There's a 3.25-mile hilly stretch of road in Antioch called Empire Mine Road. It runs from Mesa Ridge Road at the north end, to Deer Valley Road at the south (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/274051). It’s just about the quietest stretch of road in East County. The City of Antioch closed the road a few years ago to prevent illegal dumping, but allows hikers and cyclists to use it. It was a quiet road then and is even quieter now.
The mostly out of date but still relevant book by Grant Petersen of Bridgestone and Rivendell Bicycles fame, “Roads to Ride” (1989) describes it as “An often neglected farm road in northeastern Contra Costa County. It’s narrow with a gravelly surface and sloping shoulders. There’s almost no traffic.” The statement still rings true, except the part about the gravelly surface. There’s no gravel and the pavement is fair (chip seal). As an aside, there's companion book called "Roads to Ride South." These books feature an elevation profile, road description, rudimentary maps, and black and white photos of various roads in the Bay Area. It would be nice if these books were revised someday.
There's a fire road where you can access the Star Mines area of Black Diamond Regional Preserve. You have to hop over two gates, though. You ride past the old town site of West Hartley.
If you want to do a short, scenic, moderately hilly ride with no traffic, Empire Mine is the road to ride.
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