Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park protects one of the most steep, narrow, sheer and dramatic gorges in North America, a breathtaking chasm where the Gunnison River has carved down through ancient rock to depths of more than 2,000 feet in the high country of western Colorado. So deep, narrow and sheer are its walls — in places the canyon is far deeper than it is wide — that parts of the gorge receive only minutes of direct sunlight a day, giving the Black Canyon its name and its brooding, shadowed grandeur.

The canyon’s walls plunge in dizzying, near-vertical cliffs of dark, ancient gneiss and schist streaked with bands of lighter pegmatite, dropping to the roaring river far below — the Painted Wall, Colorado’s tallest cliff, rises some 2,250 feet. Visitors gaze into the depths from dramatic overlooks along the rim drives, hike the rim trails, descend the steep, rugged routes into the inner canyon (for the experienced), and marvel at one of the most awe-inspiring and vertiginous landscapes in America. Sheer, deep and darkly beautiful, Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a treasured and dramatic wonder of the Colorado high country.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park offers dramatic recreation — gazing into the dizzying depths from the many overlooks along the South and North Rim drives, hiking the rim trails, descending the steep, rugged and unmaintained inner-canyon routes to the river (for experienced, permitted, well-prepared hikers only), rock climbing the sheer walls (for expert climbers), fishing the Gunnison’s gold-medal trout waters in the inner canyon, stargazing under dark skies, and wildlife watching. The overlooks and the awe of the sheer chasm are the main draw. The combination of the breathtaking gorge, the dramatic overlooks and the rugged adventure makes the park a premier Colorado destination.

Late spring through fall is the prime season, when the rim roads and trails are fully open and the weather best — summer is the busy peak (though the high elevation moderates it), spring brings wildflowers, and fall golden aspens and crisp air, a beautiful time. Winter brings snow, with the North Rim road and parts of the park closed and the South Rim road sometimes limited. The overlooks reward visits in the green and golden seasons; fall color and the dramatic light and shadow in the canyon are highlights. Reserve inner-canyon and camping permits, and come prepared for the altitude.

The Black Canyon, long known and avoided by Native peoples and early explorers for its forbidding depths, was deemed impassable by 19th-century surveyors. In the early 1900s, the daring Gunnison Tunnel was built to divert the river’s water for irrigation, an engineering feat. Recognizing the gorge’s spectacular, sheer grandeur, it was protected as a national monument in 1933 and redesignated a national park in 1999. The park preserves the most dramatic, sheer stretch of the canyon, a treasured and awe-inspiring landscape of the Colorado high country, long admired for its vertiginous depths.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a showcase of dramatic geology, where the Gunnison River, over roughly two million years, has cut down through extremely hard, ancient Precambrian gneiss and schist — rock nearly two billion years old — to carve one of the steepest, narrowest and sheerest gorges in North America. Because the rock is so hard and the river so powerful, the canyon is far deeper than it is wide in places, with near-vertical walls. The dark cliffs are streaked with lighter bands of pinkish pegmatite, as on the towering Painted Wall. The ancient, resistant rock and the river’s relentless cutting created this sheer, shadowed chasm.

The canyon, rim and surrounding country of Black Canyon of the Gunnison host mule deer, elk, black bears, mountain lions, and a rich community of birds, including peregrine falcons and golden eagles that nest and soar along the sheer cliffs, white-throated swifts darting through the gorge, and varied songbirds, while the Gunnison River below supports trout. The dramatic cliffs and the canyon-and-rim country support diverse wildlife. The park is a fine place for wildlife watching and birding, with the cliff-nesting raptors and the soaring birds of the gorge among the highlights of this dramatic Colorado landscape.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park protects a dramatic canyon-and-rim ecosystem in western Colorado, where the rim’s pinyon-juniper woodlands, Gambel oak and mountain shrublands, the sheer cliffs with their cliff-dwelling plants and nesting raptors, and the inner canyon’s riparian corridor along the Gunnison River create varied habitats. The river’s gold-medal trout waters and the canyon’s rugged microhabitats add richness. The dark skies are exceptional. Protecting the canyon, the river’s water quality, the cliffs and the rim woodlands sustains both the ecology and the awe-inspiring scenery of this treasured and sheer Colorado gorge.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of the steepest and most dramatic gorges in North America, holds a treasured place among the natural wonders of Colorado, its sheer, shadowed depths inspiring awe in all who gaze into them. Long forbidding and impassable, then opened to wonder by the rim roads and overlooks, the canyon embodies the raw, vertiginous grandeur of the high country and the power of a river cutting through ancient rock. Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a cherished and dramatic landmark of western Colorado, a place of breathtaking depth and brooding beauty.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is in western Colorado near the town of Montrose, with the popular South Rim reached via US-50 and State Route 347, about 15 miles from Montrose, and the more remote North Rim reached via a separate, partly gravel route from Crawford. An entrance fee applies. The park offers the South and North Rim drives and overlooks, rim trails, campgrounds, inner-canyon routes (permit required), and a visitor center. The North Rim road and parts of the park close in winter. The inner canyon is for experienced hikers. Check the National Park Service for conditions, permits and access before visiting.

The National Park Service protects the sheer canyon, the Gunnison River, the cliffs, the rim woodlands, the nesting raptors and the dark skies of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Visitors help by staying on trails and behind railings at the overlooks (the cliffs are deadly), descending the inner canyon only with a permit and proper preparation, respecting cliff-nesting raptors and closures, protecting the river’s water quality and trout, packing out everything, preserving the dark skies, and following Leave No Trace. Protecting the canyon, the river, the cliffs and the wildlife sustains both the ecology and the dramatic scenery of this treasured gorge.

Black Canyon’s overlooks perch at the edge of sheer, deadly cliffs plunging over 2,000 feet — stay behind railings and on trails, keep well back from the unguarded edges, and supervise children extremely closely, as falls are fatal. The inner-canyon routes are steep, rugged, unmaintained and dangerous, for experienced, permitted, well-prepared hikers only (carrying water; the descent is grueling and the climb out strenuous). The high elevation and sun are strong; hydrate and pace yourself. Watch for afternoon storms and lightning, and respect the deadly heights, the rugged inner canyon and the altitude.

An entrance fee applies. Stay on trails and behind railings at the overlooks; keep well back from the deadly cliff edges. Inner-canyon descents require a free wilderness permit and proper preparation. Rock climbing is for experts; respect raptor-nesting closures. Camp only in designated campgrounds or with a permit. Fishing the Gunnison follows gold-medal-water regulations and licensing. Pets are restricted (not allowed below the rim or on most trails). Drones are prohibited. Pack out all trash; preserve the dark skies. Check the National Park Service for permits and current rules before visiting.

The town of Montrose, the city of Gunnison, the Curecanti National Recreation Area (with its reservoirs on the Gunnison upstream), the West Elk Mountains, and the wine country of the North Fork Valley lie near the park, with the San Juan Mountains and the Colorado high country in the broader region. The Gunnison River and the high country define the region. Black Canyon of the Gunnison anchors a dramatic and scenic region of western Colorado, a centerpiece of a high-country adventure combining the sheer canyon with the reservoirs, mountains and valleys nearby.

Drive the South Rim road and stop at its many overlooks to gaze into one of the steepest, sheerest gorges in North America — don’t miss the view of the towering Painted Wall, Colorado’s tallest cliff — staying behind the railings, as the cliffs are deadly. Hike the rim trails, and for a grueling adventure descend an inner-canyon route only if experienced and permitted (carrying plenty of water). Visit in fall for golden aspens, stargaze under dark skies, watch for cliff-nesting raptors, mind the altitude and afternoon storms, and keep children well back from the edges.