Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park guide · 1 min read
Why the Black Canyon Is Black
The Black Canyon gets its name from its shadows. Its walls are so steep and the gorge so narrow that in some spots sunlight reaches the rock for only 33 minutes a day.
With the stone kept in shade for most of the day, the walls appear black.
Where the gorge pinches tightest, the Gunnison River runs through a space just 40 feet wide. From the rim, the walls drop 2,000 feet nearly straight to the water. The river loses about 34 feet of elevation with every mile it covers here, which puts it fifth on the list of steepest mountain descents in North America.
The Gunnison River did most of the carving, working over two million years to shape this vertical landscape. Here the cliffs are among the steepest on the continent, and the rock is among the oldest. The spires rank among the most rugged in North America, and the water itself runs far below the rim.
The Painted Wall climbs 2,250 feet, making it the tallest sheer drop in Colorado. Chasm View looks down on the steepest stretch of the river, where the water falls 240 feet for each mile. Both rims have drives with overlooks, so you can see the canyon from many points without a long hike. Gunnison Point, Exclamation Point, and Cross Fissures are among the stops worth making.
