“USA 🇺🇸 ~Colorado NORTH Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and the Drive Through Curecanti National Recreational Area to Get There!”

• August 20, 2022
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

From Montrose, we drove almost 100 miles to reach the actual North Rim entrance of the Black Canyon. It was a poignant moment to be on the opposite side of the canyon from the South side, where the visitors center is, where we were, just a few months ago. As the crow flies, maybe it’s about three quarters of a mile apart, but with no bridge, it’s definitely quite a drive, apart, from each side.
Also, very significant about these two sides of the canyon; there is only a ranger pay station on the South side, close to Montrose.
We have a free lifetime pass for all our National Parks, but if you want to save the $35 entrance fee, the North Rim is free to enter, and to be honest, both sides are great, but this North rim was extra dramatic with its ruggedness.

The drive from the Blue Mesa Dam to the North rim is 52 miles on a very beautiful and scenic road.
We were blown away!

We entered the Curecanti National Recreation Area, at the Blue Mesa Dam; about 40 miles from Montrose, just shy of the Blue Mesa Reservoir we enjoyed last week.
We followed the Gunnison River, all the way, as it flows through the entire canyon. We hardly ever saw another vehicle and we got to see lots of deer.
Some of the Canyon draw is part of Curecanti, and then this area turns into the National Park, at the steepest and most rugged parts.

Between Montrose, and just before entering into the narrow canyon driving area, there is major construction going on, as they are widening the road. First trip that direction was on a Sunday, and construction was not active, so no delay. Yesterday, was on a Thursday and we had a 40-minute delay on the temporary, one-lane road. We visited with Dan the flag man, so it made the wait go faster. Hi Dan!
Anyway, not wanting to go back through the construction zone to return, we headed towards Delta, heading west on Hwy 92, hitting up a few smaller towns along the way back home.
In the end, we made a gigantic loop, and enjoyed every minute of it! We even stopped at a cafe in Delta for pie and coffee, making a nice end to our adventurous day! (Delta is 20 minutes from Montrose) 

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Curecanti National Recreation Area ⬇️

The Gunnison is one of the longest rivers in Colorado, meeting the Colorado River near Grand Junction after flowing through the western Rocky Mountains for 164 miles. It starts in open, undulating terrain at 8,000 feet elevation, at the junction of two upper tributaries; the East and Taylor rivers, but downstream soon forms a deep canyon, framed by sheer or steeply-sloping walls of jagged igneous rocks up 2,000 feet deep, best viewed inside the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
The lower section of the river is less dramatic, winding along a wide, shallow valley, but as well as the National Park, the Gunnison runs through the center of a larger, though less visited; Curecanti National Recreation Area. This contains a small strip of the hills to the north and south and about 45 miles of the river, which is dammed at three locations to form long, narrow reservoirs.

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North Rim Black Canyon of the Gunnison ⬇️
The North Rim may not be as easily accessible as the South Rim, but the views are just as stunning, if not more so!

The North Rim is 11 miles southwest of Crawford, Colorado.
From CO Highway 92, turn west on Black Canyon Road approximately 3 miles south of Crawford. Follow the road signs to the park.
The last 7 miles are unpaved, and the North Rim is closed to vehicles in the winter.
We found isolation, natural beauty and a steep canyon that’s every bit as impressive as the Grand Canyon, in my opinion. It is big enough to be overwhelming, but still intimate enough to feel the pulse of time.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park exposes you to some of the steepest cliffs, oldest rock, and craggiest spires in North America.
We enjoyed a scenic rim drive with five dramatic overlooks from crazy ledges, offering stunning views and numerous photographic opportunities.

JUST A WORD OF CAUTION:
I have to say, with only a few of the trails leading to the ledges, having guard rails, these ledges with loose rock and sticker-thorned plants, are extremely dangerous. I love a thrill, and lack of railings have never fazed me before, but THESE edges were very scary. I would not bring children or even dogs on leashes up any of these trails, without railings at the edge. Too much could go wrong! That being said, there were enough stops WITH  guard rails to still make this visit worthwhile for the whole family. 

It is believed 1,700,000,000 is the approximate age (years) of the Precambrian “basement rock” that erosion has exposed at the bottom of the the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park 

I’ve been to Hells Canyon in Oregon (also located in Idaho) which is the deepest canyon in North America; at 8,043 feet.
As deep as this Black Canyon is, it still doesn’t compare at just over 2,000 feet, but just as dizzying!
The Grand Canyon hails at 5,000 feet deep, just to throw some numbers out there

Starting to remind me of the “Avatar” movie scenery

⬆️ Pleasantly surprised to discover the name of this overlook really had a rock formation of a camel! 😂 I just didn’t expect that!  

⬆️ Would like to point out, from this location on the North Rim, we could look over to the South Rim where we had stopped in, at the (only) Visitors Center of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison a month ago

⬆️ And this photo is from being on the South Rim, at the Visitors Center, looking over where we were at, on this day on the North Rim.
Pretty Cool!

⬆️⬇️Finishing up our North Rim Drive at “Kneeling Camel” overlook 

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All too soon the Rim drive was over, and for us, it was the end of a full day.
We had a very memorable outing!

We then pointed the vehicle towards home base, even though we wanted to find ghost towns somewhere around Gunnison. But, that will have to be another day.
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Delta ⬇️

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COLORADO

NOTE: usually my maps are spot on, but like with everything about the North Rim of this Black Canyon, it seems to be a bit of a mystery. When doing internet searches, the South Rim Info comes up…. Since there is a campground near the entrance to the North Rim Drive, I am using this as a marker. The rim drive is about four miles on a good dirt road. We only saw four people at this North rim, compared to the South rim, with the masses. 

If you missed our SOUTH Rim visit to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park we made in July, here is the link to my blog on that:

https://2gypsiesinthewind.com/northamerica/united-states-of-america/colorado/colorado-montose-black-canyon-at-the-gunnison-national-park/