After leaving Colorado National Monument we continued on towards Colorado Springs, heading south to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Again, this was more of an “it’s here, let’s visit the park” instead of a destination for us.
After a cursory internet search, I learned that there are two sections of the park, a north rim and south rim (somewhat like Grand Canyon National Park). The north rim is more remote, farther from civilization, and requires a detour of about an hour’s drive each way from Montrose, Colorado. The last 10 miles or so are on a graded dirt road. There are no paved roads at the north rim, just a ranger station, a dirt road with a few overlooks, and a couple of hiking trails.
The north rim is definitely where we wanted to go. We arrived at the ranger station in mid-afternoon, filled up our water bottles, put on our boots, and headed out on the 3.0 mile roundtrip hike to Exclamation Point on the North Vista Trail. It was 80° F (27° C) and sunny. Most of the trail was in full sun, though there were plenty of shaded spots to take a short water break.
The trail is largely dirt, with only a few rocky spots. It’s an easy walk with no significant elevation changes. Stephanie and I easily completed the roundtrip hike in under two hours with plenty of time spent sitting and relaxing at Exclamation Point.
Tired of hiking in the sun, we bypassed the 1.0 mile Chasm View Nature Trail (probably a mistake on our part) and instead drove the length of rim road, about 3.5 miles one way, stopping at the overlooks. Little walking is required at the viewpoints. Though not as dramatic, the canyon reminded me of Toroweap at the Grand Canyon – a sheer drop straight down thousands of feet. I absolutely loved it.
During our entire time on the north rim we saw less than a dozen other visitors. In hindsight, the north rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison absolutely should have been a destination for us, not just a drive by. If we ever drive through central Colorado again (doubtful, but you never know), a return visit is mandatory.
After leaving the park we made the drive over to Montrose for the night. For dinner we got pizza to go from Buckaroos Slices & Scoops. Pizza and ice cream. You walk into a small ice cream shop with two tiny bistro sized tables by the door. Only when you go to the back to place an order do you see the pizza oven. It was a surprisingly good pizza. The awesome Google reviews might actually understate how good it was.
I would have liked to try the ice cream too, but with only two small tables occupied by folks eating ice cream, there was nowhere to sit and eat. If you want pizza, plan on getting it to go.
The next morning we made the 20 minute drive from our hotel to the south rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. I wouldn’t call it crowded necessarily, but as the south rim receives the most visitors, it was pretty busy. Much busier than the north rim.
Our plan for the day was to drive the 7 mile long, and paved, South Rim Drive, stopping at as many or as few of the 12 viewpoints as we decided along the way. The first two stops, Tomichi Point and Gunnison Point (at the visitor center), are the two most disappointing in the entire park.
Each viewpoint has a small parking area and a short walk ranging from 50 to 300 yards. Basically our morning was spent on a repeating loop of driving, parking, and walking. We never had trouble finding parking, but we were there on a Monday morning, not a weekend.
There are a few short hiking trails on the mesa at the south rim, but they did not interest us. None of the hiking trails go down into the canyon or appear to offer better views of the canyon. There are a few climbing and scrambling routes that lead down to the river, but you need serious capabilities and a wilderness permit for those. Definitely not for us.
Over the course of several hours on the south rim we stopped at eight of the viewpoints. Sunset and Cedar Point viewpoints were our favorites. From here we could see sections of the canyon that we could not see from the north rim.
We did not particularly care for the south rim viewpoints that are across from viewpoints on the north rim scenic drive. The north rim viewpoints are much better for that particular section of the canyon.
After a picnic lunch we left the park, heading to our next destination, Colorado Springs. On the way out I had the fleeting thought to drive down East Portal Road to the Gunnison River, but decided that it was too far out of the way. Maybe next time. There is a short hiking trail along the river that looks nice.
Miles Hiked:
North Vista Trail: 3.0 miles
Garrett and Stephanie
To read other posts about our adventures in the National Parks and National Monuments, or elsewhere in the world, check out our Travel Blog. It contains collected links to all of our travel posts.
Want to subscribe (or unsubscribe) for email notification of new blog posts? It is only two to three emails a month. Send your name and email address to slowtravelchronicles@gmail.com, and note subscribe (or unsubscribe) in the subject line. All email addresses will be kept confidential and not sold to any third-party. You won’t get any marketing junk or sales pitches from us.