Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Photos

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado is one of the narrowest & deepest canyons in the USA & was named black because so little light reached its depths. It was decades between being first recorded in the 1870s until the first explorers floated down the Gunnison River in 1901. By 1905 a diversion tunnel had been built to deliver water to a nearby valley. The signature attraction of the National Park is the Painted Wall cliff, which at 2,300 feet tall is about twice height of the Empire State Building.

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Painted Wall at Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park.	Rock veins give colors to Painted Wall in Gunnison National Park.	Painted Wall cliff is 2,300 feet tall or about twice height of Empire State Building at Gunnison National Park.	Gunnison River runs along base of Painted Wall at Gunnison National Park.

Rock formations at Gunnison National Park.	View into Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park.	Canyon rim at Gunnison National Park.	Black Canyon cliff at Gunnison National Park.

Sage & plant life at Gunnison National Park.	Rock colors at Gunnison National Park.	Constricted river canyon of Gunnison National Park.	Mesa over canyon drop at Gunnison National Park.

Pinnacles in canyon at Gunnison National Park.	Distant Rocky Mountains from Gunnison National Park.	Glimpse of river at Gunnison National Park.	Pinnacles in canyon at Gunnison National Park.

Canyon rock striations at Gunnison National Park.	Distant Rocky Mountains from Gunnison National Park.	Tress growing out of canyon at Gunnison National Park.	Lichens at Gunnison National Park.

Lichens on granite of Gunnison National Park.	Black cliff rocks at Gunnison National Park.	Observation pathway at Gunnison National Park.	Rocky mountains over rim of Gunnison National Park.

Plant life at Gunnison National Park.	Gunnison River far below at Gunnison National Park.	Observation platform at Gunnison National Park.	Oak tree at Gunnison National Park.

Tree trunk at Gunnison National Park.	Scenery on Highway 50 East of Gunnison.	Pinnacles on Blue Mesa Reservoir on Highway 50 East of Gunnison.	Pinnacles on Blue Mesa Reservoir on Highway 50 East of Gunnison.