Sight · Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
A wood-and-stone welcome sign on the South Rim approach.
Overview
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 area
Rim Rock Trail from South Rim Campground“Rim Rock Trail is coming up, with its campground entrance near Loop C of South Rim Campground. It's a useful walk to the visitor center, following the rim past Tomichi Point with glimpses of the river below.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Entrance Sign (South Rim) 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
This South Rim entrance sign is a long wooden panel set into a low stone wall on the approach to Black Canyon of the Gunnison. A canyon graphic and the stonework make it a distinctive gateway photo, but it is not a canyon overlook; the rim views are farther inside. If you stop, keep the panel and its stone base together in the frame. Pull in only where there is a safe, designated place to stop.
From U.S. 50 east of Montrose, the South Rim route follows CO 347 north for about seven miles. The entrance sign is a separate point from the fee station farther along the approach. No marked pull-off at this exact sign could be verified, so do not rely on its displayed U.S. 50 address as access guidance. If a safe stopping place is not clear, continue.
Black Canyon was first protected as a national monument in 1933 and became a national park in 1999. The sign’s wording reflects that later designation. “Black Canyon” refers to cliffs that often look dark in shadow.
Wildlife
50 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
68 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
164 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
ModerateRim Rock Trail1 mi · 45 min · 0.6 mi awayOne mile on the rim links the visitor center and campground.
ModerateUplands Trail0.9 mi · 36 min · 1.1 mi awayA short upland connector, not a canyon-rim walk.
ModerateDeadhorse Trail5.2 mi · 3 hr · 1.9 mi awayAn old service road ends above Deadhorse Gulch.ModerateDeadhorse Trail with Loop6.6 mi · 4 hr · 1.9 mi awayA North Rim hike with a stock pond and two canyon overlooks.
EasyEast Portal Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 2.7 mi awayA short, rough river walk between steep canyon walls
EasyCedar Point Nature Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 2.8 mi awayPlant signs on the way to two canyon overlooks.
ModerateWarner Point Trail1.6 mi · 1 hr · 2.9 mi awayThe river is a long way below this short rim walk.
ModerateChasm View Nature Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 3.2 mi awayA short woodland loop reaches two very different canyon views.
Entrance station · 0.2 mi awaySouth Rim Entrance StationSort your park pass here before the South Rim drive.
Campground · 0.5 mi awaySouth Rim CampgroundA high-elevation base one mile from the South Rim Visitor Center.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayTomichi OverlookAn easy first look down the canyon before the drive gets dramatic.
Visitor center · 1.2 mi awaySouth Rim Visitor CenterStart here for ranger advice, canyon context, and a quick view.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayGunnison Point OverlookA quick first look into the canyon's dark, jagged walls.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayPulpit Rock OverlookStep onto a natural ledge above the Gunnison River.Sight · 1.9 mi awayKneeling Camel OverlookPick out a camel-shaped rock above a quick, steep canyon view.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayIsland Peaks OverlookA short walk brings the fractured Island Peaks into view.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.
