Unless you’re a National Park fanatic or a Colorado native, you’ve probably never heard of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. When you do visit, it’ll definitely be memorable. The audible “WOW” upon first seeing the gash in the Earth was similar to my reaction upon seeing the Grand Canyon. But, it’s not a good idea to compare the two because this place has a slight case of canyon envy. But it’s more about the popularity of the parks than the actual canyon. Black Canyon doesn’t compare in raw size terms or the number of visitors, but in steepness and beauty, it can hold its own.
We visited Black Canyon of the Gunnison in September 2020
Getting There
At this point in our Summer 2020 trip, we went off script. The first 6 weeks roughly followed a plan, but when our early September, four day Colorado River rafting trip got waylaid by a freak snowstorm, we just made up our itinerary as we went along. After spending a long day at Colorado National Monument just outside of Grand Junction, we headed south for about 90 minutes to the South Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Anyway, we didn’t have any reservations, so we were hoping to score a first come, first served site at Black Canyon’s campground. Our early departure paid off, and we did land one of the last sites and grabbed it for two nights of dry camping.
It’s All
Relative
One evening at our campground, we attended an organized Ranger Program about the night skies. It started with all kinds of Black Canyon facts. Our ranger informed us that Black Canyon was over 2700 feet deep and very narrow as canyons go (only 40 feet across in one place). Then, she compared it to the “other” canyon in Arizona as well as deeper canyons in Tibet and on Mars. The point she eventually made was that what appears large to us becomes relatively small depending on what you compare it against. And infinitely small when you compare to astronomical distances like how far we are from the sun or the next nearest star. We were hoping for a nighttime photography lesson, but it was fun anyway. I imagine the night skies are fantastic here, but we had way too much haze from the fires that had been burning across the west all summer. Regardless of what you compare to, Black Canyon’s abrupt features and wild colors make it a gem of a park.
Ruby Sue
is My Hero
Getting a scooter to avoid crowded parking situations and being able to keep our RV at the campsite was one of our better choices. At 90mpg, she’s a lot cheaper than driving the RV, not to mention SO MUCH FUN. And on this trip, Ruby Sue exceeded all expectations. She hauled us all around the South Rim Road which has many viewpoints out into the canyon. Most of these vistas require a short hike of a few hundred yards from the road out to a stunning view point. After hitting Gunnison Point at the Visitor Center (still in Eddie), we got set up in camp and unloaded Ruby Sue so we could tackle the 12 mile roundtrip along the rim. Our favorite stops were the Chasm View and Cedar Point. At the dead end is Warner Point Nature Trail which has an easy/moderate hike to the actual point. The 1.5 miles roundtrip is well worthwhile for the views into the canyon from one of the highest spots along the rim. Days like this are common for Ruby Sue, but the next day we decided to venture to the river below. There are warnings that the 5 mile East Portal road is dangerous, with a 16% grade and hairpin turns. Vehicles over 22’ are prohibited, so Eddie would not have made it anyway. Ruby Sue handled it all like a champ. Going down was a breeze, except for the smell of everyone else’s brakes. We had read at the Visitor Center that someone had seen a beaver at East Portal, so we were hopeful that we’d see one of the last animals on our wishlist. We rode upstream as far as the road would take us, then enjoyed our PB&J along the rushing waters. I violated one of my principles which is to never feed the wildlife. As we ate, there were several chipmunks darting around us and trying to get into our backpacks. Rainy was trying to snap pictures, but they kept moving too quickly. So I took a small piece of my apple and set it on a nearby branch hoping to create a good shot. After a couple minutes, one of them discovered the treat and we got a photo. So, I made sure that the other members of the chipmunk family all had equal opportunity. I even put one on my shoe and a brave chipmunk took that. I know, I’m going straight to hell. Eventually, we hiked a primitive trail further down the Gunnison toward the deeper parts of the canyon. But, no luck finding a beaver, though we did find the house/dam where something must have been living. On the way back up the 16% grade, Ruby Sue pulled on all of her 150ccs and managed just fine, albeit at about 15mph. Still, she was heroic as we wouldn’t have made the trip otherwise.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison isn’t going to win any popularity contests, but it’s a great addition to any Colorado visit. It’s not too far off the beaten path and the views are definitely awe inspiring. If you’re in shape, the hike from the rim down to the river would be exhilarating. Have fun!
