Black Mountain Park

Paseo Valdear Trailhead (Point 30 on the map) - From Interstate 15 take the Hwy 56 exit and go west.  Exit Rancho Peñasquitos Boulevard to off ramp stoplight.  Turn left at the light onto Carmel Mountain Road.  After a few stoplights make a right onto Paseo Valdear.  Take Paseo Valdear until it ends.  

Park and ride at Stoney Creek Road.  From Interstate 15 take the Hwy 56 exit and go west.  Exit Rancho Peñasquitos Boulevard to the off ramp stoplight.  Continue straight through the  light onto Carmel Mountain Road.  At the third street on the left (after going over a small rise), make a left onto Stoney Creek Road.  Immediately hang another left into the church parking lot which is also used as a park and ride. 

Fire Hydrant Trailhead - (Point 36 on map) From Interstate 15 take the Hwy 56 exit and go west.  Exit Rancho Peñasquitos Boulevard to the off ramp stoplight.  Continue straight through the  light onto Carmel Mountain Road.  After going over a small rise make a right onto Via Rimini street.  Park anywhere along the neighborhood streets where you can find a spot.  The trailhead is at the fire hydrant one the west side of Carmel Mountain Road directly across from the right you took onto Via Rimini.

Trailhead near the bottom of the main fireroad up Black Mountain (1).  From Interstate 15 take the Hwy 56 exit and go west.  Exit Rancho Peñasquitos Boulevard to a stoplight.  Turn left at the light onto Carmel Mountain Road.  Turn right onto Black Mountain Road.  Take Black Mountain to Maler Road.  Turn left onto Maler Road.  Take Maler Road until it ends and park along the street.  You should see a fireroad the crosses the street near the end.  Take the fireroad (17) south (to your right as you are driving in). 

Miner's Ridge Loop at Black Mountain Park. - If you are pressed for time or just want to get on some singletrack try this out.  Park at the Black Mountain Park trailhead.  From the parking lot follow the signs for the Miner's Ridge Loop (5).  You will follow a fireroad for a bit and then you will see a sign point to the loop.   You are at the "bottom" of the loop.  You can either continue straight and take the easier way up to climb to the "top" of the loop.  But I suggest you hang a right here.  You will almost instantly have to navigate a series of tight rock stair step switchbacks which can be quite difficult.   After you get past the switchbacks it is a fairly straight forward climb up to the top of the loop where you will see a steep fireroad going up toward Black Mountain.  You will also see that the singletrack bends to your left and back downhill.  Take the singletrack for a very enjoyable ride back to the bottom of the loop.  There are a few stair step drops near the bottom to keep you excitement level up.  The whole loop is only about 1.8 miles so you may want to try this loop going in both directions.  When you finally decide to go back to the parking lot, hook up with the Canyon Trail (10) and then ride back up the road to your car.  This adds maybe a half a mile.

The Peak Loop - This one you can do to you get tired.  You start this ride off my getting to the bottom of the main fire road up the mountain (1).   Park at either the Paseo Valdear Trailhead (30), and take (21) over to (1) or at the end of any of the cul-de-sacs along the west side fire road (17) and take it to (1).  I suggest parking at the end Maler Road (See directions above).   Once and the bottom of (1) you can not help but notice the antenna farm at the top of the mountain.  You will also not a trail/old road coming pretty much straight down the west slope.  This is your downhill reward for what you are about to climb.   Simple take the (1) up to the top of the mountain.  Take note of a trail off to your right about 1.1 miles into the climb right before a sharp left hand turn.  This is the East Side Cutover (3) that you will use on larger loops.  Just before you get to the top you will see the downhill off to your left.  Don't go down yet.   Go ahead and climb to the top and take in the nice views.   Take note to the east at some of the trails you can see.  Also take not on the North side of the slope the very steep fireroad going down the mountain. This is trail (4).   When down taking in the views, head back down to trail (2) enjoy the bomb fest.  The trail will dump you out on a fireroad (17) at the bottom.  Hang a right to get back to the (1) if you want to try it again.

The East Side Up and Down.  This ride starts out on the east side of the east ridge off of Carmel Mountain Road.  Point 36 on the map is a fire hydrant on the side of Carmel Mountain Road directly across from Van Rimini drive.  You can park on one of the side streets of Van Rimini or at the Park and Ride at the church on the corner of Stoney Creek Road and Carmel Mountain Road (The next street south of Van Rimini on Carmel Mountain Road).  So once you get parked make your way back to the Fire Hydrant (36) and take the trail that goes up to the east ride I call "Climbable" (18).  Once up to ridge hang a right on the East Ridge trail (7). After .4 miles you will see a single track heading off to the left (trail 6).  You can take this trail to head over to Black Mountain if you want.  But for this ride, continue on straight for a section of rough climbing on the Up and over trail (8). In the next .15 mile you will gain 135 feet (Ouch!).  Once over the top you get a steep descent down the other side at the bottom of this hill you will see another fireroad that cross the Up and Over trail at angle.  This is the Bonzi trail (11).  Take it to right at the bottom.  Look for another less defined fireroad to your left about .15 miles after you make the right.  Take this left onto the "Bombdrop" trail (12).  Follow this trail down for 3/4ths of a miles down to trailhead at Point 22.  You can follow the streets downhill back to Carmel Mountain road and back to your car.

Tour De Black Mountain  - Give this one a shot if you are feeling zippy. This offers the most miles.   Starting from the Paseo Valdear trailhead (Point 30), take 21 over to 1. Take the main fireroad (1) up to the east side cutover (3).  Take (3) for .25 miles where you will hang a left onto the Bonzi (11), Almost immediately hang a right onto a sweet little section of singletrack (6) that will angle you down into a small ravine then take you up the other side.  On the other side you will come to junction with another trail.  Stay to your left and continue up to the East Ridgeline and the Up and Over trail (8).  Suffer for .15 mile to the top and then enjoy a steep descent down the other side at the bottom of this hill you will see another fireroad that cross the Up and Over trail at angle.  This is the Bonzi trail (11).  Take it to right at the bottom.  Look for another less defined fireroad to your left about .15 miles after you make the right.  Take this left onto the "Bombdrop" trail (12).  1/10th of a mile after you will see a switchback trail heading up and to your left.  Take this back up to the Up and Over trail (8) and hang and right to continue along the ridgeline.  Continue on the ridgeline for 1 miles to the top Ebony hill.  Look for a defined trail off to the left and down into valley below.  This is "Derailluer" (13).  Take this steep, slow but fun descent down into the valley where you hook up with a dirt road that cuts across the valley (14).  Once across the valley take the Black Mountain Road (16).  About 2.1 miles from the top of Ebony hill you will see a paved road off to the left of Black Mountain Park.  Take this paved road and climb 200 feet and .35 miles to the Black Mountain Park parking lot.  (see the direction Miner's Ridge Loop above)  Take Miner's Ridge Loop, and go up a fire road for just under .40 miles.  You will see a sign showing the loop off to the right.  Continue straight and take loop in a clockwise direction.  When at the top of the loop take the fireroad the goes up to the top of Black Mountain (4).  You will gain about 350 feet in .4 miles.  Once at the top of take the West Slope Downhill (2) back down to the  fireroad (17) hang a left and then take trail 21 back to the trailhead at Point 30.   This is about a 13 mile loop but it will feel like a few more miles that.