Black Mountain (South Loop) 404
Photo: Joe K Gage, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- 5.5 mi
- round trip
- 3,776 ft
- climb
- 5,062 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jan–Apr, Oct–Nov
- best months
Black Mountain (South Loop) 404 is a moderate out-and-back hike on Bureau of Land Management land in the Red Rock/Sloan Field Office in Nevada, about 5.5 miles long with a total elevation gain of 3,776 feet. The route starts at roughly 4,919 feet and reaches a high point of about 5,062 feet, with the steepest stretch at the beginning, where the grade reaches about 38%. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from the Goodsprings weather station, about 22 miles away, show April highs near 75°F and October highs near 78°F, while July averages around 102°F. That station sits well below the trail, so temperatures on the mountain run cooler. Horses are allowed, and the trail surface is natural. Bikes are not. The Black Mountain (North Loop) 404 lies just 0.1 mile away, and the Black Mountain North Loop Trail and Fracture Ridge are both about 0.8 mile off. Sloan 402 is about 1.3 miles away.
Best time to go · Jan–Apr, Oct–Nov
Best time to visit Black Mountain (South Loop) 404
Best months: January–April and October–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
55° / 32°
3 wet
Feb
59° / 35°
4 wet
Mar
67° / 39°
3 wet
Apr
75° / 45°
2 wet
May
87° / 54°
1 wet
Jun
98° / 62°
1 wet
Jul
102° / 69°
3 wet
Aug
100° / 66°
3 wet
Sep
91° / 60°
2 wet
Oct
78° / 50°
2 wet
Nov
63° / 38°
2 wet
Dec
54° / 32°
2 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Goodsprings, NV, 22.4 mi away at 3,716 ft. The station sits about 1,300 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Joe K Gage, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Black Mountain (North Loop) 404
Next door
3.28-mile out-and-back trail in Nevada with 1,833 ft gain/loss and a max elevation of 5,035 ft.
Photo: Joe K Gage, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Sloan 402
~2 min drive
1.04-mile out-and-back trail in Nevada with 59 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
Black Mountain Trail
~3 min drive
5.88-mile out-and-back hike in Nevada with 2,013 ft gain.
HIKE
River Mountains Loop
~15 min drive
34.18-mile loop in Nevada with 2,356 ft elevation gain.
Photo: Joe K Gage, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Fracture Ridge
~2 min drive
3.18-mile out-and-back trail in Nevada with 1,644 ft elevation gain
HIKE
Petroglyph Trail
~8 min drive
4.35-mile out-and-back trail in Nevada with 377 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Mccullough Hills
~6 min drive
9.02-mile loop trail in Nevada with 843 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Sloan 403
~3 min drive
3.41-mile out-and-back trail in Nevada with 387 ft gain
Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Cowboy Trail
~8 min drive
1.32-mile out-and-back trail in Nevada with 325 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
701 Loop
~4 min drive
5.39-mile loop trail in Nevada with 626 ft elevation gain/loss.
Route details
- Distance
- 5.5 mi round trip
- Climbing
- About 3,776 ft
- Summit
- 5,092 ft
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Time
- About 2 hours
Other routes up Black Mountain
Questions about this route
How long is the Black Mountain (South Loop) 404 on Black Mountain?
About 5.5 mi round trip.
How much elevation gain is on the Black Mountain (South Loop) 404?
About 3,776 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Black Mountain (South Loop) 404?
It is rated expert.
How long does the Black Mountain (South Loop) 404 take?
About 2 hours round trip.
How many routes go up Black Mountain?
3: Black Mountain (North Loop) 404, Black Mountain (South Loop) 404 and Black Mountain Trail.
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.
