The park is in west-central Colorado about 15 miles from Montrose or, approaching from the east, at East Portal. At the latter, however, there are 16% grades and hairpin turns. You should have exceptional confidence in the quality of your brakes. Vehicles over 22 ft., including a trailer, are forbidden because the curves are as challenging as the grade.
Or you might visit the North Rim, about 10 miles from Crawford. It is a drive of two to three hours from one rim to the other even though the opposite rim is clearly visible from where you are standing. There is no bridge connecting the rims. We have camped on both sides and the views are just as good from either but we prefer the trails on the South Rim.
Black Canyon is one of those "car parks." That is, a high percentage of visitors drive the rim roads and stop at the pullouts to admire the view without ever leaving sight of their vehicle. Then, they continue on to wherever they were headed. Park staff have expressed surprise that Shirley and I spend a week at a time there. Usually, even campers stay only a night or two because you can probably see what you came to see in a couple hours. But we use the park as a base camp for fly fishing in the area. Very strong, young fishers sometimes hike into the canyon itself where the trout are said to be both larger and more numerous. We wouldn't know. Very strong and young are terms that no longer describe us.
But just because we have never climbed down and back up the vertical canyon walls does not mean we have not been down there. We recommend the half-day Morrow Point boat tour into the canyon with a park ranger to explain what you are seeing.
The Canyon is called Black because it is so deep (2,700 feet), sheer, and narrow that direct light does not penetrate to the depths until the sun is directly over head. The canyon is 48 miles long, of which 14 are within the park boundaries. The fast-running Gunnison River carries huge quantities of gravel and rock that scour the canyon deeper every day.
If you are in southwestern Colorado, perhaps traveling between Mesa Verde or Durango and I-70, you might consider a detour to the national park. If you are even a little more ambitious than most visitors, you might also consider a little walk in the park on the Rim Rock Trail near the Visitor Center. It is only 1/2 mile each way and rated moderate but, at 8,000 feet of elevation, you may be short of breath if you have not acclimated. The two-mile Oak Flat Trail is rated strenuous because it descends below the rim.
Our favorite walk is the 1.5-mile Warner Point Trail that passes through the shade of pinyon pines and junipers, mountain mahogany and serviceberry to a view of the volcanic West Elk Mountains rising beyond the canyon.
Those are sand dunes way down there.
Morrow Point as seen from the tour boat.
Reaching the boat dock requires a 3/4 mile walk along the stream and climbing 232 steps. It may not be advisable for people with physical limitations. For everyone else, though, it is just another beautiful walk in the park.
Sun on the rim but black down there.
The Painted Wall has dikes or intrusions of lighter colored pegmatite that create interesting patterns. Some think these look like dragons.
The cone shape of the West Elk Mts. clearly indicates volcanic origins.
A grouse came to feast on serviceberries at our campsite. Not at all shy.
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