The Black Canyon is another favorite place of mine. I remember taking a trip here as a kid, (well, a much younger kid) and then again in 1997, which is when I really began to get into photography. Though it was certainly a cool 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 some what 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, 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 only viable option.

Chasm View Overlook, North 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 48 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' at Warner Point. The shallowest and narrowest point is at The Narrows where it is 1,750' deep and 1,100' 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!

Tomichi Point Overlook

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 are $10/night. There are about 12 overlooks off the South Rim Road, some of which require a short walk, and 7 on the North Rim. 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. 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. Of all the overlooks, the Painted Wall Overlook is probably my favorite. Perhaps because it offers the best view of the feature that was responsible for drawing me back to this place. Not only do the lines on it give it added character, but the wall itself is the highest cliff in Colorado at 2,300'. Here is an illustration showing how various structures stack up to it.

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 and listening to the faded roar of the river below will surely be worth the price of admission alone.

Official National Park Service link

Painted Wall Overlook