Parking
Follow Falcon Road and Peach Valley Road to Chukar Road, then continue seven miles to Chukar Trailhead. Parking is at the recreation site; the last half of Chukar Road requires high-clearance 4WD.
Overview
About Chukar Trail
Why go
- A direct route from the rim to the Gunnison River
- A gorge overlook above the sandstone ridge and river canyon
Heads up
- The same steep grade makes the return climb demanding
- The final half of the access road requires high-clearance 4WD
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Black Canyon of the Gunnison map
Full mapElevation5,397–5,922 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Black Canyon of the Gunnison alerts
- ClosureSouth Rim Campground Partially Closed After 2025 FireSouth Rim Campground is open with only 25 non-electric sites available; some campground areas remain closed to all access because of effects from the 2025 South Rim Fire and the resulting safety and…Official details
- ClosureTomichi Route Closed; Gunnison Route Has Burned-Area HazardsDo not enter the closed Tomichi Route or other closed or burned areas; the Gunnison Route remains hazardous because of effects from the 2025 South Rim Fire.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison Tour Guide
Your drive to Chukar Trail, narrated.
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.
- 23 audio storiesacross Black Canyon of the Gunnison’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Red-tailed Hawk, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 13 trails, 29 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Chukar Trail
The descent and returnChukar is a steep out-and-back from Chukar Trailhead to the Gunnison River in Gunnison Gorge.
Chukar is a steep out-and-back from Chukar Trailhead to the Gunnison River in Gunnison Gorge. The named trail runs about 1.1 miles down to the water; return on the same path for about 2.2 miles total and 560 feet of climbing. Allow around an hour and a half. A longer 2.8-mile round-trip figure is also published, but its extra distance is not explained; this description follows the designated Chukar Trail only.
Before you goYou need a self-issued Gunnison Gorge Wilderness permit from the fee station.
You need a self-issued Gunnison Gorge Wilderness permit from the fee station. The trailhead is reached by a seven-mile drive on Chukar Road; the final half requires a high-clearance 4WD vehicle. This is a remote BLM access, not a walk inside Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
The routeThe descent is steep and has few level stretches.
The descent is steep and has few level stretches. A gorge overlook near the top gives way to a sandstone ridge, switchbacks and a wash that leads through a narrow canyon toward the river. The return climb is the effort to plan for.
At the riverThe trail reaches the Gunnison just downstream of the national park boundary, near the Red Rock…
The trail reaches the Gunnison just downstream of the national park boundary, near the Red Rock Canyon confluence. This is also the main boating access to a 14-mile Class III/IV stretch through the wilderness gorge. The high overlook and the riverbank give you two different views of the canyon; the river-end photo shows the water and canyon, not the trail tread.
At the trailheadThe recreation site has parking, four campsites, shade structures, fire rings, picnic tables, a…
The recreation site has parking, four campsites, shade structures, fire rings, picnic tables, a vault toilet and an information kiosk. No food or potable-water source is listed there.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Black Canyon of the Gunnison
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.
