Colorado no doubt is one of my favorite places to vacation and lucky for me my parents moved there so two birds one stone right? I have slowly been visiting various hiking areas and attractions over the years that my parents have lived there. My last visit my mom and I ventured to Black Canyon National Park and I can’t believe we hadn’t gone sooner! After all my parents only live an hour away. We had looked up some information on the park a year or so ago but didn’t make it there so this time we made it a priority and we were glad we did. I would say this has got to be one of the most overlooked National Parks in Colorado and I would highly recommend a visit. So here it is…how to get there, what to expect, what to see and do, and surrounding attractions.

How to get there

The National park, much like the Grand Canyon, has a north and south rim. The south rim is the most accessible and the one we made it to. 

Coming from Montrose: Take highway 50 toward Gunnison and after about 7 miles you will turn onto Highway 347 (left). It is about another 7 miles to the south rim. From here expect the whole drive of the south rim to take at least an hour not accounting for stops and hiking. 

Getting from Gunnison: Inversely if you take highway 50 west out of Gunnison you will turn just before Montrose onto highway 347 (right).

From Grand Junction: Head south toward Montrose, turn east toward highway 50 (left) which will be through the main street of town.  Take highway 50 toward Gunnison and after about 7 miles you will turn onto Highway 347 (left).

If you wish to visit the north rim it is closest to Crawford, CO. Use highway 92 and a few miles South of Crawford turn onto Black canyon road. Approximately 7 miles of this will be unpaved so monitor weather and what vehicle you are in. The north rim is closed in the winter as well due to access. 

Google map to the north rim here: https://goo.gl/maps/CepRKkGBSBiQz73R6

Google map to the south rim here: https://goo.gl/maps/MmRLoE39ZuGZFGEE9

What to expect

Rightfully named a canyon the Black canyon has sheer drop-offs deep to the river below. The canyon is deep enough that it only sees light approximately 30 minutes a day which is how it got its’ name. Driving the south rim you will have well-paved roads with multiple turn-offs to different viewpoints and hiking trails. Some viewpoints are right near the road while others are several hundred yards to a half-mile or so. The signs at the start of the trail will indicate the length. Aside from one trail these are decently flat, well maintained dirt paths that are easy to hike/walk. The last trail at the endpoint is the longest and does have some areas that will feel a bit more like a hike with steps and moderate incline. 

What to see

The chasm view, painted rock, and rim rock view were my personal favorites for viewpoints along the south rim. If you are driving the south rim and walking to viewpoints allot 3-4 hours minimum. If you are more of an avid hiker there are several longer hikes into the canyon as well. Camping is available in certain areas with a campground on both rims as well.

Find a more detailed list of the hiking trails at Black Canyon here: https://www.nps.gov/blca/planyourvisit/hikingtrails.htm

Nearby attractions to Black Canyon

Furthermore, if you are visiting southwest Colorado there are notably some other amazing towns nearby worth visiting. Approximately 1 hour from Montrose south is Ouray and one end of “The Million Dollar Highway”. Ouray is a small mountain town which is well known for UTVs, jeeping, hiking, and Million Dollar Highway drive. The highway is known for its steep dropoffs and limited guardrails. Drive the highway to Silverton to catch the famed Narrow Gauge train to Durango, more information on the train click here https://www.durangotrain.com. Telluride is also a couple hours from Montrose and beautiful town to visit.