The trail leading to the summit of Black Mountain is in great shape and mostly pretty uneventful until some Class 2 stuff toward the summit. Your views here are both north and south from the ridge. 2020/06/17 Rhus Ridge Black Mountain RSA ... By the time we closer to the bottom, the trails were one way, we kind of had to take one the wrong way to get back to our car without a long detour: And eventually, after a longish hike, we made it back to the car, although it was a long detour back to the car (almost 14 miles in 5h45). Divis and the Black Mountain ridge trail. The blazes appear every few minutes and they let you know that you are on the correct trail. The trail starts up the toe of the ridge, but as the slope steepens, the trail begins to switchback up as it winds among rocky outcrops of black volcanic rock - a small taste of what lies ahead. Some trails or park services may be closed this weekend so check with local authorities before heading out. Even for local residents, the tower on Black Mountain is an orientation point to get your bearings. Rhus Ridge & Black Mountain Trails (Rancho San Antonio) June 19, 2016 I noticed that iNaturalist doesn't have many observations for the Black Mountain and Upper Chamise Trails, so I thought those would be good places to explore and record some data. This includes a side trip to the Bilk Basin Overlook (represented by the yellow line). Entrance to the trail Go right on the Black Mountain Trail. The Rock Castle Gorge Trail is marked with green blazes (painted swatches on tree trunks), and the Black Ridge Trail is marked with blue blazes. The ridgeline leading from Black Mountain to Fracture Ridge Peak is pretty, and the desert views are lovely. Turn left back down to the stables. After climbing to 6150 feet elevation southbound, the trail hits a fork on the ridge. Black Mountain forms part of an extensive area of open forest and woodland which includes O’Connor Ridge, Bruce Ridge, Aranda Bushland, Mt Painter and The Pinnacle nature reserves. Continue until you reach the trigonometry pillar that marks the summit of Divis Mountain at 475m/1562ft. Total Distance 570 miles Total Descent 128,966 ft Total Vertical 6,869 ft Highest Trailhead 7,798 ft Reports 1,008 Photos 657 Ridden Counter 13,315. 1; 9; Open on Nov 29, 2020; Dead Mountain. link Copy Link. Most of the XC trails in Summit Ridge are twisty, flowy, and technical trails with numerous bridges, skinnies, log rides, and ladders. This ridge is the West Ridge of Black Mountain. The slog back down a social trail from Fracture Ridge Peak made me want to just be back at my car because of the non-changing scenery. Very similar to a 26-mile loop that I do from home (identical from Rhus Ridge to the end of the Los Trancos trail). At the top of the ridge, the Rhus Ridge Trail comes to a four-way junction. Distance: 9.5 mi. share Share . See the rich landscape and enjoy 180-degree views across the city and further afield. It ends with a lava rock garden that is ridable but tough. I met Pierre Tardif two years ago doing trail work! The Black Mountain Trail. This trail goes by Mary Davey Memorial and Ewing Hill. This time the weather was clear and cool and it took me 3.5 hours to complete the 9.6 miles, 2400 feet of climbing. The Lough Trail. At this point the woods end and the trail begins a steep climb through sunny chaparral. The last one mile, starting at an electricity pole, is pretty steep. The climb is very straightforward. The view across Rancho San Antonio from the top of Rhus Ridge. You hike 0.9 miles up the Rhus Ridge trail (fairly steep uphill), and then you turn right on the Black Mountain trail (which is a bit gentler) and hike 3.9 miles to the top. It is one of the steepest trails in the bay area. This is a good gravel downhill but WATCH FOR HORSES! It is absolutely stunning and narrow. As Rhus Ridge Trail tops out at the top of, well, what I assume is Rhus Ridge, the views behind vanish and the park opens up in front, the rolling green ridges and valleys, Black Mountain shrouded in mist in the distance, as the clouds start to open up to blue skies overhead. The loop version of this hike continues down the western ridge of Black Face Mountain until reaching the Cross Mountain Trail (represented by the blue line in the map below). Disocver the Lough Trail National Trust/Kyle Lamb. The parking lot on Rhus Road is small, and remains a problem for starting hikes from here, especially… Walk onto the summit of Black Mountain. He also taught me some things, and convinced me to take downhill running more seriously. This will be a good simulation hike for those going to Machu Picchu. The Black Mountain Trail climbs onto a low ridge and follows the ridgeline up to the southeast. At the top of 2,800-foot Black Mountain, there are other views west into Stevens Creek Canyon and open space lands along Skyline Ridge, as well as across Santa Clara Valley. ... At the top the view is great but there is no shade for a rest stop. When the two trails are merged, you will find both blue and green blazes painted on the trees. Steep canyons and narrow ridges can be seen from various points. This hike is best done in spring when it is green and cool and you can hang out on the rocks at the top. Divis and the Black Mountain County Antrim. I hiked the Rhus Ridge and Black Mountain Trails for the first time today. North Ridge trail consist of bermed corners, rock rolls, rock drops that vary between 1 foot to 4 feet, skinny sections of trail with rock gardens, tables and some small doubles. These areas are part of a wildlife movement corridor through to the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee river corridors. Black Mountain is a summit on Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains of west Santa Clara County, California, south of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, and west of Cupertino; it is within the Palo Alto city limits though not near the developed part of the city. The forest is fairly open with decent sight lines, and there are sections of amazine foxglove meadows. Yesterday I took off work early to tackle Rhus Ridge to Black Mountain again. There is a jump section that offers bigger double jumps, but all can be rolled. Hike up Black Mountain (Rhus Ridge Trail) 37.352028,-122.137724. The rock formations here are impressive. Trails Mountain Bike 126 Trails E-Bike 8 Trails Hike 143 Trails Trail Running 143 Trails Horse 37 Trails Dirtbike 40 Trails ATV/ORV/OHV 30. Hike 43, Season 4: Black Mountain from Rhus Ridge Showing 1-16 of 16 messages. This time, I started at the Rhus Ridge parking lot and hiked to Black Mountain via the Rhus Ridge Trail and the Black Mountain Trail, a RT of about 9 miles and 2300 feet of elevation gain. This part of the trail is lined with boulders to assist with water displacement and prevents the trail from being washed downhill. Time: 3 hrs. Watch for those Purple and Gold Blazes indicating the trail. From here Black Mountain Trail continues the climb. 1 review | | DIFFICULT #15 hike out of 20 in Hidden Villa | DIFFICULT. This section of newer trails in the Black Diamond area are on the Real Life Church property and are known as the Summit Ridge Trails. Rhus Ridge to Black Mountain. This is a moderate loop trail to Elephant Mountain in Hidden Villa. Schotterstraßen, Forstwege, kleine Naturpfade und speziell angelegte Biketrails bewältigt man mit dem Serious Ridge Trail mit Fahrspaß. More … Alpine Trails. Difficulty: Strenuous. Rhus Ridge Trailhead This trailhead is located in Los Altos Hills, at an elevation of 560 feet above sea level. Purple dominates Divis and the Black Mountain ridge trail in autumn. a dead end trail to the left takes you to some tree but not really a great place to rest. Added by: Tiffany Chou. Surveyor Robert Hoddle worked in the region and in 1832 wrote 'Black Hill' under his sketches of Black Mountain and O'Connor Ridge because both were burnt as part of the local Aboriginals' land management practices. Black Mountain Trail (look for white dot because there wasn't a sign here) ***ALTERNATE ROUTE: if you're tired of the technical stuff, turn right here instead (Maxwell Cove Road). *** Mile 11.0 Thrift Cove Trail enters from left. You are taken contoured upwards and Slemish Mountain is the dark rising volcanic plugs visible in the distance. Black Mountain Trail - (4.0 mi) The trail climbs through chaparral, grassland, and oak woodland to the top of Black Mountain. At about 3.5 miles the singletrack trail changes to a dirt road originally built for power line maintenance. January 19, 2015 at 5:28 PM If you descend the western side of Eric's back to Blackridge, there are a couple of rock challenges. United States › California › Hidden Villa › Elephant Mountain Loop via Rhus Ridge Trail. Hike 43, Season 4: Black Mountain from Rhus Ridge: UK: 5/10/16 10:44 AM: Hi Folks, The recommendation for this Sat is to hike the out-and-back Rhus Ridge trail to black mountain. To the left, the Chamise Trail goes east into Rancho San Antonio proper, with the trail to Windmill Pasture dropping down the hill immediately in front of you. Hike up Black Mountain (Rhus Ridge Trail) 37.352028,-122.137724. Help keep our trails and parks open during COVID-19 by committing to social distancing. Added by: Erik Dwyer. Elephant Mountain Loop via Rhus Ridge Trail . At the trail fork, left is Eric's, straight is Mustang. See more images for Rhus Ridge Black Mountain RSA. In contrast to starting from the main Rancho San Antonio parking lot, the hike starts strong and keeps getting better. The trail is not always obvious and people often wander off, only to find that they dead ended. It will run back into Clawhammer rd. The remaining part of your trip to Blackrock Mountain is on this rock ridge. Edit Caption Delete Photo The purple-coloured Devil’s-bit scabious carpets much of the landscape through September until October. Range Trail, the Black Mountain Campground, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, or the Big Butt Trail for shorter or longer shuttle hikes. Das Serious Ridge Trail 27,5″ ist ein solides Mountainbike, das Geschwindigkeit, Laufruhe und Kontrolle in beeindruckender Weise vereint – und das zu einem unschlagbar günstigen Preis. Stay on Black Mountain Trail. Great route! Description: 9.6 miles, 2400 feet of climbing, 4.5 hours. 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