Great day for a hike with two best friends and a very good dog. This is a great little mountain with nice views. You can make this a longer hike than what I did, but I had already climbed Catherine and Caribou mountains earlier in the day. We took the Big Chief Trail up from the Black Mountain Road. When the trail split we stayed right and went to Black MT. East Peak, to the left takes you to Black Mountain Cliffs and a second peak. Many different books call the peaks here differently. From the splint we hiked up to the summit, there was a steep down over granite boulders into the col then through a forested trail, followed by a scramble back up over more granite. If you are hiking with little kids or your knees are weak and the steep trails aren't for you the view from the split is nice and might be enough for some. From the peak we took the trail that pointed to Black Cliffs. From the summit you could also take the Caribou Loop Trail. The trail to Black Mountain Cliffs didn't seem as steep as the one that dropped down into the col on the way up to the peak but it did have a few steps that would give you a challenge if your inseam is on the shorter side. At the next intersection we went left back to meet the Big Chief Trail at the the first intersection we had come to. The mountain can also be accessed from Schoodic Beach Road. The parking lot on Black Mountain road just before the trail head is on the right and holds about 3 cars. The trail leaves the road on the left. We met a couple on the trail that said they parked their camper beyond the trail head, but I have no idea what lays beyond the trail head. Our map and g.p.s. didn't show the road beyond where we were it does look to keep going but for how long I don't know. I feared that maybe the couple had come up from Schoodic Beach and had taken a wrong turn coming down the trail.
I would put this hike on my list of mountains I'd climb again.
Happy Trails!