A three-hour drive out of Utah and into Colorado. Once you’ve crossed the state line, it’s around two hours to destination: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park exposes you to some of the steepest cliffs, oldest rock, and craggiest spires in North America. With two million years to work, the Gunnison River, along with the forces of weathering, has sculpted this vertical wilderness of rock, water, and sky.
The red rock landscapes of Utah are gone, replaced by dark Precambrian rock. But, like many of the parks in Utah, Black Canyon is built around a deep, steep-walled gorge. You can travel all the way down to the bottom of the gorge via the winding East Portal Road, or explore the South Rim Road and enjoy the 12 overlooks and mini hiking trails that wind off the route.
After a day in the Black Canyon, make the scenic, 1.5-hour drive to the mountain town of Telluride, which is wildly picturesque and offers plenty to do on your “down day” — including hikes to waterfalls and a free gondola up the mountain.
Note:
Road improvement projects at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park will begin in 2024 and continue through 2025. These much-needed improvements will create significant impacts in accessing the park. Visitors should plan on delays of up to 30 minutes during their visit and a significantly reduced number of parking spots available.
A road improvement project begin on the South Rim in late March 2024. This project will include road rehabilitation from the park boundary on Highway 347 to the visitor center, approximately 1.8 miles (2.8 km) of roadway. This work will last approximately seven months. In 2025, there will be continuation of road rehabilitation work from the visitor center to the end of the South Rim Drive and a pavement preservation project that will impact access to and parking at overlooks along the South Rim Drive and South Rim campground availability.
This year the project is funded through the Federal Lands Transportation Program (FLTP). Next year’s project is funded through the Federal Highways Administration’s Pavement Preservation Program. After the summer of 2025, all paved roads at South Rim will either be completely resurfaced or have a preservation treatment such as crack sealing and patching and then a chipseal or micro seal applied.
Consider alternative recreational areas during construction. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is co-managed with neighboring Curecanti National Recreation Area, encompassing Blue Mesa Reservoir. Curecanti also has numerous hiking trails, all of which are dog friendly. Several trails lead into the gorge to the Gunnison River and to the reservoirs. Besides being well known for its fishing and kayaking, the recreation area offers a variety of camping experiences and spectacular stargazing.
