Our time in the Black Canyon – a foreboding name for a beautiful place – was short and sweet. Squeezed into a full itinerary of Colorado activities, Black Canyon was the third park on our 2024 trip. We started the day at our tiny rental house in Bluff, Utah and stopped by Cow Canyon Coffee (a cute coffeehouse with a great view of Bear Ears National Monument) on our northeast drive to Black Canyon. The route took us back into Colorado and up toward Montrose through the Uncompahgre National Forest.
Our first stop in the park was at the South Rim visitor center, followed by a drive down the scenic South Rim road. The South Rim ended with a fantastic hike at Warner Point. There’s nothing better than a gorgeous day, empty trail, and incredible views. The canyon really is black. It has a leaner, meaner, look than the Grand Canyon.
This was one of baby Claire’s first parks, and as you can tell, she loved it!
After Warner Point we took a drive down East Portal Road to the bottom of the canyon. The canyon itself is a national park, but a river runs through it and forms the Curecanti National Recreation Area. It’s a steep slide down but our rented suburban had no problem. At the bottom, we stopped for a snack and a quick splash in the Gunnison River.
The day ended with pizza at Colorado Boy in Montrose, one of those delightful kid-friendly places that hands the children a ball of actual pizza dough to play with while they wait for dinner! After a quick stop at the “Devil’s Kitchen,” we stayed overnight in Grand Junction before our last Colorado park, Rocky Mountain.
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