Black Canyon: Two Rims and No Bridge

Stand at the edge and the far wall feels close enough to shout across. It is. Driving there is another story.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is in west-central Colorado, on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. On a road trip, the thing to know first is the shape of the place.

Two sides of one gash

The canyon divides Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park into a North Rim and a South Rim. Both rim drives in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park have one access point from the highway and dead-end within the park.

So you cannot loop through. There is no bridge across the canyon, so drivers should allow 2 to 3 hours to drive from one rim to the other. Most trips pick one rim and leave the other for next time. Great Basin asks for the same kind of planning.

The South Rim

The nearest communities to the South Rim is Montrose, and to the North Rim is Crawford. The South Rim Visitor Center is 14 miles northeast of Montrose, Colorado.

The turn is easy to find. The South Rim is 7 miles north on CO Highway 347 from the intersection with U.S. Highway 50 east of Montrose.

The North Rim

The North Rim is 11 miles southwest of Crawford. To reach the North Rim, turn west on Black Canyon Road from CO Highway 92 about 3 miles south of Crawford.

Getting close without a car

Bus and airplane service are available in Montrose, Gunnison or Grand Junction, near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. From there you still need a car to reach either rim.

On a longer loop

This park sits at the far east of the Grand Circle. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park lists Mesa Verde National Park at 156 miles. Check the park's own website for road news before you go, since the rim drives can change with the weather.