We drove south of Delta to Montrose and east to the entrance to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, a small but spectacular national park that shows the power of water to cut through really hard igneous and metamorphic rock. The result after millions of years is a gorge twelve miles long and over 2,700' at its deepest point. While it cannot compete with the scale of the Grand Canyon or the majesty of Yosemite, visitors can marvel at the depth and sharpness of the canyon walls in this narrow stretch of the Gunnison River.
Like most visitors we drove the south rim road stopping at each viewpoint to look down into the bottom of the canyon. We watched a lone rock climber on hanging from the Painted Wall halfway up (or down?) this 2,250' vertical wall, the tallest in the state. Hikers can walk one of the several hiking paths along the south rim for views of the canyon, being mindful of very steep drop-offs. More serious hikers can explore the inner canyon along unmarked and unmaintained trails that lead to the river below.
There is one camping area in the park that provides electricity to campers and it was worth the couple of extra dollars for the service. Not only does electric service save our batteries, but permits us to use the microwave and, on that particularly frosty night, a small space heater.
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