Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Trip Start
Mar 01, 2009
1
21
59
Trip End
Ongoing
The dark and lush beauty of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park compelled us to stray from our plan to drive to the rim only. So impressed were we, that we obtained a backcountry permit, talked about the 1.5 hr descent with a ranger, and changed into our hiking gear. About 35 minutes into it though, still struggling with fatigue due to altitude and uncomfortable with the very narrow, rocky, non-maintained trail, we turned around and went back to the car. We proceeded with the rim drive as planned and then got back on the road to Boulder. Highway 285 came highly reccommended by just about everyone we spoke to in the region, and though not as straight a course as Hwy 70 to Hwy 25, we took the scenic route and our eyes were rewarded.
