Black Mountain
- 14.9 mi
- round trip
- 1,141 ft
- climb
- 10,844 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
Is Black Mountain open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District. It doesn't name Black Mountain, so check the source for the area it covers.
Area Closure for the Fishhook Fire - Routt National Forest
Agency closure covering Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District · Order 02-06-03-26-222 · USFS · Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District
Access Impact: Big Creek Lakes Dam Project
Agency alert covering Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Trail & Access Impact: Stillwater Reservoir Project
Agency alert covering Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Snowy Range - 2026 Active Vegetation Operations
Agency alert covering Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Black Mountain is a hard hike in Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, within the Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District. The trail is an out-and-back of about 15 miles, with a one-way elevation gain of 1,141 feet, starting at a low point of 9,132 feet and reaching a high of 10,844 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trailhead is at Campground Trailhead, with parking labeled BLACK MOUNTAIN. The route is natural-surfaced and allows both horses and bikes. It is open year-round, so plan for conditions that change with the seasons. The closest neighbor is the Bears Ears hike, about a mile away. Sawmill and Fortification Creek are each roughly 4 miles off, and Freeman Reservoir Campground sits about 4.6 miles away for anyone planning an overnight stay.
- Bears EarsHiking1.1 mi
- SawmillHiking3.7 mi
- Fortification CreekHiking3.8 mi
- North Fork ElkheadHiking3.8 mi
- Freeman Reservoir CampgroundCamping4.6 mi
- Little Bear CreekCanoeing7.6 mi
- Elkhead CreekCanoeing8 mi
- Slater CreekCanoeing9.3 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Mountain View TrailHiking · ~22 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- SawmillHiking · ~6 min drive
- Fortification CreekHiking · ~6 min drive
- Nipple Peak TrailHiking · ~26 min drive
- Mountain View TrailHiking · ~22 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- North Fork ElkheadHiking · ~7 min drive
- Sand Mountain TrailHiking · ~26 min drive
Sand Rocks TrailHiking · ~23 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Bears EarsHiking · ~18 min drive
- Oliver CreekHiking · ~27 min drive
Route details
- Distance
- 14.9 mi round trip
- Climbing
- About 1,141 ft
- Starts at
- Campground Trailhead (about 9,681 ft)
- Summit
- 10,844 ft
- Difficulty
- Hard
Getting there
Park at BLACK MOUNTAIN.
Season
Season: Year-round.
Questions about this route
How long is the Black Mountain on Black Mountain?
About 14.9 mi round trip from Campground Trailhead (about 9,681 ft).
How much elevation gain is on the Black Mountain?
About 1,141 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Black Mountain?
It is rated hard.
Where does the Black Mountain start?
Campground Trailhead (about 9,681 ft).
When is the best time for the Black Mountain?
Year-round.
Conditions and forecast on Black Mountain
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
