Trail Overview
The Black Hills Loop Trail is a great, fun trail. It starts wide but quickly narrows as you approach the train tracks. Running along the fence line, there are some areas where paint damage is guaranteed. Dropping into the wash is one of the highlights of this trail. The wash is deep sand, with sporadic rock gardens and a choose-your-own-adventure type scenario. The old wooden train bridges (there are two, only the first one is pictured) are the highlight. Beware: the second, easternmost bridge only clears a Tacoma by about 4 inches, so full-size trucks or high-clearance vehicles with rooftop tents will have to turn around or find another way at this point. Out of the wash, you'll encounter wash crossings and erosion that have steep entrances or exits, as well as some off-camber situations. This trail is also on Arizona State Trust Land and requires a permit. The yearly permit can be purchased and printed online. The permit allows certain recreational activities, including camping, bicycling, bird watching, GPS-based recreational activities (geocaching), hiking, horseback riding, off-highway vehicle (OHV) usage, photography, picnicking, and sightseeing.
Difficulty
This trail is unmaintained with narrow sections and guaranteed paint damage. Some features of this trail are wash crossings with steep entrances and exits as well as a long section of wash with deep sand. Most of the trail is one lane wide, though the wash has places to turn around and pass other vehicles. The bridges one must go under in the wash are not high-clearance, therefore, larger vehicles will be forced to turn around or find another workaround.
