Why in h311 would someone want to go to Diablo? It leaves many people with the feeling that they've just had a Twilight Zone type of experience. It is an odd little place; nestled deep in the valley of cascade giants, shadowed by monstorous gothic styled dams, a Leave It To Beaver styling... mixed with a little Ghost Town. Throw in humming power lines and Big Brother amounts of Security Cameras and Viola!
Diablo.
Certainly not a place I'd want to have a permanent address (particularly for eternity, gasp), but it does have many fine points: beautiful colored lakes, plentiful hiking opportunities, wildlife and ... well, I guess that's about it.
Anyway, there is a short little trail that hikers can use to ascend from the town site up to the Diablo dam.
Yes, it is usually possible to drive to (and across) the dam. It's not a ride that everyone can handle though. Then again, not everyone can handle the hike either. Check out this short video which contains some images of the bridge that vehicles must use before they cross the dam (consider it a mandatory pre-test) and some video from the trail with a lofty drop down to the lake at one point.
There used to be a third option for accessing the dam: the Incline Railway.
Once upon a time, Seattle City Light offered Diablo Dam Tours which included a ride on the Incline Railway, but since the events of 9/11 (and the subsequent lack of maintenance), the Incline Railway is no longer part of the tour. The tours also used to include a boat ride on Diablo Lake.
Total route, with wandering around and exploring is only 2 miles round trip and 500 feet of elevation gain.
Happy Hiking!
~E
PS: Survived a wild storm at Goat Lake today. Trip report coming, but not until I finish the other two reports already in progress: Stetattle Creek and Sourdough Mtn.
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