Colorado - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is located in western Colorado. It is a huge, beautiful park with a lot of hiking trails, camping opportunities and "gorge"ous views.
When I arrived, I was a bit early, and the visitors center was not open yet, so I traveled down the East Portal Road towards the East Portal Campground, which is at the river level, at the bottom of the canyon. Near the top, I had pulled to the side to take come photos, and was greeted with the smell of mountain sage. It was nice.
I took my rental car to the bottom of the canyon - through 10mph hairpin curves all the way down. It was a tricky drive, and not open in winter. Once at the bottom, I got out of the car to look around and hike a bit - and was greeted to the smell of burning brakes. It was not nice.
After returning to the visitor center, I watched a great film about the history of the Black Canyon. There were a lot of people that tried to explore in the canyon over the years, only to either fail or die. The story of these explorers was very interesting. Right outside of the visitor center, there is a walk to a great overlook. I have a photo of it below.
I ended up talking to a ranger to find an appropriate hike to do, and she suggested the Oak Flat Loop Trail. I think the trees around it are called "flat oak", because there was no way that the trail could be labeled as "flat". I'm sure there were more strenuous trails, as this one did not go to the bottom of the canyon, but still... it was NOT flat.
Along the trail, I only saw one other person - a young ranger. He ended up walking with me for quite a ways. I'm not sure if he was worried I couldn't make it or what. But, he doubled as a tour guide, and gave me a lot of information about the park. Apparently, I was there at a good time, because in the busy season, there is no parking, and it gets very crowded. I can see why - it is very pretty. The canyon is cut at an incredibly steep angle due to the type of rock, and it is a very different look than other canyon areas that I have seen.
If you would like more information about the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, please visit the National Park Service website at: https://www.nps.gov/blca/index.htm
