Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a United States National Park located in western Colorado. There are two entrances to the park which are managed by the National Park Service. The more developed south rim entrance is located 15 miles (24 km) east of Montrose. The north rim entrance is located 11 miles (18 km) south of Crawford and is closed in the winter. The park is 47
mi² (122 km²) in size.
Black Canyon is a deep (2000 ft.) gorge which the Gunnison River flows through. The deep, narrow canyon is cut into precambriangneiss which is black in color.
Black Canyon from Tomichi Point
In the canyon, the Gunnison River drops an average of 96 feet per mile (18 m/km), making it one of the steepest river descents in North America. In one 2-mile (3 km) stretch it drops 480 feet (150 m). From the top of the canyon one can hear the river as it crashes through the canyon.
Among the interesting geologic features of the Black Canyon is that a number of apparent "feeder canyons" actually stop and run dry, or in some cases slope in the wrong direction for water to flow into the canyon. Geologists believe that after eroding the landscape for 10-15 million years, the west-flowing Gunnison River finally carved the Black Canyon all the way down into very hard, Precambrian Era basement rocks, about 2 million years ago. The rock is so hard that once the river carved the canyon into it, the Gunnison could no longer change course. Other, less-entrenched streams in the region have shifted to a more north-flowing drainage pattern in response to a change in the tilt of the surrounding terrain. The west-flowing Gunnison, however, is essentially trapped in the hard, Precambrian rock of the Black Canyon.
The narrowest part of the Black Canyon, looking down from Chasm View at twilight.
The main attraction of the park is the scenic drive along the south rim. There is also a campground and several miles of hiking and nature trails. The river can be accessed by a steep, unmaintained trail that takes about 4 hours to hike down and 6 to hike back.
The "Black" is a center for rock-climbing in the United States. First ascents were done by Layton Kor, Huntley Ingalls and others starting about 1960. The main climbing walls are 1800 feet (550 meters) tall, and feature steep face climbing and cracks on often poor rock with difficult protection. The Black is an area known for its seriousness and traditional climbing values.
