At present, the Black Mountain trail drops from the ridge directly down to Perry Reservoir, a small pond at the head of Perry Canyon. Motorists had easy access to the reservoir until recently, and used it as a play area for mudding and hill climbing. The Forest Service closed the main access to the reservoir in 2002, and vegetation is now returning to the surrounding area. In an attempt to protect this area, the Forest Service is now proposing to reroute the southern end of the Black Mountain trail across the southern slopes of the mountain, bypassing the reservoir. This photo was taken from the approximate location of the proposed reroute, along one of the old hill-climb tracks. The mudding area is directly below, with the reservoir off the right edge of the photo. Keeping motorists from simply descending the slope from here will not be easy.
