One Day in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Itinerary
Spend a day in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park with this complete itinerary!
Narrower than the Grand Canyon, and nearly as tall as the Burj Khalifa, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is Colorado’s best kept secret.
It’s located about 20 minutes northeast of Montrose, Colorado, but you’ll feel as if you’re a world away.
The rugged, nearly sheer cliff faces that mark the boundaries of the canyon will leave you dizzy in the best way, and the park offers up multiple ways to explore the canyon, both up top and near the river.
The itinerary below shares the highlights of this fascinating national park that are manageable within a single day’s visit from Montrose or Ridgway, or as an add-on to a Million Dollar Highway road trip.
As with all of my national parks itineraries, everything here is family friendly, though it’s equally good for any beginning visitor to this area.
The Gunnison River from the viewpoint behind the national park's visitors center
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Is one day enough time at Black Canyon of the Gunnison?
Yes, one day is plenty of time to explore Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park!
This national park is relatively small and covers 30,244 acres. To put that in perspective, Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park covers 265,000 acres, and Yellowstone National Park clocks in at 2.2 million acres.
This makes Black Canyon of the Gunnison the smallest of the Colorado National Park, and one of the smallest national parks in the continental United States.
While that petite size means that you’ve got limited room to explore, it also means that you can get a great feel for the entire park in a very limited time frame.
Its convenient location to both Colorado 550 (20 miles away) and I-70 (72 miles from the Grand Junction exit!) makes it an easy, convenient add-on to just about any Colorado itinerary. [If you’re looking for ideas, check out my awesome Denver to Grand Canyon road trip itinerary!]
Overall, I would recommend just a day here for the average visitor, as you’ll be able to cover nearly everything that the park has to offer in a single, action-packed day. If you’d like ways to expand your trip, please see below.
The author's kids in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
How to Spend One Day at Black Canyon of the Gunnison
So, you’re making your way from Montrose or Gunnison, and you’re ready to spend the day exploring Colorado’s least visited national park!
PIN ME!
To get to Black Canyon of the Gunnison from US Highway 50, turn onto the much smaller CO-347, and follow that winding road (slowly) for about 7 miles.
You’ll quickly get into a series of switchbacks and tight curves—though none as bad as those on nearby Million Dollar Highway—so you’ll want to make sure that your vehicle is up to the task.
For this reason, take something reliable and compact. We left our camper behind at the campground for this adventure, and I’m glad we did.
There just isn’t parking for larger RVs or bumper pull trailers, and, even if there was, the narrow roads into and within the park aren’t made for them.
If you have a smaller Class C or a Class B, you’ll be okay. A passenger car or truck is ideal, though.
As you climb higher, you’ll be treated to beautiful views of the diverse landscapes in this part of Colorado: rolling red hills in one direction, mountain peaks in another, and a valley down below.
In fact, nearby Montrose is located at 5,807 feet above sea level, while the Black Canyon of the Gunnison visitors center sits at just over 8,000 feet above sea level. As you approach the park, you’re climbing and climbing fast!
South Rim Visitors Center
Start your day’s adventure on South Rim Road, where you’ll see the visitors center about 1.5 miles after you pass through the entrance station.
NOTE: If you don’t have one already, grab an NPS annual pass. This pass has saved us so much money when we’re visiting multiple national parks, monuments, battlefields, and historic sites in one year.
We break even after visiting just 2 NPS sites with fees, so it makes SO much sense when we’re doing our big 6-8 week national park road trips!
For a one day visit here, you’ll want to spend the first portion of your time getting oriented at the visitors center.
Here, you’ll find a small but well stocked bookstore, an information desk where you can get ranger suggestions, and a little museum covering the geology and history of the site.
My kids loved the museum in this visitors center, much of which is hands-on.
The microscope with interchangeable rock samples was a particular favorite, though they also enjoyed reading about the park’s first explorers and examining the 3D topography map, too.
In general, the national park is great for kids, which is why I included it on my list of the best family adventures in Colorado.
When you’ve thoroughly explored the museum, walk to Gunnison Point overlook behind the visitors center to get a dizzying look at the canyon and the seemingly tiny river below.
The Camping Kiddos at the incredible Gunnison overlook near the visitors center
If you do nothing else in the park, make sure you do this!
It’s a couple hundred feet behind the visitors center, making it easy for anyone to hop out, but the views are incredible. You’ll get your first taste at how deep and narrow this canyon is here, though there are other overlooks (below) where you can get better views of the river.
Scenic Drive and Overlooks
Part of the South Rim scenic road near Chasm View overlook
The 8-mile scenic drive along South Rim Road is a must-do, as it takes visitors past multiple viewpoints at various points along the canyon’s cliffs.
For any first time visitor to the park, this scenic drive introduces you to the many twists and turns of this fascinating canyon, the walls of which are only 40 feet apart of its narrowest point.
The South Rim has about a dozen different overlooks, many of which are accessible directly from the road. Pulpit Rock Overlook is the best of these, in my opinion, so be sure to stop here for a few moments.
The other overlooks require a short hike, but these are often less crowded. Cross Fissures Viewpoint has east and west overlooks, which allows visitors to see the Gunnison River below in different directions.
The beautiful Painted Wall with the Gunnison River below
The Painted Wall Viewpoint is another must-see overlook with a short hike.
At the viewpoint, you’ll see beautiful striations in the wall opposite you that change colors throughout the day as the sun shifts.
Here, you’ll find views of the deepest part of the canyon, which stretches 2250 ft from the clifftop to the riverbanks below. (To compare, the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, is 2722 feet!)
Alternative Scenic Drive Options
Your other option for a scenic drive on the south side of the park is on East Portal Road, which is to the right just after the entrance station. While it is beautiful, and it is the only way to get down to the river banks, I don’t know that I would recommend it for a single day’s visit.
First of all, the road is incredibly winding and steep with a 16% grade in places, which can be intimidating to the casual visitor who’s here just for the views.
Secondly, seeing the canyon from the bottom is incredibly cool, but if you’ve only got a single day here, that time is best spent on the rim, exploring the overlooks and hiking trails. If you have a second day, or it’s a return visit, I would recommend that you spend that day on East Portal Road.
NOTE: There’s also a third scenic driving route, but it is on the North Rim, which is a 2 hour drive from the South Rim entrance station. I’d suggest holding off on the North Rim until you have a longer visit available.
Hiking
My daughter hiking out to Cross Fissures overlook
Since this national park is relatively small—and focused nearly exclusively on the canyon views—there aren’t as many hiking opportunities here as in other parts of Colorado.
The South Rim does have a few, so make time in your day to experience at least one of them. Getting out into the park on foot is a great contrast to seeing it just by car.
Oak Flat Trail is a 1.5 mile loop that starts near the visitors center. If you want to do this hike, you’ll need to nab a parking spot at the visitors center, and then pick up the trail to the left of the wooden porch. When you get to the trail fork, hold the right hand side, which will keep you from going uphill so much on the trail.
Much of this trail is shrubby and narrow, but if you hang in there, you’ll be treated to 2 different viewpoints of the canyon. It is one of the most popular trails in the park, so be prepared at peak times.
Rim Rock Trail is a 1 mile, one-way connector trail between the visitors center and the South Rim campground. Much of it is right on the rim, so you’ll be treated with some of the best views of any of the trails on the South Rim.
However, if you’re hiking with kids, watch them carefully as there are sheer drop-offs and no railings. It’s one of the few trails in the parks that allow leashed dogs, too.
Warner Point Nature Trail is located at the western most point of South Rim Drive, and it’s usually not too crowded. Since the road transitions from pavement to gravel before you get to Warner Point, many visitors turn around at Sunset Point.
This means the trail at Warner Point is far less traveled that those closer to the visitors center. If you have time, head out here.
Warner Point is 1.5 miles round trip, and is nearly all uphill as you go towards the overlook point. If you’re not used to the altitude, go slowly and bring plenty of water.
Hike more in this area of Colorado! Check out my guide to Cascade Falls in Ouray, about 30 minutes from Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
Ranger Programs
These are free programs led by one of the park’s rangers, and they are always fantastic.
Check at the information desk in the visitors center or on the bulletin board outside of the main glass entrance doors for the daily program topics.
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison ranger program times follow a set schedule throughout the summer, but the topics discussed at each rotate weekly.
You don’t need to reserve your spot at these: just show up and learn something new!
Lunch with a view!
Picnicking
As the park doesn’t have any food options, you’re going to need to plan ahead.
I doubt you’ll want to interrupt your day of adventure to head into one of the nearby towns for lunch, so pack a picnic instead.
Head to the picnic tables at Sunset Point for an al fresco meal you’ll never forget!
The picnic tables are located right on the edge of the canyon’s South Rim, so you’ll be able to eat your sandwich and chips without ever leaving the incredible scenery.
There are only 2 stone picnic tables here, so be sure to arrive on the earlier side of lunch time if you want to nab one on a busy day.
The picnic tables don’t have any shade, so keep that in mind if you’re visiting at the peak of summer.
Junior Ranger booklet
If you’re a kid, or kid at heart, don’t forget to pick up a Junior Ranger booklet at the visitors center. You can complete it while you’re exploring elsewhere in the park, and then return it as you’re leaving.
Once you return it and review it with a ranger, you’ll get to take the Junior Ranger pledge and receive your free badge.
The Junior Ranger booklet at Black Canyon of the Gunnison is free (which isn’t always the case; I’m looking at you, Yellowstone National Park!). Just ask at the ranger desk near the bookstore for a copy.
In some instances, the ranger on duty might go ahead and give mom or dad the badges and them deputize them to hand them out when the kids’ booklets are complete.
I’ve found this is the case when the park is busy, when there’s construction near the visitors center, or the visitors center hours are limited (like in the off-season).
What Else to Know about Visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
The canyon as seen from Cross Fissures viewpoint
Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a fee site.
As of the writing of this post, a car pass is $30 for a 7-day visit.
If you have an NPS annual pass, you’ll get in free (so get that pass!).
You’ll pay as you go through the staffedentrance station on the south side of the park. If you’re visiting the north rim, you’ll do a self-pay at the ranger station, or, if the ranger’s there, pay him or her directly.
You don’t need reservations for Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
Since only about 170,000 visitors make their way up to the park each year, it’s never so crowded that you can’t hike, drive, and explore to your heart’s content.
Unlike other places in this region like Arches National Park and Glacier National Park, which do require advanced, timed reservations, you can come and go as you please at Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
Unless you’re visiting at a peak time—essentially a weekend during the summer—you’re not going to have too much trouble getting into the park.
There are no food sales on site.
Because this park has few visitors compared to other Western national parks, they’ve limited the amenities here.
You can’t find any food other than a granola bar in the visitors center on park property, so you’ll need to plan ahead and bring your own.
The closest grocery stores are in Montrose 20 miles away if you’d like to really stock your cooler; you can find a variety of local chains and a Walmart there.
If you’re planning to spend the entire day at the park, bring a cooler with sandwiches, salads, chips, fruit, water, and the like. There are a couple of picnic areas in the park where you can enjoy your meal. (See above for details on my favorite picnic area in the park!)
There’s little shade in the park.
You’re on the rim of a large canyon, and there are few trees on the property. This means you’re largely exposed to the elements during your visit.
On a sunny day, be aware of the sun while hiking or exploring at the overlooks: the combination of high elevation, little shelter, and a sunny day can quickly result in a sunburn.
Likewise, you’ll want to watch your water intake, as you’ll sweat even in the drier, more manageable heat here.
If a storm comes up while you’re on the rim, you’ll want to quickly return to your car. Lighting strikes are a real concern up here where there’s nothing higher than a person and some shrubby trees.
East Portal Road and North Rim Road are closed in the winter.
South Rim Road, however, stays open throughout the year.
If you’re committed to visiting another area of the park during the winter, North Rim Road does allow pedestrians and bicyclists while the road is closed.
East Portal Road doesn’t have that option, so you’ll have to wait until it reopens as the warmer weather sets in.
Don’t expect the same views you’ll find at other national park canyons.
Having been to many other national parks with canyons like the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion, as well as state parks like Providence Canyon, I was expecting a specific type of view.
You know, one where you stare out over the vastness of the drastic landscape and contemplate life?
While you’ll find plenty to contemplate at Black Canyon of the Gunnison, you’re not going to have the picturesque river and canyon walls views, mostly because the canyon is so stinking deep.
At many of the overlooks, you’ll get vertigo before you’re able to really see the river rushing far below you, and it’s exceeding difficult to get photos that accurately showcase the real scale of the place.
The Grand Canyon is about 2.5 times deeper than Black Canyon, but the walls of the canyon are so much wider at the Grand Canyon that they allow you space for photos and contemplation.
This doesn’t mean that Black Canyon of the Gunnison is any less worthy of a visit; it just means you’ll have to prepare yourself for the fact that you will likely walk away from this one day visit without any meaningful photos of the Gunnison River below.
The Camping Kiddos at the Chasm View overlook
Ready to extend your visit to Black Canyon of the Gunnison?
If you have another full day in this area and want to see more of the national park, add on a visit to the north rim of the canyon, where you’ll have fewer crowds and additional viewpoints.
While there isn’t a visitors center on this side, you will find a regularly staffed ranger station, three trails, and a campground.
Two of those, North Vista Trail and Deadhorse Trail, are the longest in the park. North Vista Trail arguably, has the best long range views of the canyon in the park, so don’t miss out on that if you’d really like to stretch your legs.
Note that the North Rim road is closed during the winter, but it is a great second day add-on for a new perspective on the canyon during the warmer months.
That being said, unless you really love canyon views or just want to get away from the few visitors that you’ll find here, a visit to the north rim isn’t completely necessary. You’ll get similar views and overlooks on the south rim if you’re limited for time in this area.
