Black Canyon and Mesa Verde

“Our surroundings were of the wildest possible description. The roar of the water was constantly in our ears, and the walls of the canyon, towering half mile in height above us, were seemingly vertical. Occasionally a rock would fall from one side or the other, with a roar and crash, exploding like a ton of dynamite when struck bottom, making us think our last day had come.” -Abraham Lincoln Fellows, 1901, explorer and pioneer

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park captures your attention as you gaze down into the darkness. It is so narrow that very little sunlight reaches the bottom. Becoming a National Monument in 1933 and declared a National Park in 1999. Even though no other canyon in North America combines depth and narrowness as Black Canyon it is in the bottom 10 of all National Parks visited. Creating solitude and wonder.

We camped within the National Park here. With zero crowds and affordability we could plug in here for just $14. This is only the second time we have camped in a National park – the first being Shenandoah. We saw young bucks wandering through the thick oak brush of the campground as we set up at B13.

Before arriving at Black Canyon we drove through a National Recreation Area called Curecanti, where the Gunnison River is dammed three times. Creating Blue Mesa Reservoir, a beautiful shade of water with Dillon’s Pinnacles towering behind making for a stunning drive before our arrival in the park.

The water spigots were turned off in the campground so we could only fill up our jug and nalgenes in the visitor center. All the water is trucked in from over 14 miles away. We spoke with the ranger about what the park had to offer. We walked the Rim Rock Trail with the pups and drove the South Rim Road to several overlooks. The dogs were welcome on all the overlook trails as well. At Chasm View you can see the most narrow part of the canyon stretching only 1300 feet from rim to rim. The canyon walls are made of pre-Cambrian metamorphic gneiss with igneous intrusions creating veins and swirls that some even say look like dragons.

The next day Brennan wanted to explore the wilderness of the Black Canyon. He decided to get a permit from the ranger to hike to the bottom of the canyon. He took the Gunnison Route. The distance is only two miles round trip but drops 1800 feet to the river with an 80 foot chain at the bottom that is tied to the tree to help get back out. Brennan completed the hike quickly and efficiently and said it was one of the most challenging but rewarding hikes. He was also the only one to request a permit that day so he was the only one down at the river.

After his hike we went into the town of Montrose to find Horsefly Brewing Company where their claim is “no crap on tap”. We enjoyed a spicy Chile lager and a winter warmer ale. As well as some delicious hot food including soup, salad, soft pretzels and of course buffalo wings for the wilderness hiker.

Our next stop was Mesa Verde the first National Park to be established to protect an ancient culture in 1906. The dwellings here are the most notable and best preserved archeological sites in North America.

We parked the camper on BLM land about 2 miles from the entrance of the park. We ventured down Wetherill Mesa. At the end of the 27 mile one way road there are pit houses that are part of the Badger House Community. We could walk around with the weenie dogs in this part of the park.

The following day we drove down Chapin Mesa Road where the overlooks included Square Tower House, Sun Temple, Cliff Palace and Spruce Tree House. The last two are the largest and the most famous dwellings in the Park. Cliff Palace includes 150 rooms. The structures are absolutely breath taking and it’s hard to imagine what life was like in the year 1200 when the Ancient Pueblo people started construction. The tribes only lived in these dwellings for 100 years and then for reasons unknown left; creating a mystery for the ages.

Square Tower House

Sun Temple

Cliff Palace

Spruce Tree House

There are ranger guided tours that lead you up to the dwellings. All the tours require tickets and sadly the Spruce Tree House and Cliff Palace are closed due to structural damage and unstable conditions. There are also many places where former forests have burned in wild fires and have changed to grasslands because of invasive plants. Some areas in this park are in de stress. Are we loving our parks to death?

Views from our campsite