Black Canyon of the Gunnison

From Wikipedia – The park protects a quarter of the Gunnison River, which slices sheer canyon walls from dark Precambrian-era rock. The canyon features some of the steepest cliffs and oldest rock in North America, and is a popular site for river rafting and rock climbing. The deep, narrow canyon is composed of gneiss and schist which appears black when in shadow.

• Established: 10/21/1999
• Annual Visitors: 308,962
• Size: 30,780 acres

Elizabeth:

After scraping frost off the windshield and layering clothing including my down jacket, we left Alamosa, CO and headed into the San Isabel National Forest, over Monarch Pass, 11,312 ft and crossed back over the Continental Divide. We didn’t linger up there as Rangeley was restless and probably experiencing ear or head pressure because he was whining. Just like yesterday, there was snow at the top and we watched snow boarders and skiers climbing up the hills to get their first runs in WAY before the ‘real’ ski season starts. After heading down the other side we entered Gunnison National Forest and Rangeley laid back down and fell asleep.

We stopped for lunch at Pappy’s, at the marina, on Blue Mesa Reservoir. It looked very similar to Lake Pleasant or Saguaro Lake in AZ. We were surprised as we thought it would be more woodsy, but the owner and waitress were great and the temps were in the 70’s, sunny and we were outside…it tee shirts!

We decided to check out the park before going to the hotel in Montrose to see what we wanted to do tomorrow. Black Canyon NP is gorgeous. It resembles a small version of the Grand Canyon in some ways, in that it is a huge gorge. Dogs can go to the overlooks and on one trail, so we plan to return tomorrow to watch the sunrise and then hike the two mile loop where Rangeley can go.

We ate dinner at Horsefly Brewing Company in Montrose. It was awesome that they were packed! Great for them and a wonderful feeling that the economy is getting back on its feet in some towns! There was a 30 minute wait for a table and close to an hour wait for food once you ordered. Staff was overwhelmed but were fun and running around to try and keep people happy. The band played on the dog friendly patio, 77 degrees and sunny as families, couples, groups of friends, locals and travelers all enjoyed the positive and lively atmosphere!

Tomorrow we return to Black Canyon of the Gunnison and are enjoying two nights in the same hotel, Black Canyon Motel in Montrose, CO, 15 miles from the park.

Black Canyon – Day 2

Black Canyon of the Gunnison – Sept 13, 2020 – Part 2

We woke up this morning reminding ourselves that we wanted to do a geocache in each state we drive through and we missed NM…but we will be going through there at the end of our whirl wind tour so, phew! ; ) Gary downloaded the map to a cache at a cattle guard on the approach road to the park this morning. It was a magnetic box, micro size and placed there in August of 2011. We used to geocache a lot but this trip has sparked a new search for fun places to go and remote outdoor nooks and crannies that we might not have otherwise gone to. If you are not familiar with geocaching go to: www.geocaching.com. Cliff Notes version: Geocaching started in the US in 2000, when the government opened up GPS use to the general public. You can look up a location you want to go, online, where someone has hidden a box, of many possible sizes, and you are given the coordinates to find it with your GPS on your phone or a hand-held GPS. For us, it’s an adventure treasure hunt. We have cached all over the world, on cruises to the Caribbean; while I was on a travel job in Hawaii; while walking the Camino in Spain; and around Phoenix on mountains and at lakes, etc. We search very infrequently but over several years we have logged about 1,586 finds in 14 states and 14 countries…and still counting!

We drove the 15 miles from Montrose to Black Canyon NP and walked a 2 mile out and back rim walk called Rim Rock Trail. We had every intention of experiencing sunrise on the rim this AM but the pup woke us a few times last night and the room was hot so we got up more leisurely this AM and headed up after breakfast at about 9am. The views were spectacular. Some great photos attached. We loved seeing the parking lot full! We think it was a free entrance Sunday. Locals and travelers were enjoying the wonderous gorges with its many geological layers. The visitor’s center is closed to indoor traffic but the rangers are at a table outside to eagerly answer questions. The gift shop is semi-open meaning you can buy things but the store attendees go get the items for you after you have picked out what you want from display tables that were cordoned off. Visitors are polite and careful when passing you on the trail. They/we either stepped aside or covered their/our face while passing. The park was busy with tours. We saw a group of motor coach tourists on a Collette Vacations tour and ranger tours (all in masks). Again, great to see the economy making a slow come back! It was especially nice to feel the positive outdoor adventure vibe all were radiating!

The top of the canyon was 62 degrees while we were hiking and when we returned to town, Montrose, CO, it was 75 and sunny! We are still dumbfounded that we were in snow at 11,000 ft just yesterday!

Gary used our propane grill/stove today to make us grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Our Motel room door is wide open with the dog’s exercise pen blocking the door. We can smell others cooking out on their own grills in the parking lot. This motel offers breakfast with the room. It was our first hot breakfast with strong coffee, waffles, etc. at a hotel since we left last week. We have seen a pattern: the chain hotels (Choice and Wyndham for example) are very cautious, partially closed offices and no sit down restaurants, just bagged breakfasts to-go. But the independent hotels like this evening’s (The Black Canyon Motel) and tomorrow’s in Moab, Utah (The Aarchway Inn) serve full, hot breakfasts with all the traditional “breakfast included” items including seating with others at a distance. A bit of the old normalcy was a welcome experience.

Tomorrow we go to Arches NP very close to our hotel in Moab. We plan…today anyway : )…to stay there three nights and do Canyonlands NP the next day!