Page 77 - Volume 3 - Walks In The Black Range

In July, there were many beautiful stands of various wildflowers and numerous butterflies along the walk
The typical difficulties/dangers of a walk in the Black Range are present/possible. Uneven and unstable surfaces, unexpected holes and drop-offs, venomous arthropods and snakes, bears, puma, rabid bobcats, crazed hunters, cowboys, suspicious survivalists etc.. Exercise appropriate care and don’t fret the possibilities.
22. Mineral Creek
This trail description starts at Forest Service Road 157 (North Percha Road) and continues for 1.78 miles to the west up Mineral Creek. FR 157 runs north from NM-152 on the east side of the Black Range. At an elevation of 6,347 feet, the trail starts at 13S UTM 24607.29 m E, 3651445.36 m N and continues west, up the creek. On September 18, 2017 we followed the trail to the overlook of a “large” waterfall, 1.78 miles up the trail. At this point (13S UTM 243932.35 m E, 3651394.47 m N) the elevation is 6,993 feet (having just dropped from 7,002’).
Two sets of photographs are included on the Black Range website as a supplement to this description: Set 1 and Set 2.
In the map on the following page, our route on the 18th followed the canyon bottom from right (at FR-157) to left. The elevation profile for the walk starts with Forest Service Road 157 on the left. The route is along an old mining road which gradually peters out. At about 1.25 miles the grade begins to increase and the trail becomes more overgrown with grass, prickly pear, and mountain mahogany. In the segment shown on the following page the trail has a gross elevation gain of 897 feet and a net gain of 646 feet.

are random pieces of metal associated with this adit in the stream-bed below.
Mineral Creek Spring is a short distance from the beginning of the walk. It percolates from the ground at the base of a hill about fifteen feet above Mineral Creek.
At about 13S UTM 245711.14m E, 3651617.65 m N there is a small waterfall, photo next page. This is not the waterfall which is well-known in the area - that fall is in the stream- bed at the end of the walk described here.
On the 18th the trail was very “birdy” (Bridled Titmouse, Acorn Woodpeckers, Northern [Red-shafted] Flickers, Downy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Turkey Vulture, Plumbeous Vireo, Painted Redstart, Swainson’s Thrush, Wilson’s Warbler, unidentified Quail, ...etc.
The usual suspects are possible along the trail, watch for Rock Rattlesnakes especially. The trail is often rocky and uneven, several stream crossings are involved, higher on the trail the footing is obscured by grass, Mountain Mahogany and prickly pear make the trail difficult to negotiate near its end. The area is rather remote, there is no cell service, so due diligence should be practiced.
Near the end of the trail described here the road reaches an adit on the south side of the north ridge of the stream canyon (star). After this the road diminishes quickly. There