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| Hiking | 2.51 Miles |
1,274 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.51 Miles | 1 Hour 27 Mns | | 1.96 mph |
| 1,274 ft AEG | 10 Mns Break | 10 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Hiked Black Mountain in Cave Creek with my wife and a friend for the first time. This was part of our series of explorations find nearby alternative hikes to the typical Camelback, Piestewa, and South Mountain options.
Parking at the trailhead is fairly limited there are about 10 spots. The adjacent street has signage indicating they will tow people who park there. We were able to find a spot, in fact the last spot available in the parking lot, when we arrived at 11:30 am. Despite the small parking lot the trail was fairly crowded
The hike begins following the road, although calling it a road is a bit generous. It is poorly paved initially and quickly turns to dirt. There are several private drives branching in either direction and it is possible to accidentally take a turn or miss the sign that indicates the start of the trail (we did and had to backtrack).
The trail itself is immediately and consistently steep. There are almost no flat spots on the way up to provide a natural breather. The trail surface is mostly large solid rocks, there are a few sections with large gravel. By and large the footing is uneven but stable.
True to the name much of the stone was black. This provided a pretty contrast against green vegetation. There was the occasional saguaro and ocotillo but aside from that the flora were not that interesting. Everything was fairly wet from recent rains but there we did not see any wildflowers
At the summit there is an American flag and a faded plaque dedicated to service members. There is also a survey marker. A solar powered light is set up to illuminate the flag at night. The views from the top are pretty good with almost a full 360 degrees of visibility unobstructed by nearby hills and mountains.
This was a good hike from the fitness perspective especially if you do it fast. However, it was fairly crowded and had limited parking which didn't make it a good alternative to other popular Phoenix area hikes. In this area Daisy Mountain is a better routine hike destination.
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Wildflowers Observation None
Did not see any wildflowers despite recent rains |
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