{"id":10891,"date":"2018-03-23T05:00:29","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T10:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/traun-photo.com\/dan\/?p=10891"},"modified":"2020-06-20T10:26:29","modified_gmt":"2020-06-20T15:26:29","slug":"black-canyon-gunnison-national-park-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/traun-photo.com\/dan\/black-canyon-gunnison-national-park-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"GUNNISON RIVER – Gunnison Gorge #Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"

GUNNISON RIVER<\/h1>\n

The Gunnison River is formed by the confluence of\u00a0Taylor<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0East<\/a>\u00a0rivers at\u00a0Almont<\/a>\u00a0in eastern\u00a0Gunnison County.\u00a0 It winds through desert canyonlands, where it receives\u00a0Kannah Creek\u00a0before it empties out of the\u00a0Dominguez Canyon\u00a0into the Colorado in\u00a0Grand Junction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Gunnison River ranges in width from 100 to 1,000 feet and 3 to 50 feet in depth.\u00a0 The river’s powerful current and many rapids make upstream travel nearly impossible.\u00a0 It is navigable for small craft throughout its course and by larger boats below the Black Canyon<\/a>.\u00a0 Parts of the Black Canyon are non-navigable to any sorts of craft because of giant cataracts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Navigation through the entire canyon is dangerous and for experienced boaters only.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Through the mid-1800s, the river held various names.\u00a0 Names included: The Eagle, Eagle Tail, South Fork of the Grand, Grande, and Grand River. Exploration reports and published maps in the 1850s and 1860s most commonly referred to the river as the Grand River. In subsequent years, the river was renamed for U.S. Army Captain\u00a0John W. Gunnison.\u00a0 He was one of the Topographic Engineers who was ambushed and killed by Pahvant Utes while mapping a trail west in Utah Territory in 1853. ~wikipedia<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The target was to view the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.\u00a0 We approached from the the north through Crawford on our way to Ouray.\u00a0 There isn’t a “through-route” to speak of on the north side.\u00a0 Just south of Crawford Reservoir, Black Canyon Road to the west that will get you to the North Rim area.\u00a0 We continued on 92 heading south toward the river.\u00a0 The views were spectacular.<\/p>\n

Hermits Rest Picnic Area<\/h3>\n

\"Hermits<\/a><\/h3>\n

Our first stop was at\u00a0Hermits Rest Picnic Area.\u00a0 From there you can see Morrow Point Reservoir.\u00a0 There are restrooms here.\u00a0 Here you will find Hermits Rest Trail<\/a> down to the edge of the reservoir.\u00a0 1800 feet down, then 1800 feet back up; approximately 6 miles round trip.\u00a0 We continued on by car.<\/p>\n

Pioneer Lookout Point<\/h3>\n

There are numerous areas along 92 to pull off.\u00a0 There are only two areas with restrooms.\u00a0 The second stop was Pioneer Lookout Point.\u00a0 Here you can see Curecanti Needle, a 700-ft\u00a0granite\u00a0spire.<\/p>\n

\"Curecanti<\/a><\/p>\n

There are several locations at this stop to take in the magnificent views.\u00a0 Here you will find Curecanti Creek Trail that descends down to the river edge.\u00a0 900 feet down, 900 feet up; approximately 4 miles round trip.<\/p>\n

\"Pioneer <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pioneer <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pioneer <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Highway 92 was an excellent way to see parts of the Gunnison River.\u00a0 On a future return trip to the area I hope to visit the\u00a0Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park<\/a>\u00a0in its entirety.\u00a0 I would love to visit both the North Rim and South Rim.\u00a0 The views (seen through Google images) of those two areas of the park look amazing.<\/p>\n

\"Black<\/a><\/p>\n

EXTRA<\/h3>\n