We recently took a trip to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It was a great trip, a bit of distance from here, which necessitated an overnight stay in the town of Gunnison.
Day one, the drive to Gunnison, was fun. Lots of beautiful scenery all the way. Didn't take many pictures on the drive, mostly just sat and enjoyed the scenery. We did take a short drive on some county roads outside of Gunnison, and it certainly is a scenic area.
We had dinner in our hotel room, tasty pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy.
Day 2 we got up fairly early and headed for the canyon. Again, a drive full of spectacular scenery.
Lots of places to pull off the road and enjoy the scenic views on the drive to the canyon
On our drive to the road along the North Rim of the canyon, we drove along part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area, which includes 3 dams on the Gunnison River and their resulting lakes.
lake
one of the dams
scenery approaching the North Rim
"It sure is beautiful here!"
----------------The Canyon--------------------------------------------------------
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is breathtaking, there is no doubt about that. A canyon almost half a mile deep and only 1500 ft wide at its narrowest point. The first view I took, my hands clamped to the railing, literally took my breath away. I'd had no idea what to expect, and was so spectacularly surprised at the drama of the view. Wow.
Here are a few photos and a video that will give you a small taste of the majesty of this place. Enjoy!
We managed to stop at all the pull-outs on the road along the North Rim. Some were just a few steps from the canyon's edge, others required a short hike. But every view was different, one more spectacular than the last, and most importantly, every viewpoint had a nice, safe viewing area with a sturdy rail. These drop offs are not for the faint of heart!!
just something about this place makes you want to hang on tight to something secure!
We did see a lot of flowers, some birds, a mule deer and this lizard on our trip:
