Try this 8.8-mile out-and-back trail near Kenton, Oklahoma. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 3 h 17 min to complete. This is a popular trail for hiking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash.
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What you see is what you get. Wide dirt trail on the lower flats, gets rocky as you start the ascent and the first 100 yards on the Mesa. Trail is mostly gravel with rocks and ruts on top. Sun tucked itself behind a cloud for the descent which made for a cool and comfortable hike down. No bugs and trail is dry. Nice little hike.
Kid friendly trail! Easy to moderate. This trail was pretty smooth, the only thing that cause me to say it’s moderate is the elevation change at roughly mile mark 2.5-3.5 then it turns easy again until you reach the granite monument, which is located on top of Black Mesa. Also if you have knee or hip issues you might struggling going down.
It was an absolutely perfect day - Sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and about 50°F by noon. However, the area saw a good amount of snowfall a couple of days before, so there were patches of snow on the trail, and of course, snowmelt. This caused the trail to be muddy and very slick in some places. Within the first mile, my boots have accumulated so much mud on their soles, that it looked like I had slivers of carpet glued to the bottoms of my feet (see photos). At least there wasn’t any mud on the steep incline - that was mostly snow-covered and rocky. At the top, there was more mud, but absolutely gorgeous views. Do the extra .25 mile stretch beyond the High Point marker to the overlook! In all it is a great hike, but I just wish the mud wasn’t so clingy to my boots. At least by the time we got back to the car, the mud was dry enough that I could just beat my boots together to shake most of the chunks off.
Trail was easy to follow. Our total distance was 9.56. We went from the marker out to the edge of the butte. We also hiked from the marker over to the New Mexico State line. The barbed wire fence is the border between the 2 states. The climb is a little steep in a few places, but short. (Less than a mile going up.) It was mid-November and the sun was still intense.
Fine hike. No shade, except the taller bushes you might be able to sit under, that are alongside the trail. I'd recommend getting to the trailhead before 7am so you limit the amount of time you're in the direct sunlight/heat. Dogs are allowed on this trail, but make sure to bring A LOT of water for them. Our dog was basically walking from shady spot to shady spot and stopping, the whole time we walked.
Started at 8 AM and it was 37°. Got back to the trailhead at 11:20 AM and it was 71° with no wind and fully exposed . We had sunscreen and billed hats, which were helpful. The rocky steeper terrain going up to the Mesa, kicked in at about 2.5 miles where you pretty much get most of your elevation over with in about 1 mile. We really enjoyed this Highpoint, very different, terrain than what we are used to and great views from the edge of the Mesa. Go about another .15 miles to the edge of the Mesa and you can see below to the farmlands. We camped at the Black Mesa State Park campground, about 15 miles away from the trailhead. $16 a night at the campground includes showers! There was also a bed-and-breakfast- the black Mesa, highly rated, a few miles away from the trailhead. We clocked just under 9 miles and 750 feet of gain. This is state Highpoint number 10 for me and 7 for my husband!
Frequently asked questions about Black Mesa Trail
What are some of the facilities available for Black Mesa Trail?
How to get to Black Mesa Trail?
What is the expected weather this week for Black Mesa Trail?
- Wed, May 22 - 79 degrees/mostly sunny
- Thu, May 23 - 90 degrees/sunny
- Fri, May 24 - 79 degrees/sunny
- Sat, May 25 - 88 degrees/mostly sunny/wind
- Sun, May 26 - 88 degrees/mostly sunny
