Mt Diablo vs Mt Hamilton
06-28-11, 03:46 PM
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Mt Diablo vs Mt Hamilton
I've climbed Mt Diablo 4 times this year and want to give Mt Hamilton a shot. How does Mt Hamilton compare in terms of difficulty? I did all of my Mt Diablo climbs up the south side (starting at a friend's house in Danville).
Also, where can I park for the Mt Hamilton climb so that I'll have a few miles of letting my legs get warmed up?
Thanks,
Bob
Also, where can I park for the Mt Hamilton climb so that I'll have a few miles of letting my legs get warmed up?
Thanks,
Bob
06-28-11, 03:59 PM
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As per Strava:
Mt Hamilton - Official
Distance 18.4 mi
Avg Grade 3.8%
Elev Difference 3,693 ft
Mt. Diablo S. Gate to Summit
Distance 10.2 mi
Avg Grade 5.7%
Elev Difference 3,069 ft
I'd say Hamilton is easier even though it's longer. Has two short descents in the climb that you can use as breaks.
edit; you can just park on the street someplace around Alum Rock Ave.
Mt Hamilton - Official
Distance 18.4 mi
Avg Grade 3.8%
Elev Difference 3,693 ft
Mt. Diablo S. Gate to Summit
Distance 10.2 mi
Avg Grade 5.7%
Elev Difference 3,069 ft
I'd say Hamilton is easier even though it's longer. Has two short descents in the climb that you can use as breaks.
edit; you can just park on the street someplace around Alum Rock Ave.
06-28-11, 03:59 PM
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We always park at Linda Vista Elementary School at 100 Kirk Ave.
Diablo is about a 10-11 mile climb, Hamilton is almost twice the distance (from the front side), with a couple of short ~1 mile descents tossed in to ease the pain. From the base of Hwy 130, you have to cross 2 ridge-lines and traverse two valleys to get to the final 6-7 mile climb up a series of switchbacks.
Diablo is about a 10-11 mile climb, Hamilton is almost twice the distance (from the front side), with a couple of short ~1 mile descents tossed in to ease the pain. From the base of Hwy 130, you have to cross 2 ridge-lines and traverse two valleys to get to the final 6-7 mile climb up a series of switchbacks.
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06-28-11, 04:13 PM
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If you really want to compare Hamilton to Diablo, you need to do the backside of Hamilton, or even do both sides of Hamilton.
06-28-11, 04:24 PM
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Hamilton is about 20 or 25 minutes longer, with a much worse road for descending. It's also about 20% shallower of a grade most of the way, so easier feeling.
06-28-11, 08:54 PM
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Just did Hamilton for the first time the other weekend, after riding North and South Diablo a bazillion times. Hamilton is definitely easier overall - beautiful ride, much more popular with motorcyclists than Diablo for some reason - maybe they all head out for Mines Rd.
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06-28-11, 09:16 PM
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I got these graphs for everything.
06-28-11, 09:48 PM
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06-28-11, 09:56 PM
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Now what would make these plots even better would be to superpose gradient for both climbs as well.
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06-29-11, 04:05 AM
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I love the backside of Hamilton......ride it at least once a month.
06-29-11, 01:50 PM
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Hamilton from SJ was not too bad as I recall. Will have to try the backside sometime.
DiabloScott, do you happen to have a graph comparing Mt Baldy Ski Lifts to Palomar?
DiabloScott, do you happen to have a graph comparing Mt Baldy Ski Lifts to Palomar?
06-29-11, 02:32 PM
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My focus is on comparing other climbs to Mount Diablo.
06-29-11, 06:11 PM
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It's amazing how similar Diablo and Baldy climbs are, with the exception of the extra two miles on Baldy.
06-29-11, 09:08 PM
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I dunno, looking at mile 5 to 7 1/2 and after mile 9 Baldy looks tougher, a couple % higher gradient doesn't look like much on that graph; that's why I was bugging Scott about a gradient vs distance chart.
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09-13-13, 10:30 PM
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Any chance I could get a copy of that spreadsheet? My buddies and I would love to compare some stuff. We routinely do Diablo as well, and we're doing Hamilton for the first time this weekend.
09-14-13, 09:09 PM
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