Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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40.82200°N / 111.771°W |
Route Type:
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Hiking |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall |
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Time Required:
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Half a day |
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Difficulty:
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Moderate |
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Rock Difficulty:
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Class 3 |
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Overview
This is the most commonly used route to climb Little Black Mountain. It is popular with runners, bikers, walkers and dogs as well as hikers. The lower sections are hot and exposed to afternoon sun with minimal shade, but the higher sections are much less traveled and offer considerably more of an alpine feel.According to the Wasatch Mountain Club, this hike is 9.6 miles round trip with 3,100 feet of elevation gain.
Getting There
Follow the directions on the main page to reach the trailhead at the top of Terrace Hills Drive.Route Description
Start by hiking the trail up a small canyon (Perry's Hollow). Be ready for mountain bikers racing down these trails at breakneck speed. After about 10 minutes you reach a junction. Turn left onto a much wider trail (dirt road) and follow this for a few more mintues. The views open now of the valley below and the Wasatch mountains to the south. You soon reach a five way junction! Head up towards the east along the steepest trail here, and you soon reach a ridge with a good view towards Little Black Mountain.Follow the trail south a bit, but take a cut off to the left which bypasses the prominent Avenues Twin Peaks (6,291') and gets you onto the main west ridge. Hike this gentle ridge for a couple of miles until you reach the base of Little Black Mountain. Some trees provide welcome shade, but the trail gets very steep for about 800 feet until you reach the false summit of Little Black Mountain at 7,783 feet. There is a register here among the rocks, and many hikers do stop here, but the true summit is a ways further to the east.
The trail continues and you can see the true summit ahead. About half way there, the trail begins to fade and you do some easy class 2 route-finding for a bit. Soon the final summit ridge is in front of you, and the terrain gets considerably more difficult. A short 10 foot descent down an exposed section is the trickiest, and one or two more sections require class 3 scrambling before the final blocks lead you to the summit.