free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Just finding your way to Black Rock Mountain might be considered an achievement, located in the South Ghost Wilderness area it stands apart from its neighbours towering over the Ghost River below. The buttress like southern flank initially seems impenetrable but there is one route available through the buttress with just a little easy scrambling. If you do intend to make the trip a 4x4 with high clearance is advisable; a standard car could get part of the way with care but it will add 9km to the hike and might cost you more in repairs (if the trackside debris is anything to go by, a number of cars have left body/suspension parts behind along the way!)
If you are still determined to go you reach the trailhead by taking highway 1A west out of Cochrane for 13km then take the turning for forestry trunk road 40 (signed to Benchlands, Sundre & Nordegg) follow this for 25km to the junction with Range Rd 74b (a gravel logging trail accessed through a gated entrance) Follow this gravel road for 16 km but note this road deteriorates terribly after 5km and the remaining 11 bites pieces off passing vehicles with ease. If you are using a standard vehicle when you reach the top of the 'big hill' 16km from the start of the road and you see the warning sign about road conditions ahead park on the flat area to the right of the sign and begin your hike here.
for those with 4x4 and decent clearance drive down 'big hill' and onto the Ghost River bed, from here you will get a straight view of the Black Rock Mountain (seen here above the truck) In early summer and late autumn you will often find the river dry (well technically it's still there but running under the stone river bed and occasionally visible) The floods of 2013 washed away most of the track that existed here so it is a case of picking your way along the river (there's usually a few wheel tracks around to get you toward the trailhead)
Drive along the river bed toward the mountain and take the left curve with the river, continue along until you are almost level with the deep gully visible on Black Rock Mountain, here you should see a small orange diamond on a metal pole with number 37 in black text. This is where you turn right directly toward Black Rock Mtn. The shot below gives some idea of the location of the marker.
After crossing the riverbed here you should see the remains of the track leading to the trailhead area (very rough ground and steep climb from riverbed to track, high clearance a must) Another quarter mile or so and you will reach a berm where the parking for the trailhead is found. To find the trailhead (washed away by the 2013 flood) take a direct line from the top of the berm toward the middle of Black Rock Mountain, scramble up the bank and you should see it immediately.
It is undoubtedly not 'easy' to reach the trailhead for Black Rock but the remote location and wonderful feeling of isolation when you finally arrive makes it all worth it. By the time I find the kiosk and I'm setting off up the trail it's 09:30, the sun is already warming the forest but the overnight chill still remains, there's no sign of the snowfall from yesterday as I kick up dust setting out along the trial.
For the first 3km or so the trail is a gentle gradient that makes its way into the forest slowly moving left as it traverses the hillside. First constructed as a mule trail to supply the fire lookout on top of Black Rock it swings in long switchbacks through typical Canadian forest. There are few views to be had along the way but the ground is covered quickly on an excellent trail.
As you reach the treeline that south facing bulwark comes into view and the real ascent begins as you follow a scree chute through the last of the pines toward more open ground.
As I gain ground up the scree slope I can finally see back along the Ghost River to the formidable walls of Mt Costigan and beyond that to Orient Point, between these two are three Ghost Lakes and Lake Minnewanka which cuts 29km through the mountains to Banff.
Back to that slope and the continuing climb to gain the first ridge, I already have my mind on the access through the sheer walls to the flat ridge above, I think I see a few locations where a good scramble would make it but my guide book says an 'easy' scramble so none of my selections could be right.
That first ridge is a lovely spot to stop for a moment and have a short beak, a nice 'rock garden' provides numerous seating choices and the view over the Ghost is spectacular.
Looking upstream through the Devil's Gap as I sit and eat my first orange of the day. The white pinnacle mountain in the far distance is Mt Aylmer, the obvious tower is the 'Devil's Head' and all around them mountains too numerous to name.
Starting out again the scree continues in an endless flow of semi stable rock that shifts beneath you in unpredictable waves. My guide book tells me I will see the trial again as I reach the base of the cliffs ahead so onward and upward I go cursing the scree with every step.
The book was right again, at the base of the cliff is a well trodden pathway that leads around the west side of the mountain and provides another wonderful viewpoint as well as some flat easy walking which is more than welcome.
The path circles the western flank without gaining much ascent at all giving me plenty of energy for a timed shot of yours truly wandering the trail. I've been in a T-shirt since the start of the hike but the fleece hanging by my side was put on soon after this shot.
Further along the trail there is a very sudden howling wind from nowhere, it appears to be originating in the valley below and coming up and over the mountain which is unusual. Soon after this shot I find the reason...
The trail makes a hard right turn into the mountain up a tall scree chute where that wind is really making it's presence felt, the chute is acting like a chimney and drawing the wind up through the cutting. As soon as I get out and onto yet more scree above the opening the wind is gone, yet walking back a little way shows it is still there howling through.
Another scree plod brings me out to the lower plateau where the top of those south facing cliffs makes a lovely spot to warm up again in the morning sunshine. The meadow above the chute appears almost manicured and I can hear the whistle of Marmots calling to each other to warn of my presence though frustratingly I can't see them.
From the lower meadow another rock buttress forces me wide to circumnavigate the rock wall in the obvious location, it's easy walking again at this point and really enjoyable as the soft ground cushions every step toward yet another scree slope.
Up and out of the scree again brings me to another plateau where at last the target is in sight though I have to say it is disappointingly distant at this juncture.
This second high meadow is long enough to allow a breather as you head toward the final ascent (which can only be described as a nightmare of steep scree slopes) on approach to the base the little fire lookout can be seen at last, perched on the edge of that final bulk.
Half way up the scree slope I stop for a breather and to grab a zoomed shot of the 'Devils Head' directly opposite, but mostly I stopped for the breather, that slope is a very tough grunt and at 8080 ft the altitude likes to remind me that 30 years of smoking takes it's toll even 10 years after you stopped.
The slope steepens notably toward the end and a little hands on is required as I scramble up to a narrowing ledge with a huge drop off on either side, you wouldn't call it exposed but if you didn't like heights this might be an issue (or if it was windy it would certainly focus the mind) Looking back, the long meadow on the high plateau can now be seen in full as I make my way along the ridge. It's also a great view of the Ghost River and mountains beyond.
Once off the narrow ridge I ascend the final scree slope (which is thankfully very short) and arrive on a tight plateau where the small lookout still survives as it has since 1928. Admittedly it is not in the best of shape but there is something beautiful about the weathered wooden shingles that continue to hang defiantly in such an exposed location through so many Canadian winters.
It's almost impossible to imagine spending weeks/months up here in isolation in this tiny space, on a day like today it might seem appealing but I suspect when the wind blows hard it is at least a little troubling. From inside the view east over the prairies shows why this particular location was chosen though it was abandoned after 22 years when Mockingbird Lookout was constructed.
A thousand names carved/written and sprayed into and onto the walls of the lookout show a history if visitors dating back to those first years of abandonment, the view to the west shows why they keep returning.
The small table to the rear of the lookout makes an excellent tripod for the unusual summit shot today. Don't let the floppy sun hat and glasses fool you, it quite cold up top
I took a walk out onto the only outlier available which helps to show the precarious position of lookout, the stretched steel cables that hold it to the summit tell a story of their own. The mountains to the west and prairies to the east also show it's perfect placement on the very edge of the rockies.
From behind the lookout the view to the north shows the line of Rockie Mountains reaching to the horizon, to the east is the North Ghost area and Mockingbird Hill fire lookout
I decided on a better summit shot when I found a nice spot to sit the camera on the west side of the lookout showing that wonderful panorama behind me. I sat outside the lookout in the sunshine to have lunch and enjoyed a little more time up top than my usual 10 minutes, it was a wonderful place to have all to myself.
On the way out I took a shot of me on that narrow ridge for scale, as you can see falling off here isn't advisable but there is plenty of room and unless there's a wicked wind blowing there's little danger of a fall.
It's worth noting that all of the plateaus crossed along the way have significant fissures in them which could easily lead to a broken leg or worse. Not a problem in summer but if covered in snow these things would become a significant hazard.
Dropping back down to the lower plateau provides a final window across the upper meadows to the ghost river as it winds south alongside those pristine mountains
Once off the plateau and back in the forest I had the strangest feeling that I was being followed by something, there wasn't any sign of anything or any sound for that matter but I couldn't shake the feeling, maybe I'd had too much sun!! The map below shows the start points for those with a 4x4 and those without, either way you will find Black Rock Mountain worth the effort.
