User:Kaseydyann/sandbox

Black Mountain Open Space Park is a city park located in San Diego, California.

Description
The park covers 2352 acre in the Black Mountain Ranch and Rancho Peñasquitos area of northern San Diego. Many native plant and animal species inhabit the area.

===Plant species === Native plant species preserved in Black Mountain Open Space Park include both chaparral and coastal sage scrub. Native to the east and north sides of the mountain, the chaparral community includes manzanita, laurel sumac, lemonade berry, coffee berry, chamise, toyon, and California lilac. The coastal sage scrub, native to the south and west faces of the mountain, include white and black sage, California sagebrush, California buckwheat, and California sunflower.

Animal species
The Black Mountain Open Space Park is home to a wide variety of animal species. Mammals include mule deer, bobcat, desert woodrat, and Pacific kangaroo rat, and many others. Among the more than 80 birds species that can be found in the park, rare birds like the California Gnatcatcher, Rufous-crowned sparrow, and Northern harrier reside in the area. Reptiles include the red diamond rattlesnake and amphibians include the Pacific chorus frog and slender salamander.

Black Mountain
Black Mountain (often referred to as "Little Black Mountain" to avoid confusion with Black Mountain, located in the Cleveland National Forest of eastern San Diego County, California) is the central feature of Black Mountain Open Space Park, standing at 1,554 feet (474 m) tall. At its peak, Black Mountain is host to a handful of communication towers, including a retired AT&T microwave repeater tower and a Verizon Wireless Communication Facility.

Mine
Tucked away in the Black Mountain canyon is an abandoned arsenic mine, accessible via pathways branching off of the park's Miner's Ridge Loop trail. The mine was established in the 1920's by Escondido rancher, rodeo cowboy, and actor Frank Hopkins, due to the demand for white arsenic, a key ingredient in pesticides that attacked infesting boll weevils. As the boll weevil population shrank, the demand for white arsenic fell, causing the abandoning of the mine in 1927. According to a 1939 article, published in the Vista Press, Hopkins also used this mine to find gold.

Hiking
The park is a popular hiking spot, offering numerous trails of varying length and difficulty.

Trails

 * Lusardi Creek Loop Trail
 * East Rim Trail
 * Miner's Ridge Loop Trail
 * 2.3 miles with 670 feet of climbing
 * Accessible via Carmel Valley Rd.
 * Glider Point Trail
 * Nighthawk Trail
 * Accessible via Hilltop Community Park
 * Little Black Loop Trail
 * South Point View Trail