Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / New Mexico / Southern New Mexico

Black Range Crest Trail to Hillsboro Peak

Aldo Leopold Wilderness, Gila National Forest (Emory Pass on NM 152)

North of Emory Pass, the crest of the Black Range forms the spine of the Aldo Leopold Wilderness. The Black Range Crest Trail #79 follows it, and its first five miles lead to Hillsboro Peak, where a fire lookout is still in use, according to NPS.

It’s a common day hike, but published accounts describe sleeping at the summit and walking on north along the crest.

The hike

The trail starts across NM 152 from the Emory Pass Observation Site, about 17.8 miles west of Hillsboro, the Forest Service says. The trailhead has no restrooms or water. Stav Is Lost, which hiked it in 2020, notes that the trail soon meets a forest road and follows it past maintenance buildings.

The Forest Service describes the trail as following the crest through the wilderness with views east over the Rio Grande valley and west to the Gila Wilderness and Mogollon Mountains. NPS lists the out-and-back to the lookout at 10.2 miles with 2,066 feet of elevation change. SummitPost puts the summit at 10,020 feet.

Stav Is Lost says much of the route passes through a burn area. NPS says the 2013 Silver Fire left exposed sections, fallen trees, and erosion, and that the 2022 Black Fire affected many trails around Emory Pass. Stav Is Lost found the trail well maintained, with the last mile running through live trees to a small summit meadow. A HikeArizona hiker in October 2024 found the northern section in much better shape than the trail south of the pass, with three downed trees and some brush, and climbed the tower for the view. Desert Lavender, on a 2012 trip, called the last mile “relentlessly steep.”

From Hillsboro Peak, the crest trail continues north. The Forest Service lists about 27.7 miles from Emory Pass to Reeds Peak, where it meets the Continental Divide Trail, with sixteen connecting trails along the way. In 2012, Desert Lavender made a 13.5-mile loop: 5 miles to the peak, 4 more to Holden Prong Saddle, and 4.5 down West Railroad Canyon to the Railroad Canyon trailhead on NM 152. That predates two large fires, so check its condition.

The Forest Service says the 2022 Black Fire burned more than 90 percent of the wilderness, and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition put it at 325,133 acres, New Mexico’s second-largest historical wildfire. Gila Trails Info warns to expect washouts, heavy locust, hazard trees, and downed logs in the wilderness.

For a longer high-country trip in the Gila to the west, see the Mogollon Crest Trail.

Tips

Camping

No permit or fee is needed for individuals; organized groups need a Forest Service permit. SummitPost says primitive camping is allowed along the trails without a permit, and that a one-room cabin at the summit has been open to the public first come, first served; it also mentions a ranger residence and pit toilet there. Forest Order 03-06-00-25-002 limits camping to 14 days in 30. The Gila lifted fire restrictions on July 20, 2026. Nearby car campgrounds at Upper Gallinas and Railroad Canyon are in flash-flood zones and have no drinking water, according to NPS.

Inside Intel: On Desert Lavender’s 2012 trip, some of the group slept on the lookout’s porches, others pitched tents near the corral, and two stayed in the cabin. The lookout told them he “hadn’t seen another person in three days.” The writers also reported a bear near the tower. No more recent camper accounts were found.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Coffee by the Hillsboro Peak lookout:

You carry every drop of water up from Emory Pass, so a stove that boils efficiently stretches your supply. See the backpacking stoves testers trust.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.