Hike Black Bull Peak via Dangerous Park Gila National Forest, NM

Oct 16, 2024 — I was looking for a peak in this isolated nook of New Mexico, a region I hadn’t visited before. After much scouring, I realized that most significant summits in the area seem to offer minimal hiking since they're accessible by vehicle on rough roads, while others require miles of bushwhacking due to the absence of trails. Black Bull Peak caught my attention because of its proximity to the Dangerous Park Trail. I had a sense that this area would mostly feature typical New Mexico hills with the occasional interesting volcanic feature, and that’s pretty much exactly what this hike turned out to be. Regardless, I enjoyed the walk on a tame, sometimes difficult-to-follow trail to a seldom-visited peak. I learned years ago that it’s important to check for updates on New Mexico trails, since they often receive below-average attention, especially in areas far from civilization. However, a recent report by Valerie Norton made this trail seem viable.

The turn-off for the Pueblo Park Campground starts here (33.63606, -108.89683), a road perfectly fine for any vehicle. I parked at the end of the campground, which I learned was a site built by the CCC in the 1930s. The Dangerous Park Trail begins past a corral and gradually ascends through rolling hills. Initially, it’s in great shape and easy to follow. I could see the cliffs beneath the base of the Saddle Mountain Lookout Tower on my way up, but most other features were difficult to discern, as the hills weren’t necessarily all that unique.

The scraggly forest was interspersed with small clearings, offering random views in different directions. The Dangerous Park Trail progressively wound its way along lumpy ridgelines and gentle slopes until reaching a feature known as Dangerous Park, which I believe is just a clearing with a wooden corral. Beyond Dangerous Park, the trail degrades significantly, though it remains a overall reasonable. By the end of the hike, however, I was covered in scratchy burrs from my knees down. Immediately past the corral, it’s tempting to follow a fenceline, but the trail instead heads north, a few sparse cairns helping just enough to stay on track.

Soon, I reached a nice overlook toward Black Bull Peak ahead, and the views of the surrounding hills improved further. I was pleased to find that the trail led me all the way to the base of Black Bull Peak before it abruptly wrapped around its southern base, which was where I left the trail. From below, I peered up at the cliff band protecting the summit and determined that my best option for the ascent would be up a small talus field on its southwest side. Meandering too far right would lead to more difficult scrambling on larger boulders, and veering left seemed to lead to more serious cliffs. I took the lumped southern ridge through the trees. There wasn’t much bushwhacking to note, but the steepness was certainly a change compared to the approach so far.

It was nice to get some fun boulder-hopping near the top, though none of the scrambling exceeded Class 2. I found the weakness in the cliff band I'd intended to reach and scurried up. The high point is located a bit to the north, requiring a quick forest walk along the rim. I was surprised to find that the true summit was a Class 4 boulder cluster, but with good holds, I was able to reach the true summit. The views were a little disappointing due to dense tree cover, though there was a lookout point on the north end. I never found out why this area was considered dangerous enough to be called Dangerous Park.