Page 87 - Volume 3 - Walks In The Black Range

25. Dumm Canyon Contributed by Devon Fletcher
About 6.75 miles west of Hillsboro there is a small brown sign along NM 152 that laconically states “Forest Trail.” This is the turn-off for the North Percha Road, which is also known as Forest Road 157. It’s around 8 miles to where we parked. Be forewarned, there is a stream crossing of North Percha Creek, which can be deep occasionally, at mile 7. The last mile beyond the creek is un-maintained and is best negotiated with a high clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle.
The hike we did was about 4 miles roundtrip with about 500 feet of elevation change.
The walk could be extended another half mile or so by walking further downstream to the forest service boundary.
April 12th, 2020
Another beautiful spring Sunday. Another hike out in the Gila. I had this one in the back of my mind for a few years, thinking it would be milder alternative to do with my wife and my dogs (as opposed to what I call my "adventure" hikes, which I usually do alone).
Well, not so much, this stretch of Dumm Canyon from FR 157 downstream to the forest boundary is a fairly rough little hike. At first we walked east on FR157 for just a short ways. Where FR 157 bends away from the creek bed, we
crossed the stream and then followed an un-named, un- numbered road that passed by some very old cabin ruins as well as some cleared areas that are used for camping.
Then we went down into the stream bed following a very vague wildlife trail. Water soon appeared and it made a sweet little scene, but don't expect it to be a live stream (except maybe in the narrowest section) except in the early spring, or years with exceptionally good monsoon rains.
Very quickly, we had to choose whether to go high up on the bank on the south side (to bypass the box), where a path seemed to lead or just get down onto the stream bed itself. We opted for the water of course. For the next mile or so, we were confined by limestone walls anywhere from 20-60 feet high. This is not what I had expected. The very straight sides of these cliffs were not visible when scouting this hike on Google Earth, which led me to believe we would have leisurely walk on dry banks with piñons, junipers and ponderosas.
FR-157 - North Percha Road
North Percha Creek
Instead, we were scrambling around boulders, pushing through thick vegetation, and making many wet crossings. It was all good though. The amenities of the canyon with its babbling stream, tiny waterfalls, flowering willows and sinuous channels carved through the bedrock, more than made up for our struggles.
After picnicking by the transparent, if only slightly milky (from the carbonate rocks so common in the area) brook, we continued downstream and found a lovely little cascade, followed shortly by the flow entering a channel of gray limestone bedrock very similar to places I've visited over on nearby North Percha (Dumm actually flows into N. Percha) and Mineral Creeks.
Clouds moved over us for a time, which kept us from getting too warm, but the wind that was blowing gale all over the region, was non-existent down in our little box canyon.