BRN 9-2 (uncompressed) - Flipbook - Page 79
The trail was nice and soft (wet but
not muddy, so that rock sank into the
ground rather than slide as it does
when dry).
Rabb Park Trail
Update
This entry updates Trail 58, ÒRabb
ParkÓ in Volume 3 of Walks in the
Black Range (second edition).
From the trailhead to near the
bottom of section (ÒBÓ) there are no
water crossings. From that point
onward every low spot had ßowing
water and ßowers were nicely
displaying, not at their peak, but in
what had been a very dry year, very
nice.
D
This update was made on 15 September 2025. As shown on the Òone wayÓ
map at the right, this walk was a bit
longer, at a bit over 8 miles roundtrip) than that shown in Volume 2.
C
B
The features of the trail remain
unchanged. In August we had walked
up the trail to the fence gate at the
high point of the trail, about a 3-mile
round trip which manages to get in
most of the steep part of the trail. At
that time there was not a drop of
water to be seen, none in the sky,
none in the streams. Little in the way
of ßowers (but some) and few birds
on that day (although several Wild
Turkey feathers were found;
apparently one of the large birds had
met an untimely demise).
At the southern end of the park there
is the Þrst stream crossing of the
main drainage for the park (ÒCÓ). In
the times we have walked into this
area this has always been a reliable
place for water. In the past this area
was full of sedge, on September 15
it had been scoured out. This stream
winds its way south and west, down
Noonday Canyon to the Mimbres
river near the south end of San
Lorenzo.
A
B
When we arrived at the parking area
in September we found the ground
wet and water on the road which is
the Þrst part of the walk. Indeed, this
was a theme of the walk. Every water
course we encountered had water
ßowing in it. When we got into Rabb
Park we had to do some searching to
Þnd the best stream crossing, at times.
The Þrst stream crossing, which is
along the road to the trailhead, was
completely dry in August; on September 15 it was ßowing nicely (ÒAÓ
on the map, top center).
C
After crossing the stream the
(current) trail follows the top of an
outcrop on the west side of the
stream. In the past, the route
followed the stream northward into
the park and, in fact, that is where
topo maps and many trail apps
indicate the trail is located, but this
section of the USDA Forest Service
trail is gone for the most part.
Coming down off the outcrop and
into the park proper we saw how
signiÞcant the rain event had been.
Grass and sedge along the creek was
ßattened well above the stream bed
(ÒDÓ). And in the southern part of
the park, where the stream and its
various ÒtributariesÓ meander about,
Þnding a crossing spot through the
vegetative mass broke the stride.
A
Farther into the park every oak,
juniper, and pine had a mass of
leaves below it. The rainstorm must
D
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