Green Hills Continued
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The road kinks through private grazing lands and the Mesa Grande Indian Reservation. Keep your eyes on the road and be careful; it’s not hard to wander over the center line on those blind, hairpin turns.
Look for the old Mesa Grande Store (it’s pretty much the largest building you’ll see), then make the right turn to Black Canyon Road.
About 12 miles of dirt from Mesa Grande to the edge of Ramona, Black Canyon Road runs along the edge of a spectacular canyon.
And it’s an old road. Back when I drove this in 2003 for Weekend Driver San Diego, I did a bit of research and found it not only pre-dates the Automobile Age, it probably goes back to the Native Americans who lived in the area before European settlers came in the late-1700s.
As the area developed, it was an important connection between Warner Springs, an outpost for travelers coming to and from the desert, and Ramona, which was an important agricultural center on the way to San Diego.
And although paved roads have gone elsewhere and trade routes have changed, Black Canyon Road remains open and shows signs that the County is still maintaining it, as it does for about 150 miles of dirt roads.
Drivers today get to enjoy one of the pristine nature areas in the county. Between the Cleveland National Forest and the Mesa Grande Indian Reservation, most of the road is in protected areas. Much of the road clings to the cliffside, with a shear drop on one side. Signs warn to “use horn at one lane curves" and you’d better believe it. Talk about blind curves… there’s only one, narrow lane. Your Hummer H2 would be challenged not because of the terrain, but because your wide track and fat tires might scrape the edge of the road, sending little pebbles cascading down 50 feet or more to the bottom of the canyon.
The Subaru Forester was perfect… comfortable, nice handling, the all-wheel-drive was sure-footed on the at-times sandy road. It allowed me to enjoy the views.
One of the high points along the road are the falls, located about a third of the way down from Mesa Grande. When water’s running through the creek, folks are known to go for a swim in the chilly water. It is very rocky, however, and Park Rangers say they have to rescue banged up swimmers a couple of times a year. Hike down the hill and enjoy the water… safely.
