Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP & Ouray, CO

SUN., SEPT 25, 2022 thru SAT., OCT 1, 2022

We traveled 130 miles south from Rifle Gap State Park to arrive at Centennial RV Park on Sunday, Sept. 25th, in Montrose, CO and saw some beautiful scenery along the way. Laundry and grocery shopping were the order of business on Monday. But we also had a beautiful sunset in the evening and were able to enjoy a campfire with the Hannafords. 

Yesterday the pod visited the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It has “the greatest combination of depth, steepness and narrowness of any canyon in North America.” The Black Canyon runs 53 miles long and the Gunnison River drops 2,000 ft through the canyon making for a powerful river. During spring runoff, 700 lb. rocks measuring 2 ft across can be carried on the river. No hiking down to the Gunnison River any time of year without a permit as it is dangerous. We opted for the driving route along the South Rim and were able to make 12 stops. We ended up walking about 4 miles because you had to hike in at each of the stops to see the canyon. A tiring but very rewarding experience! Loved it! Some of the highlights were Painted Wall, which had veins of pink pegmatite run horizontally through the canyon walls. We also enjoyed some incredibly steep vantage points. Not Cheryl’s favorite, but beautiful!  

The Black Canyon is so named because its steepness makes it difficult for sunlight to penetrate its depths. As a result the canyon is often shrouded in shadow, causing the rocky walls to appear black. At its narrowest point the canyon is only 40 ft wide at the Gunnison River. The river was named after John Gunnison, an explorer and engineer seeking a Pacific Railroad passage in the 1850s. 

On Thursday, Sept. 29th, the pod drove to Ouray, CO (pronounced “yur-ay”). Named after Chief Ouray, a leader of the Ute Indians. Ouray is touted as the “Switzerland of America.” It sits at 7,792 ft in the heart of the San Juan Mountains, surrounded on 3 1/2 sides by the mountains. Beautiful! First stop was Box Cañon Park to see Box Cañon Falls. The falls are an 85-foot cascade of water down Canyon Creek. You get to it via a catwalk-like structure. Not Cheryl’s favorite. She opted to pass on the catwalk, but the rest of us braved it. After passing thru the gauntlet of the catwalk, you walk down several staircases and voila, there is the waterfall in front of you. It is in a quartzite canyon surrounded by 100-foot narrow walls. So cool to hear the pounding water. 

Afterwards we all took the High Bridge Trail to 8,100 feet above sea level and saw beautiful views of Ouray. We walked across High Bridge, which was originally built in 1900 to carry a water pipeline between two reservoirs. We were able to enter the tunnel through the mountain and walk across that. Had to duck down through the tunnel or our heads would be smacking into the rock ceiling. Once on the other side of the mountain, we could have continued walking but there was a significant drop-off next to the trail, which didn’t fill one with warm fuzzies. We decided to pass on that. Cheryl was grateful! She stopped walking before we got to the High Bridge. We turned around and went back the way we came down the trail. 

Here’s a video of the Box Cañon Falls.

After visiting Ouray’s Box Cañon Falls, we headed to the historic Ouray Hot Springs to have a soak. These geothermal pools have been utilized for hundreds of years, including by the Ute Native American tribe. The five hot springs have lots of minerals in them but no sulphur so there is no odor. Delightful experience particularly after our morning hike and walking the equivalent of 14 flights of stairs. Afterwards we headed into downtown Ouray to explore. Easy to see why Ouray is considered the “Switzerland of America.” It is surrounded by the majestic San Juan mountains. You see them everywhere. Amazing.

We have spent 7 blessed weeks in Colorado, and have thoroughly enjoyed our time here. We’ve explored two National Parks… Great Sand Dunes and Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We’ve toured the state capitol, and explored Garden of the Gods with its amazing Red Rocks. We’ve visited museums, churches, Denver’s Botanic Garden, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and the famous Red Rock Amphitheater. We’ve hiked a lot, biked a little, soaked in Hot Springs and celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary with Cheryl & Joe’s help! We’ve loved being surrounded by the mountains and haven’t met one Coloradan who wishes they were living elsewhere. I can see why! They get over 300 days of sunshine and are surrounded by beautiful mountains. As the sign says, Colorado is indeed Colorful! We’d come back in a heartbeat! But for now it’s time to move on to Utah…