Black Butte – Double Take
Also on this hike
7/23/2026 – Double Take – Black Butte, Peak #3 of the NorCal Six Pack of Peaks
Headed back to Northern California to finish the NorCal Six Pack of Peaks Challenge. First stop, Black Butte Mountain. Located just below Mount Shasta. My last hike in Central Oregon on July 14th was Black Butte, so why not start with the NorCal Black Butte. Today’s hike was only 5.23 miles and 1,820 feet in total elevation gain.
The Alltrails App lists this trail as being closed due to some rock fall and potentially risky crossings on trail. That said, I did research the National Forrest website to verify. What I found there was that the National Forrest has not closed this trail to hiking, but they have issued a hazard caution due to the potential rock fall. Of course that is a green light for me! 😉
Driving to the trailhead was pretty easy. There is about a 4- or 5-mile stretch on a dirt road to get to the trailhead. I wouldn’t recommend driving a sedan, but any AWD vehicle with moderate clearance can make the drive. Since I camped right off the Black Butte Trail (Road), it was a pretty easy and short drive in for me.
I arrived at the trailhead right around 0600 and began my hike up at 0626. The first 1.3 miles up were uneventful. The mile 1 elevation gain was right around 683 feet. The trail was easy to follow and had a few easy rock/bouder crossings. At the 1.3 mile mark there is a sign that reads, “Rough Rocky Trail”. This is where the trail gets interesting (and fun, IMHO), but not any more dangerous than some other hikes in different challenges.
This section was a lot of boulder walking with another 1,200 feet in elevation gain over 1.6 miles. Five hundred of that gain coming in the final .6 miles to the summit. There are two sections on this part of the hike that have (basically) chain link fence retaining walls. One of them (nearest to the summit) has actually had some rock fall spill over on the trail. That said, I tugged and pushed on both retaining walls to test the strength and found nothing loose or concerning about them. The one with the rock fall on trail is still supporting the rocks well and the spillage on the trail is easily navigable.
Again, I didn’t see any real hazard that would have caused the trail to be closed. No more so than other hikes. Use your best judgement and know and understand your skill level before you go and while you’re on trail. If you’re not feeling safe with the trail and the rock fall, don’t do it.
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