Black Mountain Trail is a 6.8 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Henderson, Nevada that offers the chance to see wildlife and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking, trail running, and nature trips and is best used from September until May. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
dog friendly
hiking
nature trips
trail running
views
wildlife
rocky
scramble
no shade
Trail BLM404 (Black Mountain) is an easy hike most of the way until the last ½ mile when you might have to engage in some scrambling (class 2). Because of the distance and last segment of the hike, it is considered strenuous by most accounts; it kicked my butt pretty good You access the trail via the Shadow Canyon Trailhead and follow a paved portion of the Anthem East Trail. There is a reservoir and you want to keep right of it (SE). You know you are on the right track if you pass by a small brick structure with a trail sign on it: find BLM404: this is the trail to Black Mountain. Follow along the top of the spillway till you see a sign that reads “Black Mountain Trail”. The trail itself is well marked from there and soon follows a ridgeline to the top. Warm weather hiking is difficult due to the lack of shade so bring plenty of water (3 liters when hot, 2-1 liters when cool). While the landscape is stark in the beginning, there are breathtaking views of the valleys below as you hike along a ridge line with some switch backs. As you get to higher elevations, there are small windswept Joshua Trees and about three types of Barrel Cactus. As you approach 1/3 of a mile from the peak, there are nice clusters of Teddy Bear Cholla… but be careful: these cacti are painful to brush by and often have little clusters that have fallen off the mother plant scattered about. You will know when you are getting close to the peak as the trail gets steeper and more rugged with loose rocks and a steeper assent. You might want to have your hands free to steady yourself at that point. The view was amazing from the top and totally worth the hike!
One of my favorite trails in Henderson, my very own backyard. The summit view is something spectacular a total 360 of everything that just doesn’t translate in a photo. (The best views never do.) It makes the last 1/2 mile totally worth the ass-kicking it serves up. And boy does it serve up a hot steamy dish of leg day. Ranked hard for a reason, even though you’ll question it most of the way up, it will come.
Good local hike (Henderson). The first 2/3 is pretty easy with a steady climb. The last 1/3 gets rocky and there's some scrambling. Great views at the top. There's a cool little wind shelter that's built and a flag. I started at 6am July 28th and had the shade of the mountain most of the way up. Full sun on my back all the way down.
decent hike if you are in Henderson
My son & I tried this hike about six weeks ago but the final climb at the end triggered his asthma. We returned again last Sunday and conquered it. The first 75% of the hike is mild to moderate, but the final 25% will kick your ass. Pick this trail to replace your “leg day” workout. Overall, lots of fun. No shade so pack sunscreen and lots of water.
Jason Dodd recorded Black Mountain Trail
Excellent trail easy to follow until the last 1/2 mile. I usually use trekking poles but didn’t need them for this hike. Expect full sun exposure plan accordingly.
Great trail for a local romp, & a great view. Steep class 1 at the end. Pretty cruiser most the way. Colorado class 2 I guess!? Well worn n obvious. 5/31
I must admit that my overwhelming anxiety cannot allow me to rate this higher. This is the hike where I not only heard a rattlesnake, but saw it within 3 ft of me on the trail. Outside of that, the first three quarters of a mile is not much to talk about, but the rest of the hike is pretty nice. I cannot imagine doing this in the summer heat, as we had major cloud cover and it was beautiful. We were not the only ones to see a rattlesnake, so I would definitely be aware and keep that in mind. The last stretch is intense, and the trail is longer than the stated 6.8 miles. We were not able to get to the top, as the sun was setting, and as mention numerous times before, my fear had taken over at that point. We were short about two tenths of a mile. Great views, and the condition of the trail is nice.
Great trail. Hiked up and ran down. The climb down from the peak was a bit tricky bc of the loose gravel and rock so watch every step. Saw a tortoise which was amazing. Make sure to bring at least 3 L of water I brought 2 and ran out.
Great hike up. A clear trail that allows for a light jog for ~80% of the way up until the scramble. I took the North Trail down (instead of tracing back). I wouldn't recommend it as the trail is not well defined and about 40% of it is a rocky scramble.
Chris Clark recorded Recording - May 12, 12:38 PM
Challenging hike with rewarding views waiting at the peak. A clearly defined trail the entire way with some signage as well. The rock scramble at the end was more like a steep, long staircase and easy to find your path. Didn't need my gloves for this one.
