Sharing is caring!

On a road trip out west centered around a hike in the Grand Canyon I was in need of a picnic table to cook my rama noodles.  I had never been out west, so instead of taking the interstate out of Denver I took the scenic route through the towns of Gunnison, Ouray, and Durango.

The Grand Canyon

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison for lunch

Just west of Gunnison a brown sign pointed to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument (it has since been designated a national park).  I figured there would be a picnic table somewhere in the park.  I pulled in and had to pay a national park entrance fee.  I opted for the full year since I was going to Grand Canyon and Zion over the next couple of weeks.

Before I found my picnic table I came across a sign for an overlook.  I decided to check it out thinking it might be a nice view.  When I got to it my mouth dropped at the chasm in front of me.  The Gunnison River has carved a mini Grand Canyon here, and I was amazed at what I had stumbled upon at this park I had never heard of.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison is my official welcome to the west

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

The canyon was like a big welcome sign to the beauty of the west.  The reason why the park is not well known is because of its proximity to places like the Rocky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, and Zion, but for those that pass by this amazing national park it is definitely worth a stop for the overlook alone.

I recently read a post by Suzy Guese that discussed how she loves the adventure to a destination as much and sometimes even more than the destination itself.  Everyone loves a road trip and one of the great parts about America is the accessibility of cool places that lie along the route.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

This was one of those moments for me.  I knew the Grand Canyon and Zion would be awesome, but I did not know that I would stand before a sight like this well before reaching those iconic parks.

For those smitten by the beauty of these pictures and who might be soon taking a similar road trip plan to stay awhile at the Black Canyon National Park.  There is a campground there and they have all sorts of hiking opportunities as well as rock climbing, and expert kayaking.  The rapids are class V and so dangerous that even whitewater rafting is not allowed through the park; however rafting is allowed just northwest of the park in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

The author at the edge of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Unfortunately, I could not stay long as I had to be at a Grand Canyon trailhead the next morning to meet a guided group of hikers through the Grand Canyon Field Institute.  I found my picnic table, cooked my rama noodles, took one more look at the gorge and continued on my way to Arizona.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

On my way home I drove back farther north, but next time I am in the area I plan to explore the Black Canyon of the Gunnison a little further.

Adventure on!

The goal of Traveling Ted is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then enter your email in the box to get email notifications for each new entry. Daily travel photos are excluded from your email in order to not flood you with posts. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).

On the right sidebar is a donate button. If you would like to donate in order to support the site, it would be appreciated. All donations would cover travel expenses and improvements to make the site better.