Warner Point Trail

Warner Point Trail is a 1.6-mile out-and-back from High Point Parking along the high South Rim to Warner Point. The unpaved path rolls through pinyon pine, juniper and mountain mahogany, with shaded benches and openings toward distant ranges before ending above the Gunnison River. Published one-way figures round between 0.75 and 0.8 mile; the mapped tread is about 0.77 mile, so 1.6 miles is a realistic total. Allow about an hour. The short distance still includes steep pitches at more than 8,000 feet, so come for the walk and canyon setting, not only a quick viewpoint photo.

Near marker 13, a signed branch leaves for the Warner Route, a separate descent into the canyon: 2.75 miles one way with about 2,722 feet of vertical drop. For Warner Point, stay on the nature trail to its overlook, then retrace your steps to High Point. Ask for the nature-trail guide at High Point Overlook or the South Rim Visitor Center; its numbered stops give the short walk more context.

Openings to the south look toward the San Juan Range, Uncompahgre Valley and Bostwick Park; turn north for the West Elk Mountains. At the end, the canyon narrows into a steep drop toward the Gunnison River. For a photo, include some rim rock in front and the river low in the canyon; that gives the view a sense of scale. Some visitors find the overlook less dramatic than the park's roadside viewpoints, but the shaded walk and interpretive stops are part of the payoff.

The trail passes mountain mahogany, serviceberry, pinyon pine and juniper. Shaded benches make it easy to pause and look back toward the rim or out to the mountain ranges. The route is a nature walk as well as a way to reach the overlook; take time with the guide rather than treating the markers as a race to the end.

Just north of Warner Point is the canyon's deepest stretch, where the river lies 2,722 feet below the rim. At its narrowest, the river corridor pinches to about 40 feet across. The exposed walls include metamorphic rock about 1.8 billion years old. The region was uplifted around 60 million years ago, buried by volcanic deposits about 30 million years ago, then cut open by the Gunnison River beginning roughly two million years ago.

Reverend Mark Warner became an advocate for protecting the canyon after the Montrose Lions Club disbanded in 1932. He sent canyon photographs, maps and promotional material to Colorado's congressional representatives. President Herbert Hoover proclaimed the national monument on March 2, 1933.

Start at High Point Parking, at the end of South Rim Drive. No reservation or separate activity fee is required, though the park entrance fee may apply. Pets are not allowed. The trail is unpaved, steep in places and not wheelchair accessible. Park drinking water is unavailable from late fall through mid-spring.