Black Mountain via Valley View, Twin Peaks, and Little Black Mountain Trail

Head east up the Bonneville Shoreline Trail Steiner Centennial section. The rocky path is wide, and scrub oak on both sides provides a bit of shade for about half a mile. At mile 0.08 is the City Creek Saddle and a great view of the University of Utah below. Do not follow the Bonneville Shoreline Trail anymore. Instead, continue northeast up a hill of dry grass and grasshoppers. You will wander up and back down several hills with great canyon views. At the third hill, 1.2 miles, veer slightly left and go around the fourth hill. It's not a tough walk to hill six, where you get a taste of the steepness to come. Half way up hill six, veer left again, continuing east. The trail then curves north and east up another hill. At 2.1 miles you will reach an elevation of 6,398. This is just over halfway to the nearer of two Little Black Mountain peaks. Continue on another mile where the real steep part begins. From here, climb a brutal 800 feet in just more than half a mile. It gets grueling, and there is no shade. However, at mile 3.7 you will reach the top ridge of Little Black Hill, with spectacular views of Salt Lake, Davis, Tooele and Weber counties. You can continue on to reach another peak on the mountain, if you still have energy left.