North Vista Trail to Green Mountain

North Vista Trail to Green Mountain is a 6.4-mile out-and-back from the North Rim Ranger Station to a summit above the Black Canyon. The route starts through sagebrush and oak, follows pinyon-juniper country along the rim, then climbs about 840 feet to Green Mountain. Allow around 3.5 hours before long viewpoint stops. This is a strenuous half-day for the summit panorama; the shorter Exclamation Point option turns around at 1.4 miles one way, about 2.8 miles round trip. The path is narrow and unpaved, and it isn't wheelchair accessible.

The newer North Rim trail map lists Green Mountain at 3.2 miles one way; an older published page still gives 3.6. The mapped path is about 3.3 miles out, so 6.4 miles round trip is a sensible planning figure with a little room for rounding.

Sagebrush and oak brush give way to pinyon and juniper as the trail follows the canyon rim. Around 0.8 mile in, North Vista Overlook opens above Pinyon Draw. The views continue along the way to Exclamation Point, where the canyon narrows around the Gunnison River roughly 1,870 feet below. There is no railing at the rim; stay well back from the edge.

Begin at the North Rim Ranger Station; the trailhead is at the station, with restrooms nearby. There is no water along the hike. Fill-up stations operate at the ranger station in summer, so bring your own outside that season. No reservation, permit, or trail activity fee is required, though the park entrance fee may apply. Pets aren't allowed. North Rim access is seasonal: the unpaved road usually closes to vehicles from mid-November until May, with dates varying by year.

Past Exclamation Point, continue on the North Vista route toward Green Mountain. Five switchbacks carry you up the final 840 feet; the steepest pitch comes near the upper turns. Much of this stretch is exposed to sun, so the climb can feel harder than the grade alone suggests. Summer afternoons can bring thunderstorms to this high, open ground. The return follows the same trail back to the ranger station.

At Green Mountain, look west down the Black Canyon, then out to the San Juan Mountains, West Elks, Grand Mesa, and Uncompahgre Plateau. The summit gives you an aerial angle on the canyon that you don't get from the lower rim overlooks. For a photo, keep some canyon wall in the foreground and the distant ranges in the same frame; that shows how the landscape steps away from the rim.

Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado built North Vista Trail. The route moves from open sage and oak into pinyon-juniper woodland, with canyon views and good birding along the way. The Gunnison River and natural forces have carved the Black Canyon over more than two million years; from Green Mountain, you can see that depth and the surrounding plateau country at once.