Black Mesa Trail

Black Mesa Trail is an unmarked, cross-country out-and-back to the broad top of Black Mesa, starting at the Northshore Road Mile 10.5 pullout. The north approach and return cover about 3.9 miles round trip; the mapped line shows the outward route once. Allow about three to four hours, even though the mileage sounds modest. This isn't a maintained trail with a clear tread, so go only if you're comfortable navigating open desert and rocky washes. Returning the way you came avoids the separate loop's steep west-ridge descent.

From the pullout, head southeast across desert pavement toward low bluffs, then drop to the meeting of two broad washes. Follow the wash east along the mesa's north side. At the first side wash coming in from the south, turn into a narrower canyon cut through red mudstone. The wash is rough underfoot, with large rocks and small boulders; it eventually climbs to the edge of a deep gully. Stay on the ridge; don't descend into the gully. From there, climb southwest up the steep ridge onto the mesa. There are no signs or tread markers, so bring the route line offline and be ready to navigate by terrain.

This is a mixed walk: a short dip to the drainage, easier walking in the broad wash, boulder-strewn scrambling in the canyon, then a steep rocky climb onto the ridge and mesa. The exposed climb is Class 2, where you may use a hand for balance; trekking poles can help on the loose slopes. Once on top, the mesa is broad and nearly flat. Continue to the summit a few yards west of Benchmark La Mesa, then retrace the same route. A separate roughly four-mile loop descends the west ridge and returns by a broad wash; that harder descent is not part of the route saved here.

The narrow canyon cuts through red mudstone veined with pale gypsum, and the mesa's dark desert varnish gives Black Mesa its name. Look for animal tracks in the sandy wash; coyotes and desert bighorn use it, though signs are more likely than a guaranteed sighting. From the summit, Lake Mead and Black Canyon sit below a wide sweep of mountain ranges. Keep a strip of the rocky mesa edge in a south-facing photo so the lake's depth reads against the foreground.

Park at the pullout on the north side of Northshore Road, 10.5 road miles from the Lakeshore Road junction and about half a mile past mile marker 10. The access descriptions identify a roadside pullout rather than a developed trailhead, and list no facilities. Pets are allowed on hiking trails in the recreation area; keep them on a leash no longer than six feet (1.8 meters).