Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park guide · 1 min read
North Rim Road: CCC-Built Historic Drive
The North Rim Road is a scenic drive along the rugged north side of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
Allow two to three hours for a leisurely tour. The road is unpaved gravel, and it starts at the east end of Crawford State Park. The North Rim sits 11 miles south of the town of Crawford, reached by Colorado 92 and Black Canyon Road.
The canyon walls on the North Rim are almost vertical, and they offer some of the most impressive views in the park. Along the road you reach six overlooks, each one a place to stop and look down into the gorge. Far below the rim, the Gunnison River runs through the bottom of the canyon. In winter and early spring the roads are not plowed, so conditions change with the season.
Kneeling Camel View is one of the named viewpoints in the park. The North Rim also has hiking trailheads and a horseback riding trailhead, and horseback riding here is for day use only. Trails along the rim give you a way to see the canyon at a slower pace.
The North Rim is rugged and primitive, with limited services. Stop by the North Rim Ranger Station before you head out. The North Rim Campground has only a few sites, so expect self-reliant conditions and plan to bring what you need.
There is no bridge or road spanning the canyon, so driving between the two rims means a route of two to three hours on non-park roads. Plan your visit to the North Rim as its own trip, with time to take in the overlooks at your own pace.
