Black Mountain, is a

ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

in the

Diablo Range The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges in northern California, United States. It stretches from the eastern San Francisco Bay Area at its northern end to the Salinas Valley a ...

of southwestern

Fresno County Fresno County (), officially the County of Fresno, is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populo ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, south of Reef Ridge. Its east end begins about 1.25 miles west of Zwang Peak, and runs at elevations over 4000 feet, with the mid ridge rising to 4345 feet, westerly about 3.25 miles to Castle Mountain at an elevation of 4343 feet. It then turns west northwest 2 miles at elevations above 3790 feet with several peaks over 3800 feet and one over 3900 feet along the length of it. There it is linked to the next east west mountain ridge extending east from Mustang Peak. The high point of the ridge is north northeast of

Parkfield, California Parkfield (formerly Russelsville) is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located on Little Cholame Creek east of Bradley, at an elevation of . As of 2007, road signs announce the population as 18. Parkfield is ...

. The crest of the Black Mountain Ridge from Castle Mountain to the Mustang Peak ridge and extending west along that ridge is the boundary line between Fresno County and

Monterey County Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is ...

and the watershed of the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...

. The far eastern end of the north slope of the Black Mountain ridge is the source of Canoas Creek.

References

Diablo Range Mountains of Fresno County, California Mountains of Monterey County, California Mountains of Northern California {{MontereyCountyCA-geo-stub