Click here for my Black Canyon gallery

The Black Canyon is another favorite place of mine. I remember taking a trip here as a kid, and then again in 1997, which is when I really began to get into photography. Though it was certainly an amazing canyon to look at and enjoy, it really didn't strike me as a place that I would really need to spend a lot of time at, and it seemed somewhat uninteresting to photograph. Or, perhaps I thought it would be a difficult subject to photograph. Whatever the case, I really have no idea what I was thinking! It wasn't until mid-2003 that my interest was piqued as I began to look for some photos online. After seeing some images of the Painted Wall, the signature section of canyon wall where veins of white gneiss cross it, and a wall that I didn't recall seeing previously somehow, I was very much intrigued and knew right then I had to get back and record some images of my own. Since then, I have been back multiple times and am now, quite frankly, addicted to this place! It is a place that is virtually impossible to photograph with any success for the casual point-and-shoot tourist on blue sky days, other than at high noon, because they don't call this the Black Canyon for nothing! You might just end up with half of your frame being, well, black! For this reason, snapping the shutter on overcast days, and around sunrise and sunset will generally be the best option.

West Elk Mountains from Warner Point, south rim

In the late 1920s, area locals began to push to have the canyon preserved as a part of the national park system, and on March 2, 1933, Congress made this a national monument. In 1976, Congress legislated wilderness area from rim to rim. The Black Canyon became a national park, America's 55th and 3rd smallest, on October 21, 1999.

“Some are longer, some are deeper, some are narrower, and a few have walls just as steep. But no other canyon in North America combines the depth, narrowness, sheerness and somber countenance of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.”
-Wallace Hansen

In its 53 miles through the Black Canyon, the Gunnison River loses more elevation than the 1,500-mile Mississippi River does from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. In the 14 miles of river within the national park boundary, it loses an average of 96 feet per mile and there are sections of class III and IV rapids during peak runoff in the summer should you be up for some thrills and chills. Indeed, this is no lazy river just meandering its way through! The deepest point of the canyon is 2,772 feet at Warner Point. The shallowest and narrowest point is at The Narrows where it is 1,750 feet deep and 1,100 feet across. Even though that is only a quarter-mile to the opposite rim, the only way you're going to get there is by driving over 80 miles in about an hour and a half!

Gunnison River running through The Narrows, as taken directly above Long Draw, north rim

There are two ways to access the canyon, either by the north rim out of Crawford, or by the far more visited south rim out of Montrose. There are campgrounds at each, but if you're like me and don't like paying to camp, there are pullouts immediately outside the park entrances on either rim that work just as well.

There are twelve overlooks off South Rim Road, most of which require a short walk. Warner Point is the furthest at 3/4 mile at the end of the road, and probably my favorite. Warner Point offers what has to be one of the most amazing geologic contrasts in the state—you have the very prominent peaks of the West Elks virtually sitting directly atop an amazing deep canyon. The view is gift-wrapped and just begs to have its picture taken. Compositions looking this direction (east) won't vary much, since the only open area is where I'm standing when I took the picture at the top of this page, so unfortunately, you can't get more of the river in the frame. Looking 90 degrees to the left, you see the Black Canyon phase out and the view beyond to Grand Mesa. Then, there is the view of the Sneffels Range about a minute into the walk from High Point, similar to what you can see when you first enter the park.

My next favorite overlook would have to be Painted Wall View, which offers one of the signature viewpoints in the park. Not only do the lines on it give it great character, but the wall itself is the highest cliff in Colorado at 2,300'. It is a real spectacle, and you'll see why it was the single feature that was responsible for drawing me back to this place. Shooting from the railing or about 50 feet to the right are the best options here. Cedar Point is similar, but you're in line with the end of Painted Wall and you can see the river head on north and can catch the sunset this direction in late spring and summer. The last of my favorite south rim views is Gunnison Point below the visitor center, but specifically the viewpoint that is reached by going to the left, where most people go right. Not only will you have a bit more privacy, but I like being able to see more of the river as it corners around and heads for The Narrows. I really like the pinnacled nature of the east wall from here.

The majestic Sneffels Range 38 miles to the south-southwest from along the Warner Point trail, south rim

There are seven overlooks on the north rim, of which I can't say I really have a favorite. I've heard it said multiple time from people that they think the north rim is better, mainly because of its steeper walls. While the walls are just as steep on the south rim, and actually the south rim sits a bit higher, what I like better about the north rim is that you can see longer sections of the river from multiple vantage points, namely as it runs through The Narrows. Unfortunately, the views are obstructed by foreground outcroppings of this section on the south rim. That being said, I think it's a virtual tie because the north rim doesn't have the Warner Point view. Then again, the south rim doesn't have the semi-aerial view that the 3.5-mile hike to Green Mountain has of the whole canyon, so maybe the north rim does win in the end! What I'm trying to say is that you can't go wrong.

As I alluded to earlier, the park is rather small. Perhaps you might think that with so many overlooks in such a short distance that they would become boring or all look the same after awhile, and perhaps that might be the case if you just have a casual interest in the canyon, which I'm sure many tourists take a quick drive through and are done with it. However, if you're like me and are in awe when you come here, each overlook does, in fact, offer a unique perspective and displays the different characteristics and nuances of each section the canyon. I've spent hours just gazing across to the opposite walls and watching the river below. If you've never visited this place before, you'll definitely be in for a treat. The vertigo sensation you get when peering down from the overlooks, looking to the impossibly sheer and close canyon walls, and listening to the faded roar of the river below will surely be worth the price of admission alone.

Official National Park Service link

Really nice quality Web cam

Black Canyon from Green Mountain, reached by a 3.5-mile,
850-foot elevation gain hike, north rim

Page updated on 6/1/11