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Mar 30, 2024 — Black Mountain is a super-popular exercise hill within Cave Creek, Arizona. I parked in one of the few designated Black Mountain parking spots and started up a paved road. It leads up a hill and through a neighborhood to a dead-end, the start of the trail marked by a brown sign reading "Black Mountain Trail". The hike was basically just a straight line south to the summit, the trail mostly dirt and wide enough for hiker traffic going in both directions. Aside from two rocky portions up steeper segments that slow everyone down, there were surprisingly minimal conga-line formations. Due to the large amount of foot traffic, there are short side-trails that veer off, but ultimately they led back to the main route. The trail flattens briefly along the ridgeline, with a view of the waving American flag on Black Mountain's summit. It's a short jaunt from here to gain the summit. There are no remarkable views of suburbia to be found here, so I turned right around and headed back down.
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