Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Colorado · canyon · geology · national park

Dramatically deep gorge. Black Canyon of the Gunnison has the deepest and most dramatic section of the canyon among all the canyons in the American West. No other canyon combines its incredible depth, steepness, narrowness, and darkness quite like it does.

Barely sees sunlight. Some parts of the canyon are so narrow and deep that they only receive 33 minutes of sunlight each day. This darkness is why the canyon earned its name: the Black Canyon.

A scenic river runs through. The park protects 12 miles of the famous Gunnison River, which is a 48-mile-long river that carved this amazing canyon over millions of years.

Two different entrances. You can visit from the south rim entrance near Montrose or the north rim entrance near Crawford, but the north entrance closes during winter because of snow.

Newer national park. Black Canyon started as a national monument in 1933, but it wasn't officially made a national park until 1999, when it also gained 4,000 more acres of protected land.