Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Western Colorado is not quite as hard to get to as Big Bend, but it’s not exactly a walk in the park, either. (Except, it kind of is.) The nearest airport is Montrose Regional airport, which is just 21 minutes away.
However, if you’re making a special effort to get all the way here, your better bet is to fly into Durango. It’s almost 3 hours away by car, so is quite a bit further, but you can stay a night in Durango, which is a fun place to hang out, all on its own.
The best part about this plan is that you can head to Ouray, CO “the Switzerland of America” and include Black Canyon of the Gunnison as a day trip. Because unless you are a hard core hiker, Black Canyon of the Gunnison can be done in one day, easily. However, you’ll definitely want a few days to do some hiking in Ouray, eat at Brickhouse 737 on Main Street and grab a “scrap cookie” at Mouse’s.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison Overview
Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a steep walled gorge carved through precambrian rock, near the Gunnison river. Experiencing the park mostly involves driving to a series of short hikes to see various amazing viewpoints down into the gorge. It’s called the “Black Canyon” because it is so steep and deep that a part of the gorge sees sunlight only about 30 minutes per day. While the full length of the canyon is 48 miles long, the park itself encompasses the 12 most dramatic miles of it.
There are two campgrounds at the park, one on each side of the canyon. The entire area is certified as an International Dark Sky destination. So, if you are staying overnight, you’re in for some star treatment!
Park Orientation
There is a North Rim and a South Rim of this park. The North Rim is less accessible and park services are limited. The South Rim is the more popular section and consists of a 7 mile drive with 12 stopping points to look out over and into the canyon. There are some short hikes along the way, and some of the lookout points require walking a short distance, usually a quarter to a third of a mile. The trails are fine, reddish dirt, so prepare to get dusty.
There are other more intense hikes that you need special wilderness permits for, but we were day tripping here from Ouray, so didn’t have enough time for the more strenuous hikes. Also let’s be honest, we wouldn’t have been doing those crazy hikes anyway: 6-8 hours down to the river, and then spend the night before hiking back up the next day? Nope. On the upside though, the permits are free!
Getting to Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Set google maps to take you to the South Rim Visitor Center and you’ll be on the right track. There is one lookout point that is before the South Rim visitor center, called Tomichi point. It is just past the park entrance, so pretty much unmissable. It is nice and the views are amazing (as they all are). From here, you can take the 1 mile Rim Rock trail up to the South Rim visitor center. You will need to make your way back of course, to get back to your car. The views are awesome, but if you are short on time, you can skip this one as the views are slightly better once you get further into the park.
The South Rim visitor center has restrooms, maps, and other info. You can pay the park entrance fee here if there is no one in the booth when you drive into the park. We paid $30 for our car and now I’m wondering why we haven’t yet bought an annual pass, seeing how it’s only $55 and we’ve been to three national parks already this year.
South Rim road Viewing Areas
There are 12 stopping points along the South Rim road. The ones in bold are the ones we went to.
- Tomichi Point
- Gunnison Point (at South Rim Visitor Center)
- Pulpit Rock Overlook
- Cross Fissures View
- Rock Point
- Devils Lookout
- Chasm View
- Painted Wall
- Cedar Point Nature Trail
- Dragon Point
- Sunset View
- High Point
We didn’t have time to do all of them so picked the ones that came the most highly recommended. Here’s our take:
Tomichi Point
As I mentioned earlier, Tomichi point actually starts just before you get into the park. The views were great, but we saw better ones further into the park. It does have a pretty, one mile trail, but I’d consider this one skippable if you’re short on time.
Gunnison Point
The short walk to Gunnison Point starts at the South Rim visitor center. It is a very nice lookout point with beautiful vista views of the canyon, and a little bench that is perfect for scarfing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. From here, you can just glimpse the river way down below. Since this one is at the South Rim visitor center, it will be the most crowded.
Chasm View
Chasm view had amazing views – of a deep chasm, no less. From here, you can see the canyon at its narrowest point, all the way down to the Gunnison river. It is one of the shorter walks to get to the view, clocking in at just around 100 yards.
Painted Wall
Painted Wall is the tallest cliff in Colorado! It is 2,250 feet which is just shy of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. From the viewpoint here, you can see the striations in the rock where molten lava squeezed in between the cracks, giving it a variegated look. There is also an amazing view of this from the Cedar Point Nature Trail (almost better, we thought). If you are running short on time, and need to choose between the two, Cedar Point gets you this view and a little trail too!
Cross Fissures
Cross Fissures was one of our favorites. Rather than the sweeping vista views of some of the others, this one really gives you a good look into the dark depths of the gorge. The canyon is so deep here you can’t even see the river. It is a totally different style of view than the other stopping points. You definitely don’t want to miss this one.
Cedar Point Nature Trail
When you get to Cedar Point nature trail, you may think, “Where is the view? This is just a nature walk with plaques talking about the various flora.” But just when you get into the walk and all interested in learning about the plants – bam! You are at this amazing viewpoint with an almost better view of the painted wall than the actual Painted Wall stop. We were pleasantly surprised with this trail and so glad we didn’t skip it.
Good to Know
We spent about 3 hours driving the South Rim road, walking a couple of the short trails, and checking out the various view points. During this year and next (2024-2025) they are doing road work, and some parts were a single lane so cross traffic took turns. There was a small amount of waiting, but it wasn’t very crowded so we didn’t wait too long. Note that if you are coming in winter (Nov-Apr), the road is closed beyond the South Rim visitor center so there won’t be much to see unless you plan to snowshoe in. (That’s not a joke – snowshoers are welcome!)
After stopping at the South Rim visitor center we drove to the end of the South Rim road and stopped at the points we’d picked out as we made our way back towards the entrance. It just felt nicer to start furthest away and gradually make our way back so that by the time we were done, we were already near the entrance to the park.
There is no bridge between the two sections so if you want to do both North Rim and South Rim, you’ll need to drive all the way around the park, which takes about 3 hours. Based on info from the park and that we read online, the North Rim doesn’t offer anything uniquely different than the South Rim.
Be aware that the South Rim road is windy and narrow, one lane on either side, and some parts of the drive heading into the park have a pretty steep drop off. It’s best to wait until you’re stopped at a viewpoint to really look around or you might end up catching a closer up view than you were expecting!
Final Thoughts About Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
We were there in mid June and there were people, but not a lot. If you do the South Rim drive, stopping at the various lookouts, it can be done easily within a day or even a few hours. It is not very strenuous as most of the walks are short and not too steep. There are a few trails to do as well, if you’d like to stay longer and explore more.
We brought Mochi with us although we carried her in her front pack quite a bit because it was hotter than we expected. (When the temperature says 78 with full sun, and you’re way up high in Colorado, just go ahead and add 15 degrees to what you think it’s going to feel like.) Each trail has a sign designating if dogs are allowed and most (but not all) allow them, on a leash.
The 12 stops along the South Rim are truly incredible, but can start to get a little repetitive. We skipped a bunch, and we don’t feel bad about it at all!
Overall, we were so happy we got to visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It was a wonderful day trip from Ouray, where we were staying. Since this park can be experienced in a single day, I don’t know if it’s a great candidate for a trip all on its own. But if you are a reasonable distance to it from another destination spot, it’s well worth it to come here!