Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

A view of Black Canyon from the North Rim.

A view of Black Canyon from Warner Point.

The spectacular Black Canyon offers startling scenery and year-round opportunities to view wildlife.

The park covers more than 33,000 acres, including 15,000 acres of designated wilderness area. The park offers ranger programs, campgrounds, and wonderful hiking and opportunities to explore the rugged outdoors.

The canyon is almost 50 miles long, with the most spectacular 14-mile stretch within Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, where dark, shadowy schist walls rise up from the winding Gunnison River.

The rock faces provide excellent rock climbing for advanced climbers.

There are paved scenic drives with astonishing views, which are also popular among bicyclists, but the best way to see the canyon is on foot.

There are a variety of trails, from easy hikes along the rim to strenuous inner-canyon routes. Rim trails are perched at elevations of 8,000 feet. Descents into the canyon require a backcountry permit. The park has basic campgrounds on each rim, with sites available on a first-come, first-served basis. Campsites on the south rim can be reserved through www.recreation.gov.

Wildlife, including mule deer, black bears, coyotes and bobcats, abound. The cliffs are home to swifts, swallows, eagles, hawks, and vultures. The peregrine falcon regularly hunts here.

Extreme drops in grade make the river unraftable through the national park, but rafting opportunities abound in adjoining Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (BLM).