National Parks › Rocky Mountains › Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Colorado · Established October 21, 1999

A sunless gorge of ancient stone, sawed deep by the Gunnison River

Area: 30,780 acres
Established: October 21, 1999
Recreation visits: 250,086 / yr
State: Colorado
Highest point: Signal Hill, 8,775 ft (2,675 m)
Lowest point: About 5,400 ft (1,645 m), Gunnison River at the canyon bottom

Black Canyon of the Gunnison Weather Forecast

Loading the National Weather Service forecast for Black Canyon of the Gunnison…

Seven-day outlook at the park's reference point (38.578, -107.724). Elevation changes everything in the mountains — expect colder, windier and wetter conditions on high ground.

Map of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

The Park

Few places on Earth combine depth, steepness and narrowness quite like the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. In western Colorado, east of Montrose, the Gunnison River has cut a gorge so deep and tight that sunlight reaches parts of its floor only briefly each day, lending the dark, shadowed rock its name.

Protected as a national monument in 1933 and designated a national park on October 21, 1999, the park covers about 30,780 acres (124.6 sq km) and draws around 250,000 visits a year. It is a place of rim-edge overlooks, lonely wilderness routes down to the river, and a high-desert mountain climate of warm summer days, afternoon storms and deep winter snow.

Geography

The Black Canyon runs for about 48 miles, with its deepest and most dramatic 14 miles inside the national park; the canyon continues upstream into Curecanti National Recreation Area and downstream into Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area. The river drops an average of about 43 feet per mile over the canyon's full length and considerably more steeply within the park.

Two rims frame the gorge. The South Rim, reached from Montrose, has the visitor center and a scenic road with a dozen overlooks from Tomichi Point to Warner Point. The quieter North Rim, reached by a gravel road from Crawford, peers straight down at the Narrows and across to the Painted Wall. The steep East Portal Road descends to the river at the park's upstream edge.

Elevations range from about 5,400 feet at the canyon bottom to 8,775 feet on Signal Hill. The greatest depth, 2,722 feet, lies just north of Warner Point, and at the Narrows the canyon floor pinches to about 40 feet wide at the river.

Landmarks

Painted WallCanyonColorado's tallest cliff, streaked with pale pegmatite dikes that zigzag across dark gneiss.
Chasm ViewCanyonA South Rim overlook above one of the narrowest, steepest stretches of the gorge.
The NarrowsCanyonThe tightest section of the canyon, where the river runs in a slot about 40 feet wide.
Exclamation PointCanyonA North Rim viewpoint on the North Vista Trail with a dizzying view into the inner gorge.
Warner PointCanyonThe end of the South Rim Road, near the canyon's greatest depth, with views toward the Uncompahgre Valley.
Signal HillPeak · 8,775 ftThe highest point in the park, rising south of the South Rim.
Green MountainPeakA broad, wooded summit on the North Rim reached by the North Vista Trail.
Pulpit RockCanyonA South Rim overlook looking upstream along a long, straight reach of the river.
Gunnison PointCanyonThe overlook behind the South Rim Visitor Center, start of the steep Gunnison Route to the river.
Tomichi PointCanyonThe first overlook along the South Rim drive, with a view deep into the upper canyon.
Sunset ViewCanyonA western South Rim overlook known for evening light on the canyon and distant mountains.
Dragon PointCanyonAn overlook facing the dragon-like pegmatite bands of the Painted Wall.
Kneeling CamelAreaA North Rim rock formation and overlook named for its resemblance to a resting camel.
Big IslandAreaA rock buttress within the canyon near the Narrows, seen from Big Island View.
East PortalRiverA riverside area at the park's upstream edge, reached by a road with grades up to 16 percent.
Cedar PointCanyonA South Rim nature trail and overlook with views of the Painted Wall.

Geology

The walls of the Black Canyon are made of some of the oldest rock in North America. Nearly two billion years ago, sediments and volcanic rocks were buried miles deep and transformed by intense heat and pressure into dark gneiss and schist. Later, molten rock pushed into these metamorphic rocks and crystallized as granites and as pegmatite, a coarse, pink-and-white rock whose crystals can grow to several feet. Pegmatite resists erosion better than the surrounding gneiss, so its dikes stand out as the pale stripes that decorate the Painted Wall.

For long stretches of time this crystalline basement lay at or near the surface. During the Jurassic and Cretaceous, rivers and seas deposited sandstones and shales on top of it, including the Entrada Sandstone, Morrison Formation, Dakota Sandstone and Mancos Shale, remnants of which cap parts of the rims.

Around 60 million years ago, the mountain-building event that raised the Rockies also pushed up a block of the old basement called the Gunnison Uplift. Then, between roughly 35 and 18 million years ago, huge volcanic eruptions from the West Elk and San Juan mountains buried the whole region under thick layers of ash, tuff and breccia. The ancestral Gunnison River established its course across this soft volcanic blanket.

When the region was uplifted again, beginning about two to three million years ago, the river was trapped in its channel. Rather than shift aside, it cut straight down, carving through the volcanic cover and then into the hard Precambrian rock beneath. Because that crystalline rock resists erosion and the river's steep gradient gave it great cutting power, the canyon grew deep far faster than it grew wide, leaving the sheer, shadowed gorge seen today.

Deep time

About 1.7 to 2 billion years agoSediments and volcanic rocks are buried and metamorphosed into the gneiss and schist of the canyon walls.
PrecambrianGranite and pegmatite intrude the metamorphic rocks, forming the light-colored dikes of the Painted Wall.
Jurassic to CretaceousThe Entrada Sandstone, Morrison Formation, Dakota Sandstone and Mancos Shale are deposited over the ancient basement.
About 60 million years agoThe Laramide mountain-building event raises the Gunnison Uplift, lifting the Precambrian rocks.
About 35 to 18 million years agoEruptions from the West Elk and San Juan volcanic fields bury the area in ash, tuff and breccia.
About 2 to 3 million years agoRenewed uplift traps the Gunnison River in its course, and it begins cutting down through the volcanic cover into Precambrian rock.
PresentThe river continues to deepen the canyon while rockfall and frost slowly widen it.

The rocks

Precambrian gneiss and schistAbout 1.7 to 2 billion years
Dark, banded metamorphic rocks that form most of the steep canyon walls.
Pegmatite dikesPrecambrian
Coarse pink and white intrusions, rich in potassium feldspar, that stripe the Painted Wall.
Precambrian granitesPrecambrian
Crystalline igneous rocks mixed with gabbros and diorites in the canyon walls.
Entrada SandstoneJurassic
A sandstone resting on the ancient basement on parts of the rims.
Morrison FormationLate Jurassic
Colorful river and floodplain mudstones and sandstones overlying the Entrada.
Dakota SandstoneCretaceous
Resistant sandstone marking the arrival of a Cretaceous seaway.
Mancos ShaleLate Cretaceous
Gray marine shale of the surrounding valleys and lowlands.
West Elk BrecciaTertiary
Volcanic debris from the West Elk Mountains that once buried the uplift.
Blue Mesa TuffTertiary
Welded volcanic ash from explosive San Juan eruptions.

Trees, Plants & Ecosystems

478vascular plant species recorded

Gambel oak and serviceberry shrublandCanyon rims
Dense thickets of scrub oak, serviceberry and mountain mahogany dominate the rims and turn russet in autumn.
Pinyon-juniper woodlandRims, including groves near 8,000 ft
Sizable pinyon-juniper groves on both rims hold pinyon pines more than 700 years old.
Sagebrush parksOpen uplands beyond the rims
High-desert sagebrush communities support mule deer, elk and the rare Gunnison sage-grouse.
Inner canyon conifersNorth-facing slopes and side gullies
Shaded, cooler slopes favor Douglas-fir and Colorado blue spruce.
River corridorCanyon bottom, about 5,400 ft and above
Narrow bands of box elder, willow and other deciduous growth line the Gunnison, home to dippers, otters and trout.

Trees

Two-needle pinyonPinus edulisSome rim pinyons are more than 700 years old, gnarled survivors of wind and drought.
Utah juniperSabina osteospermaA shaggy-barked juniper of the rims, listed in the park checklist under the genus Sabina.
Rocky Mountain juniperSabina scopulorumA juniper of cooler slopes, also listed under Sabina in the checklist.
Gambel oakQuercus gambeliiThe dominant scrub oak of the rims, providing acorns for bears and deer.
Douglas-firPseudotsuga menziesiiFavors cool, north-facing slopes within the canyon.
Colorado blue sprucePicea pungensColorado's state tree, found in shaded inner-canyon sites.
Quaking aspenPopulus tremuloidesSmall groves glow gold in autumn on moist higher ground.
Ponderosa pinePinus ponderosaAn occasional large pine of sheltered slopes.
Rocky Mountain mapleAcer glabrumA shrubby maple of moist ravines that turns red in fall.
Utah serviceberryAmelanchier utahensisA shrub or small tree with white spring flowers, abundant on the rims.

Wildflowers, shrubs & other plants

Mountain big sagebrushSeriphidium vaseyanumThe silvery, aromatic shrub of open parks beyond the rims.
Alder-leaf mountain mahoganyCercocarpus montanusA browse shrub with feathery, spiraling seed tails.
Western chokecherryPadus virginianaA shrub of draws with clusters of dark fruit relished by bears and birds.
Mountain snowberrySymphoricarpos rotundifoliusA low shrub with pink bell flowers and white berries.
Oregon-grapeMahonia repensA holly-leaved ground cover with yellow flowers and blue berries.
Wyoming paintbrushCastilleja linariifoliaScarlet spikes brightening rims and sagebrush in summer.
Rocky Mountain penstemonPenstemon strictusTall stalks of deep blue-purple tubular flowers.
Sego lilyCalochortus nuttalliiA white, cup-shaped lily of dry openings in early summer.
Elegant columbineAquilegia elegantulaA red-and-yellow columbine of shaded, moist spots.
Blue flaxAdenolinum lewisiiDelicate sky-blue flowers that open in the morning and drop by afternoon.
Arrowleaf balsamrootBalsamorhiza sagittataBig yellow sunflower-like blooms among the oaks in late spring.
Arizona mule's earsWyethia arizonicaLarge leaves and yellow flowers carpeting open slopes.
Sulphur-flower buckwheatEriogonum umbellatumUmbrella clusters of yellow flowers on rocky ground.
Nuttall's larkspurDelphinium nuttallianumA deep purple spring wildflower of oak and sagebrush openings.

Wildlife

50mammals
143birds
9reptiles
1amphibians
12fish

Mammals

Mule deerOdocoileus hemionusCommon along the rim roads, especially at dawn and dusk.
ElkCervus canadensisMoves through the park seasonally, wintering at lower elevations.
American black bearUrsus americanusFattens on acorns and berries in the oak brush in late summer and fall.
Mountain lionPuma concolorThe park's top predator, rarely seen but present on both rims.
Bighorn sheepOvis canadensisOccasionally seen on the steep slopes of the canyon.
BobcatLynx rufusHunts rodents and rabbits in the brushy rimlands.
CoyoteCanis latransCommon in sagebrush and open country around the park.
Yellow-bellied marmotMarmota flaviventrisSuns on rocky outcrops near overlooks in summer.
Rock squirrelOtospermophilus variegatusA large ground squirrel of boulders and rim edges.
Least chipmunkNeotamias minimusA tiny, quick chipmunk of the oak brush.
Northern river otterLontra canadensisSwims the Gunnison River at the canyon bottom.
RingtailBassariscus astutusA nocturnal climber of cliffs and rocky ledges.
North American porcupineErethizon dorsatumFeeds on inner bark of pines and junipers.
Mountain cottontailSylvilagus nuttalliiA rabbit of shrubby rims and sagebrush.

Birds

Peregrine falconFalco peregrinusNests on the sheer canyon walls and hunts swifts and swallows in midair.
Golden eagleAquila chrysaetosSoars along the rims hunting rabbits and marmots.
American dipperCinclus mexicanusA gray songbird that walks underwater in the river hunting insect larvae.
White-throated swiftAeronautes saxatalisScreams past the cliffs at high speed.
Violet-green swallowTachycineta thalassinaNests in crevices in the canyon walls.
Canyon wrenCatherpes mexicanusIts descending song echoes off the gorge walls.
Gray vireoVireo viciniorA drab vireo of pinyon-juniper and oak shrubland.
Virginia's warblerLeiothlypis virginiaeA small gray warbler that nests in the oak brush.
Woodhouse's scrub-jayAphelocoma woodhouseiiA bold blue jay of the pinyon-juniper and oaks.
Black-billed magpiePica hudsoniaA striking black-and-white corvid of open country.
Common ravenCorvus coraxPlays on updrafts along the rims.
Mountain chickadeePoecile gambeliA white-browed chickadee of conifers.
Gunnison sage-grouseCentrocercus minimusA threatened grouse of sagebrush found only in parts of Colorado and Utah.
Broad-tailed hummingbirdSelasphorus platycercusMales announce themselves with a metallic wing trill.

Reptiles & amphibians

Plateau lizardSceloporus tristichusA common spiny lizard of sunny rocks on the rims.
Tree lizardUrosaurus ornatusClings to rock faces and tree trunks.
Eastern collared lizardCrotaphytus collarisA colorful, big-headed lizard of rocky slopes.
Greater short-horned lizardPhrynosoma hernandesiA flat, cryptic horned lizard that relies on camouflage.
GophersnakePituophis cateniferA large, harmless rodent hunter.
Terrestrial gartersnakeThamnophis elegansFound near water and moist meadows.
Smooth greensnakeOpheodrys vernalisA slender green snake of grassy areas.
Tiger salamanderAmbystoma tigrinumThe park's only confirmed amphibian, breeding in ponds and stock tanks.

Fish

Brown troutSalmo truttaA non-native trout that thrives in the cold water released from upstream dams.
Rainbow troutOncorhynchus mykissAnother non-native trout popular with anglers in the canyon.
Colorado cutthroat troutOncorhynchus clarkiiA native trout of the region, now rare in the main river.
Bluehead suckerPantosteus discobolusA native sucker that scrapes algae from river rocks.
Flannelmouth suckerCatostomus latipinnisA native big-river sucker of the Colorado basin.
Speckled daceRhinichthys osculusA small native minnow of riffles.
Mottled sculpinCottus bairdiiA bottom-hugging fish of cold, rocky water.

Species totals are the park's certified NPSpecies checklist (occurrence: present).

Climate & When to Visit

Black Canyon has a semi-arid mountain climate shaped by its high rims, which top out near 8,775 feet at Signal Hill. Weather can vary dramatically over a single day and between the sunny rims and the shadowy river bottom 2,000 feet below.

Summer days range from about 55 to 90 F, with nights of 45 to 60 F, and afternoon thunderstorms are common from July into September. Winters are cold: daytime temperatures run roughly 15 to 40 F and nights 10 to 20 F. Snowfall varies greatly from year to year, and the North Rim Road and much of the South Rim Road close to vehicles in winter, leaving the rims to skiers and snowshoers.

Spring
Changeable, with warm afternoons, cold nights and late snowstorms; the South Rim Road usually opens fully by mid-spring.
Summer
Warm and dry in the mornings with daytime highs up to about 90 F; expect afternoon thunderstorms and lightning, especially July and August.
Autumn
Crisp, clear days, colorful oak brush and aspens, and cooler nights make this a prime season.
Winter
Cold and snowy, with highs around 15 to 40 F; the North Rim closes, and parts of the South Rim become a snowshoe and ski route.

Weather hazards

Lightning: Rim overlooks and exposed ridges are dangerous during summer storms; leave overlooks when thunder is heard.
Steep drop-offs: Many overlooks have sheer, unfenced edges; keep children close and stay on trails.
Inner canyon routes: Routes to the river are unmaintained, extremely steep and loose, and require a permit; the climb out is far harder than the descent.
Winter snow and ice: Snow closes roads and makes rim trails icy; carry traction devices and warm layers.
Swift, cold river: The Gunnison runs fast and cold through the canyon; wading and swimming are hazardous.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison Questions

When is the best time to visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison?

Late May through October, when both rim roads are typically open, offers the widest access. September and early October bring stable weather, fall color and fewer thunderstorms, while winter offers snowshoeing on the South Rim.

What is the weather like at Black Canyon of the Gunnison?

Summer days are warm, from about 55 to 90 F, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Winters are cold, with daytime temperatures around 15 to 40 F and variable snowfall that closes the North Rim Road.

How deep is the Black Canyon of the Gunnison?

The canyon reaches 2,722 feet at its deepest point, just north of Warner Point. The Painted Wall, about 2,250 feet tall, is the tallest cliff in Colorado.

Why is the Black Canyon so dark?

The gorge is extremely deep relative to its width, so sunlight reaches the bottom only briefly each day. Its walls are also made of dark Precambrian gneiss and schist, adding to the shadowed look.

How did the Black Canyon form?

The Gunnison River established its course on soft volcanic deposits and, as the region was uplifted over the last two to three million years, cut straight down into nearly two-billion-year-old crystalline rock. Because that rock is so hard, the canyon deepened much faster than it widened.

Should I visit the North Rim or South Rim?

The South Rim is more accessible, with the visitor center, a paved drive and many overlooks. The North Rim is remote and reached by gravel road, but it offers some of the most dramatic, dizzying views into the Narrows and of the Painted Wall.

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Sources: www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · irmaservices.nps.gov · en.wikipedia.org · Official NPS site