Black Mountain RB

[OldDogDan]

Rode Black Mountain for only the second time today and had a blast! I'm surprised it doesn't get more use. Yeah, it isn't all sweet singletrack, but a lot of fun can be had. It was a Saturday morning, and the three of us were the only MTB'ers in the trailhead parking lot. Did meet two others at the summit, who came up the west side (lost, exactly like I was first time...). Several hikers, no equestrians.

We did the Miner's Loop (great trail), and then continued to the peak. Took the East Side Cutover (trail names from mountainbikebill's site) to the Up & Over to Ebony Peak. Then plunged west on what I'm pretty sure was Derailleur, and back across the flats, up to the parking lot.

To me, this route didn't have much "flow" except for part of Miner's Loop and the ridge-running on Up & Over. Mostly you're pretty much going fairly steeply up or down. You do need good climbing legs or you'll be walking several hills. I think you'd have to be darn good & strong to clean the north side ascent to the antennas (it would be be helluva downhill, but we were going the other direction). But it was a good workout and a lot of fun. The old jeep trail has reverted to good singletrack on that east ridge. Really fun -- there are some smokin' descents. I think I rode my fastest ever (enjoying new forks!) on the Up & Over singletrack descent just before Ebony Peak.

From the top of Ebony I looked back and saw two helmets in the bushes on the previous descent. They didn't move much for quite a while. I remembered there was a rock step there, so yelled over, but they said they were OK. When they finally caught up, it turned out Carl had veered off-trail into the chapparral. He was literally "hung up" in a big bush, still clipped in. He was hanging by his helmet strap from a branch that had entered the top of his helmet, and with his weight on it, couldn't unbuckle the strap or get the stick out! It took a while for Rick to help extricate him (I assume he helped -- maybe he just laughed).

We regrouped and went down Derailleur, which was a winding singletrack about a foot wide. It was great hanging off the back, riding the brakes, twisting on down. But about halfway down, the bushes closed in. I could see the old track under the bushes, so I kept following it downward to the sound of branches whipping me and pinging off spokes. We laughed all the way. At the bottom my friends pointed out the bloody stripes on my arms and legs.

We rode up towards the old arsenic mine flume, but that trail was very overgrown. It had already been about three hours, so we headed for the beers in the car. I figured I deserved one after breaking trail on that descent.

Give it a try. Great loop! I hope you have as much fun as we did.

[nappyt]

Great post. I need to check that trail out.

[MTBBill]

I have not done the loop you described in quite a while. Time for a revisit. One thing about Black Mountain, there are not easy miles out there. You work your buns off for pretty much everything out there.

[dudevf1]

The north side descent down Balck Mountain is fantastic and if you can clear the rock bed on the rise you can smoke it straight down to Miner's Ridger and do the loop. It's a blast, just fight the urge to use the brakes in spots and you'll shoot down with a grin.

[Solo]

Great review! I need to try the loop you described. I rode a similar loop a few weeks ago starting at the base of the main fire road, took the cut over to Ebony (somehow missed all of the good S/T) and down Derailleur (which I will now and forever call Bushwacker). It was almost dark by the time I got to the top of Miners so I came back down and rode Black Mnt Rd all the way back to the truck.