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Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park – an Introduction
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park of Colorado is an interesting destination in itself. This USA National Park is located in western Colorado and is administered by the National Park Service. The two entrances to the park are known as the North and the South Rim and they are located about 24 kilometers east of Montrose and 18 kilometers south of Crawford respectively. The South Rim is the more developed portion of this national park in U.S. The North Rim remains closed during the winter months. The park constitutes about 19 kilometers of the 77 kilometer long canyon of the Gunnison River. The most dramatic part of the canyon is contained in this U.S national park. The Canyon further continues upstream into the National Recreation Area of Curecanti and downstream into the National Conservation Area of the Gunnison Gorge.
Visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
If you are on a holiday at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and then the best activity happens to be taking a round of the entire region. Go for a day drive for about 7 miles in the South Rim and also hike through 5 miles of the trails. The afternoon should be kept apart for a visit to the floor of the canyon. If you do not have much time constraints then visit the North Rim along the 5 miles of the unpaved driveway.
Camping: Camping is allowed in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park but a free permit is required. The North Campground Remains open during the spring season through the Fall. There are 13 campsites in the Pinyon Juniper Forest. The South Campground consists of 88 sites and the Loop A is open throughout the year and the Loop B is open from spring through fall. Vault toilets, tables and grills are the facilities offered in the campgrounds in both North and South Rim. Water is available in both during mid-May to mid-October.
Guided Tours: The guided tours of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park include, Rock Climbing, horseback riding, wild life watching and fishing trips.
Opening Hours
South Rim:
Open every day. The South Rim Road is open to vehicles only during early April to mid-November. During winter, the South Rim Road is open to Gunnison Point. The rest of the road is closed to vehicles, but open to cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
North Rim:
Both the North Rim and the Ranger Station over there remain closed during winter. The road gets closed by later part of November and again opens during mid of May.
South Rim Visitor Center:
The visitor center is open throughout the year. During fall, winter, spring the timing is from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm and during summer it is from 8:00 am - 6:00 pm. The center remains closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.
How to Reach
Air: The nearest commercial air services are located at Montrose and Gunnison. Another airport lies at Grand Junction lying at a distance of 80.5 miles from the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It is accessed by taking the Us route 50.
Road: The different road routes for entering the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park include taking the SR 347 from US Route 50 or to turn north from US Route 50 and taking the East Portal Road. The East Portal Road remains closed during the winter. Both the routes from US Route 50 take you to the south rim of the canyon. In order to reach the North rim, a drive along the gravel road which is from SR 92 should be taken. This path remains closed during winter.
Rail: The California Zephyr Emeryville, California - Chicago route of Amtrak stop in Grand Junction. The eastbound train from Emeryville arrives at 11:28 AM, and the westbound train from Chicago arrives at 4:10 PM.
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