Overall, The Black Range a wonderful section, especially for those who love isolated mountain ranges. There are few places on CDT that are as remote as the Black Range.Disco asked me: I'd love to hear a bit more about when you've got time is your hike thru the Black Range which is where the CDTA CDT route goes in New Mexico . . . instead of the Gila route. From what I could tell about the Black Range route, there was supposed to be absolutely no water for something like 200 miles. Is that true? What were your overall impressions of the Black Range?
Moreover, the rumor that there is no water for 200 miles is false. There is water, although not much.
I even found water on the tallest point (Reeds Peak)! There is a cistern next to the unlocked cabin. I wouldn't depend on that water and it wasn't pretty, but it might be there.
Overall, water was scarce, like it is in most of the desert sections of New Mexico. I walked through the Chain of Craters route in El Malpais and I thought water was more scarce there than in the Black Range. If the Range is dry, you might have to drop off a few hundred feet to get some water. The northern stretch is also very dry, but I never remember going more than 30 miles without water.
Although I preferred the Gila route, the Black Range is beautiful and isolated. It's great for northbounders, who might want to avoid the swollen middle fork and take advantage of all the springs in the Black Range. For Sobos, the Gila might make more sense since the Black Range will have less water than in the Spring.
The Black Range is not well maintained, but the trail is fairly easy to follow. You might just have some deadfalls to climb over.
Read more about my experience in the Black Range halfway down this page.
I hope others who have done the Black Range can share their thoughts here.