Lower Black Canyon Trail

This was an unanticipated hike. Still recovering from surgery, I had not planned to hike for another month. However, Lila Wright, the Skyliner hike leader had proposed a hike at Bismarck Lake, northwest of the San Francisco Peaks, for Saturday, 27 July 2013 and I dearly wanted to go. To make sure I was up to that hike, I decided to do a trial hike on Thursday, two days before the Bismarck hike.

If no one else was available to hike with me on the proposed date, I planned to park at the intersection of Old Hwy 279 and Ogden Ranch Road. I would then hike up Ogden Ranch Road (a dirt road) to the Black Canyon Trailhead and return. I figured that would be a little over five miles round trip. But luck was with me, and another Skyliner hiker agreed to hike with me. Since there were now two of us, we decided to drive on to the Black Canyon Trailhead and hike up the actual trail instead of on the dirt road.

When we arrived at the trailhead, we found that Ogden Ranch Road has now been blocked off 0.7 miles short of where it previously ended, and a new trailhead with ample parking has been built. A sign clearly marks the new start of Black Canyon Trail and clearly prohibits all motorized vehicles.

Sign at start of Black Canyon Trail

Leaving the trailhead, the trail follows for about 0.2 miles along a track previously used by ATVs and then passes through a gate (the first of two).

Trail between trailhead and first gate

First gate located at lower end of new section of Black Canyon Trail

Just a few yards beyond the gate, the trail dips into a wash (actually more a canyon) downstream from Quail Spring. Looking across the wash we could see the trail climbing out on the other side.

The trail can be seen (center) climbing out of the wash on the other side

The below photograph, taken from the other side of the wash, shows the section of trail on which we descended.

Looking back the way we had come

The trail wound its way up the mountain, zigzagging in and out as it made its way around the shoulders carved in the mountain slope. Soon we were abreast of the arroya which can be seen just up the street (Arroya Vista Drive) from my house. I am convinced that the street must have been named after the wash (arroya or arroyo).

Wash (arroyo or arroya) visible from Arroya Vista Drive near my house

Approximately 0.7 miles after we had passed through the first one, we came to a second gate.

Second, upper, gate on new section of trail

About 0.3 miles beyond the second gate, we came to the end of the new section of Black Canyon Trail. It was, according to my GPS track, 2.2 miles in length. We had now hiked 2.2 miles and I wanted to go for 2.5, so we continued on for another 0.2 miles. I stopped there because the reading on my GPS was actually 2.5 miles and because there was a nice shady spot in which to rest. However, when I later downloaded and measured the track, it was only 2.4 miles. That was close enough.

While I settled in for my rest (actually a short nap) my companion hiked around the next shoulder to see what was ahead. He soon returned to report that only more shoulders were visible ahead and took this picture of the author (see photograph at right by hiker using my camera) resting in the shade. Unfortunately, I had left my camera in video mode and had to cut the picture from a video clip.

Since this was my first after surgery hike, I knew that Rosemary would be worried, so I used my cellphone to call home and let her know that we had made the planned distance and were now headed back.

We met two other hikers on the trail as we neared the second gate. They were a couple trying out new hiking boots in preparation for a forthcoming expedition to Nepal.

When I returned home and downloaded the GPS data, I found that (as noted above) we had hiked 2.4 miles one way, or 4.8 miles round trip. Again, close enough to my goal of 5-miles. According to my GPS track, the elevation gain was 860 feet and the highest elevation was 4770 feet.

Our GPS track is shown on the two included maps (below). The new section of trail is shown in red and the replaced section in yellow on the first map. The second map shows the entire 8-mile length of Black Canyon Trail, including the mile added by the new section of trail.

Lower Black Canyon Trail

Entire Black Canyon Trail