Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a relatively young National Park established in October 1999. This park is one of the least visited and is an underrated National Park in Colorado. Thus, making it a perfect spot to visit right now. 

Black Canyon is incredibly deep, steep and narrow, with plunging cliffs, and a thundering river. It got its name from the darkness created by the tall, nearly vertical canyon walls, and tremendous depth, which limits sunlight into the canyon bottom to less than 33 minutes per day. 

Black Canyon has three sections: The North and the South Rim Routes and East portal. The South Rim is more popular, has more services, facilities and overlooks, and provides better views of the Painted Wall. The North Rim is accessed via a gravel road, has no visitor center, but does provide better views into the narrowest part of the canyon.

This time we decided to stop at the North Rim by the little town of Crawford and explore it a little bit more. (The third section is East Portal Road and it is on the South side of the canyon and it travels for about 5 miles down into the bottom of the canyon.)

The North Rim has a very nice North Rim Campground which is suitable for tents and smaller RV’s. The campground is small, but the sites are spacious and spread out among pinyon and juniper trees. In order to stay on this campground  you need to make reservations at recreation.gov.

There are multiple hiking trails located in the proximity of this camping site.  We walked the Chasm Nature Trail and it took us to an overlook of the Painted Wall. The Painted Wall is the highest vertical cliff in Colorado. From river to rim it stands 2250 ft. Below you can see some nice views of the aqua waters of the Gunnison River.

The Visitor’s Center located at the South Rim, which is about 2 hours away, and is a very cool place to visit. Take your time and explore because they have several exhibits and a shop. Unfortunately, at this time they have very restrictive hours and you will have to wait in line to enter, as they allow a couple or a small family into the shop at once.  But the views down from the visitor’s center are incredible, so make sure to carve out some time and not miss it.

This trip we visited both rims, but I think the views of the canyon floor are much better from the North Rim Route.  But whichever side you choose, trust me, you will not be disappointed. 

Things To Do at Gunnison National Park

1. Hiking at the Black Canyon

There are many short hikes that lead to lookouts along the North and South Rims. Some to have on your hiking radar are Chasm View, Painted Wall View, Cedar Point, and Pulpit Rock Overlook.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is very steep with multiple big drops, because of this we kept our baby in the carier. He was only allowed to get out and run around at the camping spots, and by the visitor center.

2. Exploring the Inner Canyon

If you are up for a challenge, you can hike right into the canyon. There are three trails that lead from the South Rim to the bottom of the Black Canyon and those are Warner Route, Gunnison Route and Tomichi Route. To be able to hike one of these trails you will need a permit. Permits are free but limited. I would recommend checking with a ranger the day before your hike or calling ahead to see what you need to do.

From what the ranger told us, it seems that the inner canyon hikes are unique and extremely strenuous with about 2K+ ft elevation gain over the duration of a mile.

3.    Morrow Point Boat Ride

You could normally also take a boat tour inside the Black Canyon, but not this year. Due to Gunnison County Public Health Orders regarding social distancing and group numbers, the boat tour has been cancelled for 2020. (Just put in on your radar for 2021!)

4. Scenic Drives

If you are not into hiking or don’t have much time, you can just drive along the edge of either rim road to multiple viewpoints along the way and enjoy the phenomenal views from the top of the rim down into the canyon to the waters below.

The most popular stops along the South Rim Route are Gunnison Point, Pulpit Rock, Painted Wall View and Sunset View.

5.    Lodging and Dining

There are no restaurants or lodges inside the Black Canyon National Park.  The nearest restaurants and hotels are in Montrose, CO or Gunnison, CO.  This means that you’ll want to be certain to plan ahead and pack plenty snacks and water. 

6. Camping

Black Canyon National Park has campgrounds on both North and South Rim Roads and at the East Portal Road within the canyon by the river. It is accessed through the park from the south Rim route.

Picnic Tables: Both the North Rim and the South Rim have plenty of picnic tables. Since we stayed at the North Rim, we used the picnic tables at that camping site. 

One night we stayed at the Hampton Inn Montrose Hotel. It was an older Hampton Inn, but very clean.

That night we also had dinner at the Jimmer’sBarbecue restaurant. Let me tell you that they have the most delicious BBQ plates and the sides of beans with coleslaw were the best.

Entrance Fees at Gunnison National Park

• per vehicle  $25.00
• per motorcycle $20.00
• per pedestrian or bicycle $15.00 Valid for seven calendar days.

These passes are available at the entrance station and now available for purchase through recreation.gov. Digital passes are highly encouraged. For more info click here.

2020 FEE FREE DAYS (entrance fees not charged on these days but camping fees still apply)

• January 20 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• April 18 – First Day of National Park Week
• August 25 – National Park Service Birthday
• September 26 – National Public Lands Day
• November 11 – Veterans Day

Other things to do in the area

Make certain to check out Crawford State Park as well. It has a small, but extremely quiet beach, with turquoise water. Since it’s a state park it does require a $9.00-day pass per vehicle to enter.

We also visited few vineries (QUTORI WINES, STONE COTTAGE CELLARS, 5680′ VINEYARDS, JACK RABBIT HILL) and peach orchards U-pick (Big B’s Delicious Orchards,Orchard Valley Farms) in the area. There are many things that you can explore while you’re in the area so have fun making a day or weekend trip of it.

Have a FUNtastic visit to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.