Sight · Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
A canyon view of Big Island and the river, steps from parking.
Overview
Big Island Overlook is a roadside viewpoint on Black Canyon’s North Rim, with the parking area right beside the view. You can look across to Big Island and down toward the Gunnison River, with Island Peaks off to one side. If you’re already driving North Rim Road, it’s an easy pause for another angle on the canyon; this is a short stop, not a hike.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs it worth the stop?Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Big Island Overlook“You're approaching Big Island Overlook, where the parking area sits right beside the canyon view. Look across to Big Island and down toward the Gunnison River.”
Plays as you drive up to Big Island Overlook in the Parkwolf Black Canyon of the Gunnison Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
The steep walls make the canyon’s depth hard to read at first. Include the river below Big Island in your view to show the scale, and look to the side for Island Peaks. The viewpoint takes very little walking to reach.
The canyon cuts through ancient metamorphic rock, including gneiss and schist formed about 1.7 billion years ago. The Gunnison has been wearing through that rock over geologic time; a long-term estimate puts the erosion at roughly an inch per century.
Wildlife
49 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
67 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
11 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
10 sightingsCooper's HawkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
66 sightingsCollared LizardMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
163 sightingsFence LizardMost seen around 10 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateNorth Vista Trail (to Exclamation Point)2.9 mi · 1.8 hr · 1.1 mi awaySage and juniper lead to an unrailed view of the river bend.
ChallengingNorth Vista Trail to Green Mountain6.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayA long climb earns a canyon panorama and views of four ranges.
ModerateChasm View Nature Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 1.2 mi awayA short woodland loop reaches two very different canyon views.
ModerateDeadhorse Trail5.2 mi · 3 hr · 1.2 mi awayAn old service road ends above Deadhorse Gulch.ModerateDeadhorse Trail with Loop6.6 mi · 4 hr · 1.2 mi awayA North Rim hike with a stock pond and two canyon overlooks.
ModerateUplands Trail0.9 mi · 36 min · 1.3 mi awayA short upland connector, not a canyon-rim walk.
EasyCedar Point Nature Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 1.4 mi awayPlant signs on the way to two canyon overlooks.
ModerateRim Rock Trail1 mi · 45 min · 2 mi awayOne mile on the rim links the visitor center and campground.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayBalanced Rock OverlookA short walk to a balanced boulder above the river.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayNarrows OverlookSee where the canyon narrows to 40 feet at the river.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayCross Fissures OverlookTake the short walk for a closer look at the canyon’s fractures.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayIsland Peaks OverlookA short walk brings the fractured Island Peaks into view.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayRock Point OverlookShort walk, narrow point, and Long Draw across the river.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayDevil's Lookout OverlookA short unpaved walk opens onto the Gunnison River gorge.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayPulpit Rock OverlookStep onto a natural ledge above the Gunnison River.
Ranger station · 1.1 mi awayNorth Rim Ranger StationFee and permit kiosks sit beside the North Vista trailhead.Parkwolf’s Black Canyon of the Gunnison ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
