Black Mountain is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

located in Catron County,

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

, on the northern boundary of the

Gila Wilderness Gila Wilderness was designated the world's first wilderness area on June 3, 1924. Along with Aldo Leopold Wilderness and Blue Range Wilderness, the 558,014 acre (225,820 ha) (872 sq. mi.) wilderness is part of New Mexico's Gila National Forest. ...

and in the

Gila National Forest The Gila National Forest is a protected national forest in New Mexico in the southwestern part of the United States established in 1905. It covers approximately of public land, making it the sixth largest National Forest in the continental U ...

. Black Mountain stands within the watershed of the Gila River, which drains into the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

and thence into the

Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja C ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The eastern and northern slopes of Black Mountain drain into the East Fork of the Gila River; the western and southern sides drain into the Middle Fork. Currently (February 2014) the Forest Service web page states that the summit lookout tower is closed. The area was severely impacted by the Miller fire in 2011 but the cause of the closure is not stated on the Forest Service web page. The

Black Mountain Lookout Cabin The Black Mountain Lookout Cabin in Gila National Forest in or near Black Mountain, New Mexico, was built in 1925. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Black Mountain, Catron County, New Mexico It is located on B ...

is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

References

External links

* * Claridge, D. (2003
"Voices of the Wind — life in a Gila Wilderness lookout tower."
{{Mountains of New Mexico Mountains of New Mexico Gila River Landforms of Catron County, New Mexico Mountains of Catron County, New Mexico