| Black Hill | |
|---|---|
Black Hill. |
|
| Elevation | 663 ft (202 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Location | |
| Location | Morro Bay, California |
| Range | Santa Lucia Range |
| Topo map | Morro Bay South |
| Geology | |
| Type | Volcanic plug |
| Age of rock | 20 million years |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Nine Sisters |
Black Hill is a hill in Morro Bay, California. It is a part of Morro Bay State Park. The hill is the second to last in a series of volcanic plugs called the Nine Sisters.
The west side of Black Hill is accessible by a trail that goes all the way to the top. The road to the trail is officially open during the day, but the opening and closing of the gate is unreliable. Black Hill is rumored to have received its name because of a tar seep on the north side of the hill.
There is a forest of Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) trees on Black Hill, called Fleming's Forest, on the hill which were planted by John Fleming, a former park superintendent. Fleming was working on another project and ordered twice as many trees as he needed, thinking that he would not get his entire order. However, he received his order in full and decided to use the left over trees on Black Hill.
Many of the trees have died or are in the process of dying from the Pine Pitch Canker, an introduced fungal disease, also threatening the Monterey Pine's remnant native groves in Cambria and the Monterey Peninsula.[2]
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