, you can check out the park website.

Route Conditions

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Anonymous Adventurer
All Clear
Anonymous Adventurer
All Clear
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Contributors
Wendy Wheeler