Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is an American national park located in western Colorado and managed by the National Park Service. There are two primary entrances to the park: the south rim entrance is located 15 miles (24 km) east of Montrose, while the north rim entrance is 11 miles (18 km) south of Crawford and is closed in the winter. The park contains 12 miles (19 km) of the 48-mile (77 km) long Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. The national park itself contains the deepest and most dramatic section of the canyon, but the canyon continues upstream into Curecanti National Recreation Area and downstream into Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area. The canyon's name owes itself to the fact that parts of the gorge only receive 33 minutes of sunlight a day, according to Images of America: The Black Canyon of the Gunnison. In the book, author Duane Vandenbusche states, "Several canyons of the American West are longer and some are deeper, but none combines the depth, sheerness, narrowness, darkness, and dread of the Black Canyon."
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Geology
- 1.1 Precambrian
- 1.2 Cretaceous - Tertiary
- 1.3 Quaternary
- 2 History
- 3 Biology
- 4 Climate
- 5 Attractions
- 6 In music
- 7 In literature
- 8 See also
- 9 References
- 10 External links
Links
Images Gallery
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Black Canyon of the Gunnison
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Overview Black Canyon with Gunnison River
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Painted Wall—the tallest sheer cliff in Colorado at 2,250 feet (690 m). Lighter-colored pegmatite dikes are clearly visible.
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Preserved rail bridge over Cimarron Creek
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Park Headquarters, South Rim
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Great horned owl chicks nesting in the Rocky Mountains
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Juniper tree near the top of the canyon
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Gunnison Point Trail, South Rim
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Gunnison River at East Portal
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Comments
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Beautiful landscape!! The drive is easy and well marked and all the view points are easy to find and do offer a unique perspective on this amazing natural landmark! The veins in the rock faces are quite amazing to see in person. Was only able to do the South Rim, and it did not disappoint. Took about 2.5 hours with stops at most view points and doing the short hikes. If in the area it's definitely a must see!
2 weeks ago -
Absolutely breathtaking ! Gorgeous views, hikes, view points and super friendly rangers. We went to the south part and we’re able to do the hike at the very end and hit a bunch of other viewpoints in just 4 hours. A must see
6 days ago -
Beautiful scenery and loved all scenic views. Adequate places to pull over to take photos and picnic. Restrooms were clean and well-kept. Loved the small hikes to the viewing areas and the fact that the signs advised of how many yards to the viewing area. Will be back!
2 weeks ago -
Absolutely stunning park! There are multiple places to pull over and learn about the canyon and experience incredible views. Very well maintained and clean park. Campground is in excellent condition, and was mostly empty in mid-may. Hikes are potentially very strenuous, but are well worth it.
2 months ago -
So pretty and unique! Love that you can drive right in and be able to see much of the canyon with very little walking. Lots of overlooks. Gorgeous park.
a month ago -
This is one of my top 10 favorite National parks. Not as crowded as Rocky Mountain and views are really beautiful. Couple of short & easy hikes. Devia overlook and one by the visitors center are the easiest ones.
a week ago -
One of the least visited national parks in the contiguous US. Must've been a well kept secret because this place is magnificent. I visited in April 2021 and there was still quite a bit of snow.
a week ago -
We visited there on our Colorado road trip. It is hour and half from grand junction. It is a national park. Entry fee is 30 dollars per vehicle or you can use national park annual pass. Most of viewpoints are just a short stroll from the parking areas, so donot need to hike to get to the spots. Great views.
a month ago