We Visited All 63 U.S. National Parks

When visited:            November, 2019

When Established:   National Park October 21, 1999 and National Monument March 2, 1933

Park ranking:            46 out of 63

Why to go:                 Beautiful dark canyon

Why not to go:          Access to the canyon floor is challenging and not a ton to do around the rim – and check the wildfire recovery status

The headline on the National Park Service website about Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park says it all:

“Deep, Steep, and Narrow“

“Big enough to be overwhelming, yet still intimate enough to feel the pulse of time. Come see some of the steepest cliffs, oldest rock, and craggiest spires in North America. Forces of nature and the Gunnison River sculpted this canyon over two million years. The result is a vertical wilderness of rock, water, and sky. “   — NPS Website

Spires in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison

When two of our sons made decisions to attend college in Oregon and Utah that opened up many opportunities to visit those states and other western states.  That was the case in 2019 when we decided to have our family Thanksgiving in Grand Junction, Colorado.  The plan was to stay in Grand Junction and do some hiking into Rattlesnake Canyon which is home to many red rock arches.  Our trip started in Denver and we visited Great Sand Dunes National Park and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park before arriving in Grand Junction.  Black Canyon is about 3.5 hours from Great Sand Dunes and 1.5 hours from Grand Junction.  I should note that Black Canyon has two entrances – one of the north rim of the canyon and one on the south rim.   Also a wildfire started by lightning in July, 2025 impacted both the north rim and south rim of the park.  Some areas remain closed – please check the NPS site for the latest conditions.

The South Rim entrance near Montrose is closer to Grand Junction.  We were unable to visit the North Rim as it was closed.  We also spent a few nights in Gateway, Colorado which is a beautiful red rock area on the Utah border.   Utah is the place to go for red rock formations, but western Colorado isn’t bad either!

For our visit to Black Canyon we stayed in Montrose, but for our stay in western Colorado we stayed at the Gateway Canyons Resort which was nearly empty because of the Thanksgiving holiday.  We were treated to fresh snow and some amazing photos of the red rock in snow. 

View of a red rock feature from the Gateway Canyons resort

Unfortunately, the weather changed our Thanksgiving plans and we moved the family gathering from Grand Junction and held it in Salt Lake City due to winter weather schedule disruptions.

The Delores River and canyon views near Gateway, Colorado

We arrived at Black Canyon from Great Sand Dunes to a nearly deserted Visitor Center and Park – There are no roads to the bottom of the canyon and the trails are quite steep and not really doable (or perhaps open) without ice climbing gear in the winter.  The South Rim Trail beyond the Visitors Center was closed as it usually is in the winter.  The North Rim Visitors Center is closed in the winter time. 

Gunnison’s Winter conditions are real

Pretty much our only option was to carefully walk the snow covered Rim Rock Trail which is a mile long trail near the Visitor Center.  (Please note that the park hard a serious wild fire in 2025 impacting the South Rim Campground and this trail – check the NPS site for current conditions)

Depth of the Black Canyon

We stopped at the overlooks at marveled at the deepness of the canyon.  We enjoyed the cold and snow-covered landscape.  We discussed going back in the summertime when more of the activities were accessible (hiking, birdwatching, getting to the north rim, perhaps discussing a trip to the river).  I bought a national geographic map of hiking trails with that hope – but it has yet to happen and probably never will.

Be sure of your footing and watch your head!

There is not much history of human life in the canyon considering its depth and steepness.  There have been attempts to dam it and a few have navigated it.  Unless one is planning to get into the canyon in the summertime you don’t need more than a day to visit this national park. 

Other things to do in this area include the Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction which we did on this trip and saw some amazing sites. We did some hiking through the red rocks in the National Monument. 

Red rock hiking in the Colorado National Monument

I still hope to get to Rattlesnake Canyon and experience the area of the red rock arches – we never did reach there due to the snow. If you are looking for quiet, looking for winter and a chance to contemplate quiet, Black Canyon is a great place to visit — just bring your winter woolies if you choose to go then.

Wide open spaces