Black Canyon of the Gunnison is one of America’s lesser-known national parks. This means that it is relatively much quieter here than in well-known national parks such as Yosemite or the Grand Canyon. This park is located in western Colorado. The park is mainly known for the canyon of the Gunnison River.
Table of contents
- General information about Black Canyon of the Gunnison national park
- History of Black Canyon of the Gunnison
- Flora of the park
- Fauna of the park
- Other sights and activities
- Human influences
General information about Black Canyon of the Gunnison national park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison is located in western Colorado. On the west side of the Rocky Mountains. The nearest town is Montrose, 17 miles and half an hour’s drive away. You can get to this national park via three roads. One takes either the North Rim, the South Rim, or the East Portal Road. These roads all lead through the national park and offer opportunities to get into the park.
The canyon, which is the largest in the park, varies between 12 and 450 meters wide and is up to 600 meters deep. This also means that it is a very dark gorge, because sunlight can hardly enter. Once you are in the park and have found a nice spot, you can walk here. However, there are some conditions attached to this. All activities, including hiking, that are carried out in the canyon must obtain a permit. Failure to do so may result in fines. Walking into the canyon or taking a walk on a path is allowed without permission, but steep descents and difficult paths must be taken into account. One of the reasons why this park is less known than other national parks is because of its inaccessibility. Getting into the park is sometimes difficult, especially in winter, but doing activities there is usually even more difficult.
History of Black Canyon of the Gunnison
The canyon or gorge was created at different times. This goes back to more than 1.7 billion years ago. This has ensured that the canyon has been cut very deeply. In the canyon one can also see that the canyon was formed in different times. Today the gorge is still eroded by the water that flows through it. However, this happens very slowly and it will take millions of years before there is a visible difference.
People have never lived in this gorge before. Many people lived near the gorge and literally lived on the edge, but no traces of inhabitants of the gorge have yet been found. The discovery of this gorge dates back to 1765 and 1766 when the gorge was visited and discovered by the Spanish. Since then there have been five more major expeditions, the last of which took place in 1916.
Flora of the park
Various types of plants can be found in the park. Flowers, shrubs and trees. In terms of trees, well-known species such as the oak and juniper grow here, but various types of conifers also grow here. No very special trees have been observed here. In terms of lower plants, such as flowers and shrubs, one will find here, among others, unknown Black Canyon Gilia and the Single-leaf Ash.
Fauna of the park
The park is home to several species of animals, ranging from deer to coyotes to bird species. In addition to coyotes, other predators such as skunks, badgers, weasels and cat ferrets are also found here. These predators prey on all kinds of animals, including many mammals. Mammals found here include the mule deer, elk and Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep. Special birds such as the Steller’s jay and the American eagle owl also occur here.
Other sights and activities
The main attraction here is the canyon itself. This is usually viewed via a scenic route. This is a route that offers special views. This makes it very easy to see the most special places. There is also the option to take a look at the river. This can be done by driving down by car, but also by hiking down. There are various walking routes, nature routes and (paved) roads through the park. One must keep in mind that long cars cannot go everywhere.
In addition to hiking and driving through the area, what is often practiced here is rock climbing, kayaking and rafting. The first mentioned offers some very extreme challenges, due to the steep rocks. Kayaking and rafting one must be very careful as the river here is very rough. This poses a number of dangers, the biggest of which is drowning.
Human influences
Human influences, such as roads, are common here. There are many roads through the park, but a relatively large amount of waste is also found. This is of course not the intention, because a national park must remain as clean as possible.