Black Canyon of the Gunnison Scenery

We have already experienced the eastern portions of the Black Canyon while visiting the Curecanti National Recreation area.  But the tallest portions of the canyon are preserved within their own National Park--Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  






Where we had seen 900 foot canyon walls further east, they are a majestic 2,000 feet tall within this national park.  It's a sight that just can't be captured in a picture, but we stood at the various viewing points and tried.  


 






There were cars driving on the other rim of the canyon, but even they were too tiny to be seen in the picture to give some scale of size to what we were gazing in wonder at.  We have found another of God's wonders!


Within the park there are 14 view points where visitors can stop to see different sections of the canyon.  This would be Tomichi Point, where the canyon walls are so steep we couldn't even see the bottom.  This is the closest area to where our motor home is parked for three days.  Our campground is at 8200 feet in elevation, so we are still enjoying cool weather in Colorado.

This was another nice view from the Rim Road.  This section is called "Painted Wall" for all the striations of colored rock layers within the wall.

The name "Black Canyon" doesn't come from the color of the rock.  It was named because it is so deep and so narrow that very little sunlight can penetrate it.  The bottom is usually shadow-shrouded and dark so it was called the Black Canyon by early travelers.  We didn't make it to all 14 of the view points.  After so many spectacular views, we got overwhelmed by all the beauty down under.

So we stopped at the visitor's center to get advice on the best hikes and trails for us to experience while we were staying for several days.  We got the usual "look" from the ranger, trying to sum up our hiking abilities and stamina and factoring in the gray hair.  Based on that "look," the young ranger told us about the four mile hike at the top of the rim, and mentioned that there was a 1.5 mile hike on the rim drive.  But we really wanted to hike down to that tiny little river at the bottom of the canyon!


She assured us that there wasn't a trail to do that.  She also said that kayaking in the canyon was limited to "Olympic athletes."  We obviously didn't fit into her hard core hiking/kayaking profile.

She told us that the best way to get to the Gunnison River is to drive the East Portal Road.  A very steep road that drops around 2,000 feet in 3 miles, it does have great views.  But the canyon walls aren't as tall here.

There's a campground at the end of the East Portal Road, but the temperatures down here aren't as cool as our campsite at the top. Below is a picture of the Gunnison River at the bottom, and a fly fisherman trying his luck below the dam.  That building to the right is the control room for the Gunnison Tunnel.  Built in the years between 1904 and 1912, the 5.8 mile tunnel was chiseled through the base of the canyon walls to allow water to flow from the Gunnison River to the Uncompahgre Valley on the other side.  What was once a desert valley, is now a rich agricultural area because of this tunnel.

 So we have been to the bottom of the canyon and seen the Gunnison River that carved this majestic canyon.  But we still wouldn't be satisfied until we experienced that river with those 2,000 foot canyon walls soaring overhead.  There's obviously more adventures to come!