Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
We head out from Casa Codorniz, pointing the Rhino south. The route I've chosen today is my favorite of several options for reaching the Tyro Mine overlook. It starts about a mile south of our place, where the trail begins its steep climb up to a ridge that runs parallel to the main Black Mountain range.
The Black Mountains themselves are a revelation for anyone accustomed to the green mountains of the East or even the pine-covered peaks of New Mexico. These are desert mountains, their faces exposed in layers of ancient volcanic rock, sedimentary formations, and mineral deposits that paint the slopes in every shade of brown, red, tan, and gold. They're young mountains by geological standards—part of the Basin and Range province that's been stretching and breaking apart for millions of years—and their bones show through their thin skin of desert vegetation.
nmosg.com
We head out from Casa Codorniz, pointing the Rhino south. The route I've chosen today is my favorite of several options for reaching the Tyro Mine overlook. It starts about a mile south of our place, where the trail begins its steep climb up to a ridge that runs parallel to the main Black Mountain range.
The Black Mountains themselves are a revelation for anyone accustomed to the green mountains of the East or even the pine-covered peaks of New Mexico. These are desert mountains, their faces exposed in layers of ancient volcanic rock, sedimentary formations, and mineral deposits that paint the slopes in every shade of brown, red, tan, and gold. They're young mountains by geological standards—part of the Basin and Range province that's been stretching and breaking apart for millions of years—and their bones show through their thin skin of desert vegetation.
nmosg.com
