Photo:
NPS/Lisa Lynch / Public domain
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is one of the steepest, deepest and most dramatic gorges in North America, a narrow chasm so sheer and shadowed that parts of its floor see barely half an hour of sunlight a day. In places the walls plunge over 2,000 feet to the roaring Gunnison River, close enough across the top to feel almost within reach, making for some of the most vertigo-inducing overlooks in the national park system.
The canyon is cut into ancient, dark metamorphic rock, the “black” gneiss and schist streaked with pale pegmatite, by the relentless Gunnison River. The rims are cloaked in piñon-juniper and Gambel oak at around 8,000 feet, while the sheer inner walls and boulder-choked gorge stay cool and shadowed. Mule deer, peregrine falcons and golden eagles frequent the rims and cliffs.
Late spring through fall is the accessible season, with pleasant rim temperatures and open roads; fall adds golden oak color. The North Rim road and some facilities close in winter, when snow blankets the rims and the park turns quiet and cold. Summer days are warm on the rims but the shaded canyon floor stays cool.
The developed South Rim, reached via Highway 347 off US-50 near Montrose, has the visitor center, campground and a rim drive linking a string of overlooks. The North Rim is far more remote, reached by gravel roads near Crawford and open seasonally. There is no bridge or road connecting the two rims within the park, so choose your side; a vehicle is essential.
Drive the South Rim Road and walk the short paths to overlooks like Gunnison Point, Chasm View and Painted Wall, Colorado’s tallest cliff. Rim trails offer easy hikes, while experienced, self-reliant hikers descend the steep, unmaintained inner-canyon routes to the river with a permit. The canyon is also a serious destination for expert rock climbers and, below, for gold-medal trout fishing.
The overlooks are genuinely dangerous. Edges are crumbly and often unfenced, with sheer drops, so keep well back and hold onto children. Inner-canyon routes are steep, loose and unmarked, demanding scrambling, route-finding and a permit; poison ivy grows thick in the gorge. The Gunnison River is cold and powerful, and at altitude you should hydrate and pace yourself.
A park pass is required, and descending into the inner canyon needs a free wilderness permit. There are no maintained trails to the bottom, so it is for experienced hikers only. The North Rim is seasonal. This page is a general overview, not a live conditions report; always confirm current conditions, road status and permits with the National Park Service before your trip.
Set this declination on your compass, then align it to the map's north lines; it is the angle between true north and magnetic north, refreshed each year.
