Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

I visited the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Gunnison, CO on 8÷19÷1990 (it’s stamped in my National Park Passport). It was my 1^st time there. The canyon is unbelievably deep and foreboding. Well worth seeing even if you’ve already been to the Grand Canyon in AZ.

I admit, I had not even heard about this National Park until I started planning our Utah/​Colorado trip. We were doing a circle tour round trip from Denver and decided to dedicate a day to see the Black Canyon.
I’m really glad that we did. It is not a large park per se. We only visited the South Rim and we drove it all, not much hiking. We stopped at all the stops and the views are spectacular from each vantage point. Some looked the same to me, but the same can be said about the Grand Canyon. We also drove down to the bottom via East Portal Road. It was so peaceful down there with so much wildlife.
We were there in late October and it felt like we had the park to ourselves. There is a small visitor’s center with a nice introductory film. Be sure to check it out. In total, our visit lasted about 5 – 6 hours including our drive down on East Portal. Maybe next time we’ll see the North Rim.

Revisiting my old stomping ground.
We used to live in Montrose and this was a very regular spot for us when it was still a National Monument. Very little has changed in the last 20 some years with is a good thing. The views from the the top are worth the drive up the steep windy road. There are many many pullout spots and parts of the canyon are viewable from the parking area or at the end of a short walk. Everything is well marked and there are signs and educational information about the geology, flora and fauna throughout the park. The vistas are incredible.
Some particularly good stopping and viewing areas are — Tomichi Point, the South Rim Visitor Center, Sunset View, and Chasm View. All of these are handicapped accessible. If you don’t mind a short walk, Pulpit Rock Overlook, Cedar Point, and Dragon Point are worth the short walk. A little longer walk, which is one of my favorites, is the hike from High Point (the end of the road) out to Warner Point.
Primitive facilities are available throughout the park. There is little to no cell phone service in the park so to «check in» here, you need to go to the Visitor Center at Elk Creek in Curecanti National Recreation Area.

Wow. I had no idea this place existed and was as majestic as it is. In. Credible. It’s huge, deep, mind boggling in its scale, and there are so many areas to pull off, you can really find your own chunk of the canyon to hang out on for a while, feel secluded from tourists, and enjoy the nature here. It’s simply beautiful!
I wish we’d had more time for hiking, but the few hours we were able to spend here were magical. The rangers at the Visitor Center were beyond helpful with their information, friendly, kind, and knew how to read a person. One of them said something about the geology to us, and she could see our interest was piqued, so she spoke more about the geology of the area. To the following visitor, she said some leading things, they didn’t seem interested, so she didn’t offer any other info. Perfect. Way to read the room!
I’ll be back. With tripods and picnic gear and a whole lot more time.
Going down to the canyon floor was definitely worth the harrowing drive into the abyss.

What a hidden gem of a national park! I had no idea this place existed until a friend told me about it when I mentioned we were heading to Southwest Colorado for vacation. The canyon is truly breathtaking and was one of the highlights of our trip. The Painted Wall was incredible… twice the height of the Empire State Building to show the scale. This place is extremely impressive and should definitely be on your list of places to visit in your life.

This is an Epic canyon! We visited and stayed at the South rim, and it was the first stop on my birthday road trip to four national parks. I would say this is one of the more handicap accessible National parks, as many of the vistas are on short trails, that are flat for the most part. We did not have time to climb down the canyon, but there is always next time. The climb down is challenging I have heard for event the most physically fit. I believe the canyon’s rock has veins of pink granite, and is very pretty. On the mineral make up I found this informative.
We camped at the park. There are only outhouses and a spigot of potable water, so bring a dish bin, and make easy to clean up after food. Cook grates are wide on the provided are very thick and wide, things may fall in the fire. There were also lots of yellow jackets. The wood we bought from the store before you enter the park was wet and awful. Firewood was a commodity after the labor day weekend camping run, you may want to source and horde before you go on an excursion.

Beautiful place! We were in Montrose for a family reunion and had a few hours to kill and headed up here. We drove around to several overlooks and took some beautiful family photos. An amazing place, stunning views!

I have lived in Colorado 9 years and have never visited this part of the state. I highly recommend it. The National Park is stunning. The views are gorgeous and will leave you in awe. Make sure this is on your Colorado bucket list.

It’s a national park, so it gets five stars.
I have limited experience here but what I’ve seen is pretty enticing. What a canyon! I’ll definitely be back, but next time when the whole park is open. Most of it was closed for winter when I was there.
So, if you’re planning a visit during snow months, maybe think again.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a fantastic park. The views are stunning from all over. The hikes were excellent! I really like Gunnison Point because it has a fantastic overlook that provides wonderful views of the canyon! The park rangers were very helpful and had many programs for the visitors. We spent a lot of time talking to them about their experiences in the park. Most of their experiences were interesting and at times quite humorous.
We camped out a night on the South Rim. It was nice and a beautiful area where we set up camp. We didn’t do any fishing, but I hear it’s pretty good! I would recommend to camp here and to do lots of hiking during the day.

Good, old fashioned camping. We stayed in the South Rim Campground, which is a very basic campground that has water for cooking and cleaning. However, they recommend that you bring in your own drinking water. Outhouses were in very good condition. There were lots of deer around when we visited. We were there in mid September and there was no Camp Host. Therefore, if you want to have a campfire at that time of the year, you need to buy your wood in Montrose. Also, if you go there mid-​week, and don’t have a reservation, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a camp site. The South Rim Visitor Centre is on the canyon overlook and the elevation at that point is 8,100 feet and the river is 2,000 feet below you. Because of the elevation, we found ourselves panting at times when walking. Mind you, we are in our 60’s and used to sea level. Great views. Neat place. Be warned that generators are not allowed in the campground.

An underrated canyon. The Grand Canyon gets all the hype. I was camping in 2005 at the top of the canyon. In tribute to the true western pioneers, we sat by the fire and drank heavily. I was not concerned with health at this point in my life and suffered from hangovers routinely. I woke up in the morning and stumbled away from our campsite. I was about 15 yards from a full grown elk when I started vomiting. The elk just looked at me. I felt a level of pity in the beast’s gaze. The look that animal gave me was the equivalent of it placing his hoof on my shoulder and letting me know that it would be ok eventually. Townes Van Zandt sang it best on «My Proud Mountains»:
My home is Colorado
With their proud mountains tall
Where the rivers like gypsys
Down her black canyons fall
I’m a long, long way from denver
With a long way to go
So lend an ear to my singing
Cause I’ll be back no more
I left as a young man
Not full seventeen
With nothin’ for company
But the wind and a dream
’bout all the fast ladies
And livin’ I’d find
When I left my proud mountains
And rivers behind
So I rolled and a-​rambled
Like a leaf in the wind
Well, I found my fast ladies
And some hard livin’ men
Well, I sometimes went hungry
With my pockets all bare
Lord, I sometimes had good luck
With money to spare
I made me some friends, lord,
That I won’t soon forget
Some are down under
And some are rambling yet
But as for me
I’m headed for home
Back to high Colorado
Never more for to roam
So friends, when my time comes
As surely it will
You just carry my body
Out to some lonesome hill
And lay me down easy
Where the cool rivers run
With only my mountains
’tween me and the sun
My home is Colorado.

We toured the Park via automobile… FANTASTIC!
We were at 8,289 ft above sea level … the Gunnison River was 2,000 feet below

Great place. Beautiful. We only visited the south rim part, great for one day visit. Short and beautiful hikes.

A supermodel of Planet Earth! We enjoyed a 2 day stay on the North Rim of the park, the lesser-​visited side. All the major adjectives are pertinent: Majestic, Beautiful, Dramatic, Incredible! The 13-​site campground was half-​empty, a pleasing surprise in the height of summer and on a Friday! We never stay in National Park campgrounds, as they are usually loud and crowded, but this proved the exception and they provided free firewood. We hiked the 7 mile North Vista to the top of Green Mountain and were rewarded with 360 degree views of Planet Earth and a canyon equal in beauty to Yosemite. ANational Park secret! Fantastic, relatively empty-​of-​humans and jaw-​droppingly beautiful.

Echoing other reviewers, this canyon is stunning. Its sheer drop offs are jaw dropping. Unlike anything we’ve seen before even though we’ve hiked the Grand Canyon etc etc. It sneaks up on you. We drove around South Rim hitting most overlooks and hiked the short Warner Trail. It’s a sweet little trail to do around sunset so that when you are done, you can picnic and watch the sun descend behind the mountains. And the veiws of the Elk Mountains (I think) are mesmerizing. Today we attempted the North Vista Trail on the north rim but the clouds were ominous and it started to rain at Exclamation Point and we were too wuss to continue. We would have gone all the way to Green Mountain which I’m sure would have been spectacular.
We are mega curious as to how to hike down to the canyon and river but that shall be reserved for another trip. I bet it’s scary and I’d love to learn to climb with ropes.
Remember it’s 2 – 3 between rims because you have to drive out of the park and around to get to each rim. worth the time.
Also DO NOT MISS the scenic drive along 92 through Curecanti Nat’l Rec Area heading south towards 50. Absolutely stunning.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison: Maybe the greatest name for any National Park in America (Gates of the Arctic NP is pretty close). The Black Canyon has some of the finest canyons I’ve seen and I’ve seen a lot. The view points throughout the park are stunning, but be sure to take a hike and get away from the crowds so you can enjoy the beauty in your own private area. I was here in July and didn’t feel the park was over crowded with tourists, so that is a definite plus. As in any National Park, the park rangers are friendly, helpful and offer very interesting programs for the visitors.
I camped for one night on the South Rim. The campground was nice, private with trees separating each camp site, fire pits, picnic tables, and pit toilets. No showers or running water. Although it was a nice, I will try to stay at the campground at the bottom of the canyon by the Gunnison River. If you aren’t camping it is still worth the short drive to the bottom to do some hiking or fishing in that area. Enjoy!
Here’s a link for more info on camping in the park:
Please don’t feed wildlife.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park had been a National Monument from 1933 until it finally reached National Park designation in 1999. As one of the newest national parks, it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area, but don’t plan on spending too much time on it.
The views here are gorgeous; I’d say maybe even more stunning than the over-​hyped tourist ridden Grand Canyon. The canyon is quite a sight to behold, and the park features various viewpoints to see it from.
For the average national park visitor who doesn’t plan on hiking to the bottom, fishing, camping, or boating, a few hours here will more than suffice. The are only two places worth stopping: the Visitor Center and Dragon Point.
The visitor center will provide you your basic park information, but also features Gunnison Point, which is a fantastic overlook that provides panoramic views all the way to to the bottom of the canyon.
Dragon Point is a short (no more than 3 – 5 min) hike and will greet you with even more majestic views. From here, you can see the Painted Wall, the tallest sheer cliff in Colorado that features some funky natural wall art.
Everything else on the way can be seen from the road or is insignificant enough to skip. It seems like there are so many overlooks that they can easily become redundant and boring.
$ 15 entry fee is pretty steep compared to other parks. Maybe this is because they’re new and trying to expand their services, but I find it unnecessarily hefty for such a small park.

What a place to visit! The views from the visitor center and Warner overlooks were spectacular. This is a very steep and relatively narrow canyon that has an interesting geologic history and story about redirecting water to a tunnel and through a mountain to nearby Montrose. The rangers were very helpful and passionate about their park.
We spent two nights in the East Portal campground on the Gunnison River. There is another campground up on the main road. However, the camp sites on the river are dramatically better because you can experience wildlife, such as deer, fly fishing in the river, sleep under the trees and be away from the big RVs that are prohibited from going down the tight curves at a 16% grade.
There is a store at the intersection of Hwy 50 and 347, entrance to Black Canyon of the Gunnison River National Park, where you can get firewood and cooking basics.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park has so much to offer! Fishing on the reservoirs, stream fishing, camping, backpacking, hiking, boating, sight seeing, wildlife watching, rock climbing, and more!
We visited the Elk Creek Visitor’s Center, the South Rim Visitor’s Center, Dragon Point, the North Rim Ranger’s Station, Chasm View Nature Trail, the Hermit’s Nest Trailhead, Morrow Lake Dam, and the Cimarron Canyon Rail Exhibit. And of course we saw a lot more as we drove around the area.
We saw a number of wildlife species — including: Black-​billed Magpies, a Blue Grouse, a Wild Turkey, lots of Mule Deer, one Ground Squirrel, and a Red Tailed Hawk. We were hoping to see some Elk as a number of them had been spotted around the North Rim Ranger Station — but we never saw any.
Lots of other wildlife species live in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, including: Black Bears, Elk, Mountain Lions, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Coyotes, and Bobcats.
Awesome and beautiful park!