Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Montrose, CO · Western Slope, Colorado$$30 per vehicle, good for 7 days

About

The walls of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison drop as much as 2,722 feet and stand so close together that parts of the floor see only minutes of sun a day. From the South Rim's Painted Wall Overlook you look across at the tallest cliff in Colorado, about 2,250 feet of dark rock striped with pink pegmatite. The park is an International Dark Sky Park and holds an astronomy festival in June. Pick a rim before you go. The South Rim is near Montrose and the North Rim near Crawford, and no bridge joins them.

Highlights

Painted Wall, the tallest cliff in Colorado at about 2,250 feetSouth Rim Road with a string of dizzying canyon overlooksSheer walls plunging up to 2,722 feet to the Gunnison RiverInternational Dark Sky Park with stargazing and a June astronomy festivalTwo separated rims (South near Montrose, North near Crawford) with no connecting bridge

Getting there

9800 Hwy 347, Montrose, CO 81401

Open in Maps Official website ↗

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