Black Canyon of the Gunnison North Rim

Date: 06/30/2015-07/02/2015

The north rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is less popular than the south rim, measured by quantity of visitors. There is no bridge, and it takes 2-3 hours to drive from the south rim around to the north rim. So, most people just visit the south.

These video clips give a taste of the views from the north rim lookouts: Chasm View near the north rim campground, The Narrows View, Balanced Rock View, Big Island View, Island Peaks View, and Kneeling Camel View. Each overlook is a short walk from the north rim road. My favorite was the Chasm View nature trail and overlooks.

On 7/2, I hiked North Vista Trail (7 mi. round trip) in the morning, and Deadhorse Trail (5 mi. round trip) in the afternoon. I enjoyed North Vista more than Deadhorse. Deadhorse goes through open fields and meadows, making it quite hot. And, the views from North Vista were more interesting. A highlight of the Deadhorse trail was a grouse sighting. The next day, I saw a stuffed display at a visitors center of a Gunnison Sage Grouse. The bird I saw on the trail was similar to the female display bird!

North Vista Trail video:

North Vista Trail map (GREEN line):

View Colorado Chris Hikes in a larger map

Deadhorse Trail video:

Deadhorse Trail map (BLUE line):

View Colorado Chris Hikes in a larger map

One thought on “Black Canyon of the Gunnison North Rim

  1. Cool group of hikes with those views into the canyons. Awesome getting the grouse on camera. And those wildflowers were beautiful. Thanks for the summary of all those vistas. Really, really incredible. Keep wandering…

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