Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado

The first written record of this gorge is from the Hayden expedition i 1873 which deemed the Black Canyon inaccessible.

The canyon is called "Black" because it is so deep (over 2500 feet in some areas) and it is so sheer and so narrow, very little sunlight can penetrate it.




By early 1900 the nearby Uncompahgre Valley needed river water for irrigation, so then began the idea of a tunnel goin 5.8 miles - called the Gunnison Diverson Tunnel - was begun. It still delivers water to this day for irrigation. It took five years to complete going under the mountains.



You can drive down the East Portal road, to the base where the Gunnison River is. When we were there the Crystal Dam was releasing water into the Gunnison and it was running very rapid. You can kayak down there with a permit as it is Class V rapids.



There are several overlooks with minor hikes to see the deep gorge.

See ya down the road !