Hiking To The Bottom Of Black Canyon Of The Gunnison: The Gunnison Route Hike- The Gunnison Route is a rim to rim trail in Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park. You do need a permit to go on this hike to the bottom of The Black Canyon of The Gunnison. This article will guide you in all you need to know and how to hike the Gunnison Route Hike, where to stay, when to get a permit, how hard the hike is, the route, what to bring and all about the trail and more. This is definitely a hike to check out if visiting the park.
Stats
Length: 2 miles round trip
Time: 3 hours for hike + 1 hour at the bottom, 4 hours total
Difficulty: Hard
Elevation Gain: 1,781 feet (543 meters)
Trailhead: South Rim Visitors Center
Overview
Other Hikes In The Area That You Might Like
When To Go
Plan to do this hike in the summer months. Colorado does experience up and down weather. You never know what it might snow. You definitely don’t want to do this hike the the snow. They only allow permits in the summer.
Where To Stay
Camping
We rented a campervan with KuKu Campers, we were able to score a spot at the South Rim Campground at The Black Canyon of Gunnison. This made us only a short 1 mile drive from the trailhead, letting us start early before the heat of the day. We booked our site a few weeks in advance on recreation.gov. I would recommend booking at least a month ahead of time as they do sell out. This was a nice campground with potable water, restrooms, trash and an amphitheater with programs to enjoy.
For Non-Campers
If not camping I would recommend staying in Montrose, Colorado as it is the next closest town. Just about a 20 minute drive from the trailhead. This is a small town, but plenty of places to get a bite to eat, bigger towns will be much further away.
How Hard Is The Hike?
This hike is rated difficult, not for the distance but for the elevation gain and condition of the trail’s path. The hike is only about 1 mile each way. But the elevation gain is huge, almost 1,800 feet. This makes the trail straight up and straight down. The path is very rocky, so you do need to be a somewhat skilled hiker to complete this trail. Knowing how to pace yourself, be sure footed and complete uphill and down hill climbs with confidence. Being a short hike, you can take your time with breaks so don’t let it intimidate you too much.
How To Get A Permit
This is a permitted hike within the park, meaning that you cannot go on the trail unless you have a permit. A wilderness permit hike helps keep the area better protected as they control how many people are on the paths each day. It also helps with safety as they know exactly who is on the trails at any given time. They only give out 15 permits a day for the Gunnison Route, and they are free.
To get a permit for the Gunnison Route you do have to go to the South Rim Visitor Center of The Black Canyon National Park. You will need to register for a permit from a Park Ranger. They used to hand out permits for this hike the day of but recently changed it to the day before your intended hike.
The permits go on sale at the visitors center at 4:30pm the day before your hike. I have heard of some people lining up at 3:30pm to insure they get a permit. But we got there at 5:00pm and there were 3 left.
Before signing for the permit the ranger will go over the route and give you tips. I believe this is to make sure you know what you are getting into. I took pictures of the guide book of the route to have on hand. They also will have you fill out your permit, you will need to give them the following information:
- Names
- Address
- Car Make, Model and License Number
- Emergency Contact
- Intended start time
- Intended Number of days at the bottom, if wanting to camp
You will need to hand your permit back when you finish the hike, this is so they know you are out of the canyon and will not need to be rescued. Make sure you keep it in a secure place. They will also look for your car in the lot if you don’t hand the permit in.
Are There Other Routes To The Bottom?
Yes there are! But the Gunnison Route is the most popular route, as it is the easiest. Not the shortest though, the Tomichi is the shortest. There were plenty of permits still for the other routes that day before. So you can use one of these routes for back up if you can’t score a Gunnison Route permit. Read below more for the other routes to the bottom.
Tips For The Hike
Bring Water
The park rangers will recommend 5 liters of water per person. I believe 4 liters of water would be sufficient. The park rangers recommend 5 liters due to in-case you can’t climb back out you have enough to last one night. They stated they won’t come and get you until the next morning. Four to five liters of water is a lot to carry, so they did say their water can be filtered. So a water filter or a LifeStraw
Bring Snacks
Even though this hike is short in length we worked up an appetite. Bring some trail snacks or a packed lunch to eat at the bottom. Also enough in-case you get stuck as they suggest.
Be A Skilled Hiker
Being sure footed, make sure you are skilled enough to hike all different types of terrain. A lot of this hike will be maneuvering around large rocks, hiking down and up in loose gravel and dirt in which you could easily slide in. Make sure you have sturdy thick soled hiking shoes with good grip.
Bring Long Sleeves
Even though this hike was very hot in the summer we both wore lightweight long sleeve pants and shirts. This was because this trail is covered in poison ivy. There are lots of it, especially at the bottom, but I did find it avoidable. Just be cautious if you are allergic.
Prepare For The Altitude
As for most hikes in Colorado be prepared for everything to be a little more difficult due to the high altitude. If you live in a low altitude area this can really affect you. Make sure you drink plenty of water, eat high protein, refrain from lots of alcohol and give yourself sometime in high altitude before long difficult hikes. We did this hike on day 7 of high altitude hiking and it didn’t affect us.
You Can Camp If You Would Like
You can camp down there. There are a few areas with fire pits set up. All you have to do is let them know on your permit
The Route
Start
We started the hike from the Visitors Center at 6:30 am. It is best to go at sunrise to beat the heat. The bottom of the canyon is hot as well as the top. It was quite pleasant on the way down weather wise.
The Gunnison Route Trail starts on the Oaks Flat Trail. From the visitors center take the Oak Flats Trail, you will shortly come to the fork in the loop, take the right side of the trail. You will go down this trail for about a .1/4 of a mile until you will come to a sign stating permit ‘River Access, Permit Required’. Here is the official start to the Gunnison Route.
The route will start with some switchbacks, both soft dirt and gravel to big rocky climb downs.
The Chain
The first major obstacle on this hike is the chain. This chain is 80 feet long. I really did think the chain helped me down this section of the trail. I would recommend going backwards using the chain for a better grip. Also, I would recommend going one person at a time, as the chain sways when multiple people use it.
Some people bring gloves
After the chain there will be more rocky climbs down. Be respectful to the hikers below you. We didn’t come across too many people on this trail, as only 15 permits are given out a day. But we did try to leave distance between the hikers we did see. This was because often when climbing down and up the loose rocks and gravel starts to slide. You don’t want to have rocks falling on you during this hike, so leave some space between yourself and others.
What I did like about this hike is that you can see you progression down the side of the canyon as you start getting a closer view of the water.
The Bottom
After more rocky and slippery areas you will be at the bottom. We took some time for pictures and explored the river banks before finding some shade to eat our packed snacks. Do be careful of the poison ivy as some of it stood over our heads, looking more like trees than ivy.
There is a small drop toilet to use at the bottom for day hikers and overnighters. This will be to the right coming off of the trail.
Some people even take a dip in the waters at the bottom.
Back Up To The Rim
The hike back up to the rim is the same as you come down. But do be careful, although the hike down is easy to follow the trail the hike up is a little more difficult. Look for the trail that looks the most weathered and dusty. We did have to stop a few times on the way up to make sure we were on the right path up. I would suggest taking pictures on the way down of landmarks to help you find the trail back up the correct way.
What To Bring
Water- we each filled 2 liter water bladders
Electrolytes- to help with dehydration and altitude sickness I like to use a hydration tablet (I love the Nuuns
Snacks- we like jerky sticks, a peanut butter sandwich, granola bars, and trailmix to bring on our hikes.
Lightweight Hiking Clothes- I like my Fabletics Utility Pants for lightweight sun and poison ivy protection (use this link for 50% off). And I also enjoy my Columbia
Sturdy Hiking Shoes- I wore my Vasques Hiking Shoes
Sunscreen
Rain Jacket- for just in case, we also like to have our backpack raincovers
Hiking Poles- I liked my travel hiking poles
Other Routes To The Bottom
South Rim
Tomichi Route
- 1 mile
- 1960 ft vertical drop
- 6 hours
Warner Route
- 2.75 miles
- 2722 ft vertical drop
- 6 hours
North Rim
SOB Draw
- 1.75 miles
- 1800 ft vertical drop
- 5 hours
Long Draw
- 1 mile
- 1800 ft Vertical drop
- 4.5 hours
Slide Draw
- 1 mile
- 1620 vertical drop
- 5.5 hours
Other Hikes In The Area That You Might Like
If you don’t end up with a permit for this trail, or looking for other things to do in this area I would recommend the following.
Driving To The Viewpoints
Read about all the viewpoints along the South Rim in my post about the Stops and Viewpoints of the South Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnision National Park. Take your car or bike and visit each one of the viewpoints over the The Black Canyon of Gunnision. There are 12 overlooks, reaching as far as only 20 minutes from the South Rim Visitors Center. Each one gives you a different view point over the canyon.
Short Hikes Along The Rim
Get a chance to walk a few of the short hikes along the South Rim.
Rim Rock Nature Trail
Moderate – 1 mile round trip
Oak Flat Loop Trail
Strenuous – 2 miles round trip
Cedar Point Nature Trail
Easy – 2/3 mile round trip
Warner Point Nature Trail
Moderate – 1.5 miles round trip
Visiting The North Rim
The North Rim is the less popular but just as scenic side of the Black Canyon. It is about a 2 hour drive from the South Rim Visitor Center, or 1.5 hours from Montrose. There they have many trails and overlooks as well.
Other Articles You May Be Interested In:
Renting A Campervan in Colorado With KuKuCampers
Tuhare Lake Hike Near Vail, Colorado
South Rim of The Black Canyon Viewpoints and Stops
The Best Rentals and Airbnbs Near Rocky Mountain NP
What To Do At Maroon Bells: A Complete Guide
The Oh Be Joyful To The Blue Lake Hike In Crested Butte, Colorado
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