Black Mountain

Black Mountain 5244′
Mojave Desert
Total Time: 1:50
Distance: 5.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 1690′
Crux: Class 2
Trailhead: Mesquite Canyon, no services

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At the southeastern tip of the Sierra Nevada are the El Paso Mountains. Unlike many of the other small mountain ranges south of the Sierra which geologically feel like extensions of the great range to the north (Greenhorn, Tehachapi), the El Paso Mountains are distinctly their own, a collection of ancient lava flows and volcanic rubble with an entirely Mojave feel. The highpoint of the range is Black Mountain, featured on the Hundred Peak Section Peak list although far away from the bulk of the summits to the south, resulting in relatively few visitors, seeing one or two summits a month during colder weather with long breaks in the heat. I had some errands to take care of on the Sierra east side but a few hours to play with on the drive around the range back to Fresno. And with Black Mountain lying just off the 14, it seemed like a nice side trip. After lunch in Bishop, I drove south on the 395, staying on it at the junction with Route 14 and swinging around the south side of the El Paso Mountains before turning into the range on Mesquite Canyon Road. The range falls within BLM land and is popular with OHV enthusiasts, meaning the road was in fairly decent shape. I followed Mesquite Canyon Road for about 4 miles, cresting over a saddle southwest of El Paso Mountain before dropping into Last Chance Canyon.

I parked my car at the toe of a broad low angled ridge formed by an ancient lava flow just West of Colorado Camp. It was 3:15 by the time I started out, the dirt road taking slightly longer to navigate than I had hoped.

A 4WD track continued up the ridgeline although I made little effort to stay on it; like most Mojave summits, cross country was very easy with little brush. The old road climbed from just below 4,000′, passing a curious quail habitat partway up before topping out on Point 4283′.

Before me was a drop of several hundred feet, and I plunge stepped down the loose scree to the saddle below. The summit was somewhere in the rolling ridgeline above, and after following a game trail for a short while, I set off cross country aiming for what I assumed to be the high point. There was a surprising lack of cairns considering it was an HPS summit, frankly a welcome change from the over marked routes to the south.

I hit the summit ridgeline to the west of Point 4942′, then cut to the northeast with a tiny bit of scrambling to the high point. The views were fantastic in the late afternoon light, most enjoyable to the Southern Sierra to the north, with Indian Wells, Scodie Mountain and Owens Peak Wilderness sitting across Route 14. The highest peak in view was Olancha far the north, featuring a disappointing amount of snow on its southern slopes for February.

It had taken me under an hour to reach the summit, but with a long drive back to Fresno, I started back down after a brief snack, more or less following my line of ascent. I half trotted in places to ensure I would finish in under two hours even with the break at the summit, only really slowing down for the short uphill section back up to Point 4283′.

I made it back to the car around 5 PM, giving myself just enough daylight to navigate the dirt roads back to pavement on Randsburg/Red Rock Road. From there I cut west back to Route 14 and headed home.