Considered by many to be the premier bouldering area of So Cal. Black Mountain offers around 700 to 900 problems on white-peppery alpine granite. House sized boulders litter this high country forest perched on the West flank of Mount San Jacinto, 7000ft. above sea level. John Long was the first to explore the area back in the 70’s, developing bold problems such as Where Boneheads Dare, Moroccan Roll, and the Largo Stem. Black Mountain stayed pretty low on the radar until the mid 90’s when Ben Moon came along and established Bang On.

Shortly thereafter, superstar Fred Nicole showed up for the second ascent, and from that point, popularity in the area skyrocketed. Black Mountain has several distinct areas of interest to boulderers. The first area encountered on the drive up the dirt road is the O.K. Corral. This area is the easiest to access as the boulders practically spill out onto the road. The O.K. Corral, however, can become quite crowded during the peak of the season, especially in the late afternoon as climbers return for the day, stopping in to socialize. Highlights in this area include: O.K. Arete, Gimme Some, Darkhorse, and Morphic Resonance. The next stop on Tour De Black Mountain is Boulder Basin Campground. Boulder Basin is pretty much the core of Black Mountain, with most of the classics residing here. Meenie Greenie, Where Boneheads Dare, Smackdown, Pink Crack, and Boulder Basin Dyno, all scattered about the campgrounds. The Summit area, located just up the road from Boulder Basin, also has many fine problems including the famous Bang On. Other popular climbs are The Visor problems and Crackerboy.

The remaining areas of the Black are found in or near the group campground, which happens to be the campground of choice for most boulderers looking to party the night away. The final area of Black Mountain is the YMCA campground. This somewhat eerie abandoned lodge and group of cabins is the gruesome site of a mass murder back in ‘68! ...just kidding! The bouldering here may be somewhat limited, but the horror movie ambiance is definitely worth the trip. One area of interest along the way to the YMCA camp is the circuit called the “Chappy Boulders”. This semi-secret circuit has many fine problems, and Socalbouldering.com is dedicated to unearthing info on this area in the future.

Weather
Black Mountain is generally a summer destination, although temps. can get a bit toasty. The main reason for it’s summer status is the fact that access is restricted to the summer months. The road is closed most of the rest of the year due to snow and hazardous conditions. Visitors to the mountain should beware of late summer thunderstorms that roll in quickly and pelt the landscape with lightning and torrents of rain. It should be noted that it is still possible to climb here in the off-season months, however it requires parking at the blocked road and walking in, which is about 5mi! Uphill!! In the snow!!!

Directions:
If traveling from Interstate 10, exit Hwy. 243 headed South towards Idyllwild. The turnoff for Black Mountain is roughly 15mi. outside of Banning, and about 8mi. from Idyllwild. Look for a large dirt turnout area on the “upside” of the mountain. There should be signs marking the turnout as Black Mountain Trail. Take the rutted out dirt road up the mountain, traveling about 8mi. to O.K. Corral, and about 10mi. to Boulder Basin Campground. Turning right at the fork just before Boulder Basin leads to the Group sites. From the group camp, continue North down the backside of the mountain to reach the YMCA camp. Some park at a gate blocking a right fork in the road, and walk in. It is also possible to continue driving down the steepening and rutty road. Four wheel drive is good for this section, or at the very least a mild disreguard for your vehicle!