Hi friend! Are you ready to plan a trip to the deep and steep Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park? This park protects a magnificent vertical landscape and a powerful river that changed everything! You are sure to find something here that everyone in your group will LOVE.
Black Canyon is a dizzying place — and likely somewhere you will talk about years to come. I’ll never forget the fear and awe that filled my body the first time I tentatively peeked over the edge of the cliff. The whole experience was intoxicating!
There are some exciting things to do here. You may have already looked at a map and been a little overwhelmed — and eager — to make sure that you don’t miss the best sights.
I’m a former park ranger, and I’ll help you plan your vacation down to the details. I’ve extensively explored Black Canyon of the Gunnison and am here to help! Whether this is your first time to the park, or if you are returning after many years and would like to be reintroduced to the park, this list of 5 things is for you.
What You Need to Know
- Black Canyon National Park has three sections — the South Rim, the North Rim, and the East Portal. The South Rim and the East Portal are both accessed via Highway 347 near Montrose. Visiting the North Rim requires an additional 2.5-hour drive around the canyon from the more popular South Rim section. If you only have one day in the park, focus on the South Rim area.
- Water is scarce up here! Drinking water is brought in to the park by truck and is extremely limited and only available seasonally. Bring water with you if possible. If camping, be aware that filling up your RV in the park is prohibited.
- There are no hotel options within Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay, check out the town of Montrose. There are also several beautiful frontcountry campgrounds within the park.
- Black Canyon is open year-round, and entrance fees are required. You’ll pay these fees at the South Rim Entrance Station or the North Rim Ranger Station upon entering the park.
- Exercise caution on trails and viewpoints — sheer drop-offs are common. For your safety, always stay on designated trails and behind barriers. Never throw anything into the canyon. Even a tiny rock can be fatal if it hits any hikers or climbers that are below the rim.
I’ll make sure that you don’t miss the sights that make this park so popular, but I also want to provide a few treasures that are off-the-beaten-path as well. Let the adventure begin!
Click NEXT to see this thrilling list of 5 things you can’t miss on your first visit to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
Thank you so much for suggesting to hike the Oak Flat Loop Trail counter clockwise. It would have been a very different experience hiking in the other direction. I very much enjoy your work here.
Thanks Bill! Happy to help!
Information on hiking trail into the canyon? Hike down to gunnison river from campground?
I don’t provide that info here because I’ve never completed that hike…I’ve heard it’s quite the adventure though. Enjoy your time at Black Canyon!
My husband and I found this blog the morning we went to Black Canyon, and we were so very thankful. The visitor center does not have a lot of information about the trials, other than a map, but since we had read this we knew trails we wanted to do and why. The advice to hike Oak Flat Top Trail counterclockwise was wonderful. Thanks for such a great tip. Great job. We ended the day visit by driving down East Portal Road (we could smell our burning brakes at the bottom in our brand new car!!), and it was breathtaking. We even saw a bear by the river looking for fish.
Thanks Shelley! I’m so glad that you had such a great experience at Black Canyon!!
We’re going to Black canyon in Aug 2020.
One afternoon and the next day. Your “five things to do”
Looks great ! And doible.
Do you recommend dinosaur national Park for a stop for a day
We’re going north to Grand Teton and Yellowstone.
Dinosaur is awesome if you have the time!
We were just a Black Canyon of the Gunnison in early August. We made it a stop over on our way to Canyonlands. Wow were we impressed. We originally thought we would just spend the morning there but ended up spending all day and wishing we had planned for a longer stay. We stayed in the park campgrounds which were really nice. In the morning we walked the rim trail to the visitors center then back. Amazing views everywhere. We also drove Portal Road and it was a great way to get to the bottom of the canyon for a different perspective. We were able to make a lot of the stops on the South Rim Drive. Not a very busy park so it was nice to be able to see such beauty in peace. I would recommend this park to anyone.
Thanks for sharing details about your trip Ingrid! This park is totally one that took me by surprise as well. It sounds like you packed in a lot in a short amount of time…glad you were able to see the highlights!
Thank you for all your recommendations! I have used them in many national parks and trust them since you were a former park ranger. We have visited 41 of the 63 parks and hope to keep going!
Thanks Usha!