Page 12 - Walks In The Black Range

4. Hillsboro Lake
The walk to Hillsboro Lake is about 7.3 miles (round-trip) from the Emory Pass Overlook. Route finding is straightforward. Starting at the Overlook, walk north on the Black Range Crest Trail (this section is known locally as the Hillsboro Peak Trail) for 3.6 miles. This will bring you to the saddle south of Hillsboro Peak. Turn east and walk down slope for about 100 yards. Sit on some dead tree trunks and enjoy the lake.

In many areas of the world the “lake” would be called a pond but here it is the only natural water body in the Black Range. With proper purification equipment the lake is a good source of water in an otherwise dry area, good camp sites are nearby.
As of April 2020 this section of the Black Range Crest Trail was in good shape with relatively little blow down.
There is a moderate elevation gain of about 1,000 feet between the Overlook and the saddle below Hillsboro Peak. The trail goes through the heart of the Silver Fire burn and standing snags are still falling during high winds. Until the snags near the trail have all fallen, it is not a place to be on a windy day.

Many maps indicate a trail between the saddle and the lake (the upper part of the Ladrone Trail). It does not exist at this time. There is a fair amount of wind fall on the steep slope above the lake and brush and grass is growing on loose scree, making for a tenuous trip down and a workout coming back up.

Aspen and evergreens surround the lake making for a beautiful setting, a unique jewel in the Black Range. Drought and fire damage have made their impact and increasingly you will find the “lake” dry.
Hillsboro Lake is shown on the following page.
There are a large number of trail variations in this section of the Black Range, as you will note from the trail entries in this section of the book. The main trunk trail is the Black Range Crest Trail (No. 79) from Emory Pass to Hillsboro Peak. Near Hillsboro Peak you can drop down to spend time at the lake, you can continue up to the forest fire lookout on the top of Hillsboro Peak, or you can take the Hillsboro Peak Bypass Trail.
The Black Range is a fairly long and narrow mountain range
which has the Black Range Crest Trail and The Continental Divide Trail running along its crest. From the crest trails there are a number of trails going down the mountain range to the east or west. A fair number of trail combinations are possible as a result, this area being a prime example of the possibilities.
Additional photographs from this walk can be found here.