East Portal Trail

East Portal Trail is a rough out-and-back from East Portal Campground along the Gunnison River, ending at a rocky bank opposite the mouth of Deadhorse Gulch. Plan on about 0.8 mile round trip (0.4 mile each way) and 30 to 60 minutes. Go for a close look at the water and canyon walls, not a smooth, built path; the last section needs careful footing.

The walk starts just downstream of the campground and stays close to the river on a mostly level line. The tread gets stonier and less distinct near the stopping point across from Deadhorse Gulch. Turn around there and return the same way; the rough continuation farther down is unmarked inner-canyon terrain, not part of this short walk.

East Portal grew around construction of the Gunnison Tunnel, which was bored through the canyon from 1905 to 1909 to carry irrigation water west into the Uncompahgre Valley. The tunnel is about 5.8 miles long. At the work camp's 1906 peak, roughly 250 people lived here, with a school, hospital, post office, store and power plant among its facilities.

The park's canyon-bottom wildlife list includes beavers, river otters, American dippers, herons and eagles; sightings are never guaranteed. The visitor brochure also flags poison ivy and ticks in the East Portal area. At the rocky end, frame the river with the boulder bank and the opposite gulch mouth to show how close this walk gets to the canyon floor.

Park in the East Portal Campground river area; the trail begins just downstream. East Portal Road descends from the South Rim on a steep, winding grade and is typically closed to vehicles from November through April. Vehicles longer than 22 feet, trailers included, are prohibited. The campground has seasonal vault toilets and potable water, but no food service or store, so bring drinking water. Day-use hikers entering from East Portal do not need a wilderness permit; pets are prohibited on hiking trails and inner-canyon routes.