New Mexico trails · Black Range Crest
Black Range Crest
A 33.1-mile point-to-point in New Mexico, with 2,604 ft of climbing. Reaches Board Gate Saddle and other lake/pass/spring/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 5,429 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Board Gate Saddle (pass)
- Emory Pass (pass)
- Reeds Peak (summit)
- Willow Spring (spring)
- Mimbres Lake (lake)
- Hillsboro (summit)
- Emory Pass Vista (viewpoint)
Getting there
BOARD GATE SADDLE — parking nearby, restroom, water. 33.00443, -107.85622 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:19 a.m., the sun rises at 6:45 a.m. and sets at 7:37 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:03 p.m. (MDT) — 12 h 53 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 33.1-mile route works out to roughly 13 h 34 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Pretty Canyon Trail #812 + Sids Prong Trail #121 + Black Range Crest — 10.1 mi loop, 3,155 ft gain
- Black Range Crest + Middle Fork Mimbres River + South Fork Mimbres River — 11.5 mi loop, 2,088 ft gain
- Quaking Aspen + Black Range Crest + East Canyon — 10.9 mi loop, 2,824 ft gain
Nearby trails
- 976 — 8.6 mi
- Animas Divide — 8.7 mi
- Lake Trail — 12.7 mi
- Spring Mtn — 15.7 mi