Grand Junction- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

July 30th

On Monday morning we set out in Larry's truck to find the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  After a few wrong turns, we entered the park via Black Canyon Road to the North Rim.  Apparently, this is not the usual entrance.  The road in is dirt, and so is the road that follows the canyon and overlooks.  Looking across the canyon, you could see the South Rim, with its paved surface.

 It really didn't matter.  The national parks brochure describes the Canyon as "an awesome gorge", and it is- no matter which rim you view it from!  As we reached each overlook, Dale would hurry to the viewpoint and call back- "Wow, you have to see this.  This is amazing!"  My sister and I always reached the overlook slowly, just to make sure we didn't fall over the edge, I guess.  Although there was good fencing in place, it was a little nerve-wracking to peer straight down into this steep, deep, narrow gorge.  As one geologist wrote "... no other canyon in North America combines the depth, narrowness, sheerness and somber countenance of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison."  It was named "black", as very little light can penetrate the bottom.

The canyon has limited travel for humans in this area for centuries.  No humans have ever occupied the gorge, only the rims.  In 1901, Abraham Lincoln Fellows and William Torrence floated into the river on a rubber mattress covering 33 miles in 9 days, to survey the river for a possible source of irrigation water.  The park was declared a national monument in 1933, and was made a national park in 1999.  The park contains 14 miles of the canyon's 48 mile length.  In its 48 mile length, the river loses more elevation than the entire 1500 mile length of the Mississippi River does from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.  The Gunnison drops an average of 96 feet per mile in the national park.  The rapid fall accounts for the steepness of the canyon- the walls are carved deep rather than wide.

After completing the access road to its end, we turned around and continued the way we came.  We stopped at a ranger station, and the ranger suggested we walk a nearby nature trail that leads to a view of Exclamation Point, one of the highest points of the rim, 2700 feet over the river.  The walk through the woods was pleasant, and the view very much worth it.  A great park to visit.

We left the park, and continued further south to see the Blue Mesa reservoir.  This is a very large reservoir that is used not only for water, but for recreational boating and swimming.  It was very obvious by looking at the old water levels that it has been heavily impacted by the drought.  It will take years of good rain to refill a reservoir so large!

Blue Mesa Reservoir

Exclamation Point

Linda and Larry at the Black Canyon

The Steep, Deep, Dark Canyon

The Narrows

View of the Gunnison River

We enjoyed dinner on our way back to Grand  Junction.  Tuesday morning we hung out, packed and talked.  After lunch, Dale and I were on our way back to Utah to see the Capital Reef National Park.