Black Canyon of the Gunnison-North Rim
To begin our exploration of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, we head to the north rim and set up camp just past Black Canyon Road at Crawford State Park.
The North Rim is a primitive and quiet alternative to the more popular south rim and reportedly offers more direct views of the canyon’s narrowest sections due to the almost vertical canyon walls.
Crawford State Park
Located just north of Black Canyon Road this State Park offers trails, a reservoir for water sports, marshlands for wildlife, and views for miles in every direction.
Iron Creek Campground
Trails
Each day we’re here we take a walk either around the campground or along the trail through the marsh. We also spend quite a bit of time watching the wildlife (mainly deer) in the marshlands and on the edge of the reservoir.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison – North Rim
Today after the smoke clears, we head into the park to explore the North Rim.
Chasm View Nature Trail
After stopping at the Ranger Station to get our National Park Passport Stamp, we head a short way up the road and around the campground until we reach the Chasm View Nature Trail.
This 1/2-mile trail offers a trail guide that gives us a great overview of the what’s on offer in the park as well as some incredible views into the canyon. If you only make a short stop here, this is definitely the trail to do.
Chasm View
About a 1/3 of the way into the trail, we’re directed out to the Chasm View Overlook where we see painted rock directly across on the South Rim (1,100 feet across), Exclamation Point a little beyond (on the north side) and the Gunnison River below.
Painted Rock
A little further along we get a better angle the colors on Painted Rock and the guide tells us that the colors were created by magma, minerals, and water.
Second Chasm Overlook
Here we get great views into the canyon NW and SE as well as across the canyon to the south rim.
Reading our trail guide we also learn:
- Distance from rim to rim is 1100 feet (335 m)
- Distance from rim to river is 1723 feet (525 m)
- Age of rock = 1.7 billion years old
- The canyon was cut entirely by water
North Rim Drive
The almost vertical canyon walls on the North Rim allow for incredible views and the five overlooks along this 4 1/2-mile scenic drive definitely put the canyon on display.
The Narrows View
As we walk this short path, we find two different overlooks each giving unique views.
At Overlook #2 we find incredible views of the Gunnison River: Southwest, The Narrows directly across, and finally Northeast.
Balanced Rock View
This overlook is quite large and gives us several views down the river as well as of the it’s primary feature… Balanced Rock.
How in the heck is that thing still standing there? And can you imagine the noise it will make when it finally topples the ~1700-feet to the river below?
Long Draw
Although not an actual overlook, this side canyon is a major avenue for water to reach the canyon below. It must be a spectacular sight in the spring when the snow is melting.
Big Island View
Island Peaks View
This viewpoint is another that offers a small trail providing unique views in multiple directions.
Kneeling Camel
At the Kneeling Camel viewpoint, we get views up and down the river in addition to the unique rocks dubbed “Kneeling Camel” and a jagged rock covered in colorful lichen.
End of the Road
At the Rim Road turn around point there’s a small trail where we find this incredible fallen tree. Does the tree trunk twist like that as it grows or did something else cause this?
And as we turn back from the rim, the view reminds us to take in the surrounding landscape.
West Elk Mountains
On the way home from the rim, we stop to take in the West Elk Mountains on display before us.
Crawford to Hotchkiss
As forecast the smoke is really thick today so we spend the morning doing laundry in Crawford, CO and then head into Hotchkiss, CO for lunch. Given the smoke, it is a nice way to still get out and see some of the area without putting our lungs at risk.
Needle Rock
Late afternoon the smoke finally clears, so two of us head out to check out nearby Needle Rock while the other stays at camp to do some much needed maintenance on the camper.
Needle Rock Photos
This picturesque rock is actually a volcanic plug that rises 800 feet above the Smith Fork of the Gunnison River and as we learn of the information board in the parking area… “this 7,797-foot monolith is the eroded remnant of a laccolith that intruded into sedimentary rock 28 million years ago.”
Surrounding Views
North Vista Trail to Exclamation Point
On our final day in the area, we spend the morning hiding from the smoke and once it clears, we spend the afternoon in Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP along the North Vista Trail.
Starting out, the weather is perfect and we can see for miles.
Once we reach Exclamation Point, we take a lot of pictures from the various overlook points looking straight down the Gunnison River. Here are a few of the best.
On the way back, a lot of local prayers are answered with a small rain shower. We hear a little thunder but thankfully we don’t see any lightening. So, we stop under some dense trees until it passes and then make our way back to the Jeep.
From here our next stops were supposed to be: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park – South Rim, then Telluride, and Ouray, CO to do some of the most recognized Jeep Badge of Honor Trails in the US. However, due to the large wildfire just NW of Ouray we’ve decided to alter our plans.
Next stop… Dinosaur National Monument
