My wife and I drove through there in mid-October 2011. Although the
scenery is not as dramatic as, say, Bryce Canyon I would still consider
it a very beautiful place and an essential part of seeing Colorado. I
took 187 photos on that part of the trip including many panos that have
never been processed yet. All were taken from near the main road. We
did not descend into the canyon on any 179 degree roads.
That part of the trip began at Great Sands National Park. (A quick pass
through there at mid-afternoon will not result in photos like Ken's).
Then on to the Black Canyon and then the Silverton-Durango Railroad. I
higly recommend the train ride.
<http://www.durangosilvertonrailroad.com/durango-train/schedules-and-fares#TrainSchedule>
Basic fare now is $85/person. We were concerned that it might be $170
poorly spent but we were wrong. It's a great full-day round trip
(8:00-5:30) with a stop for lunch. You'll see some truly beautiful scenery.
We wish you a great trip. As I said earlier we went in mid-October and
did see a bit of snow here and there at the higher elevations. But the
roads were dry. The aspens are yellow at that time and make a beautiful
contrast with the green pines. We visited many other parks and
attractions on the way to California via Las Vegas. One interesting
find was that Zion National Park has a north entrance which we didn't
know about when there a few years earlier. The north entrance is much
different scenery than the other entrance.
Chuck Norcutt
On 6/9/2014 3:13 AM, Bill Pearce wrote:
There is a road that takes you to the headwaters of the creek, but be
careful. It is worth the trip, but it is several miles of winding two
lane blacktop at about 179 degree downgrade. I recommend taking a manual
transmission car, sa brake burnout is a big chance. Much more so than
the many other mountain roads. Experience is your best friend in those
conditions. If your car has an automatic and you can lock it in a gear
and it won't upshift at the worst possible time you're ok, but if you
are a flatlander, don't ride the brake. No guarantee you will live to
regret that habit. But everything about it is worth the trip. In that
part of the state, consider the Durango to Silverton train ride, well
worth the day it eats up.
-----Original Message----- From: Bill Barber via olympus
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2014 7:12 PM
To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [OM] Advice on the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
I am planning a driving trip this summer which will carry me through
Gunnison and I'd like to go to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I
likely have
a full afternoon/evening and will stay in Gunnison for the night.
Although
I'd like to go down to the river, that will need to be a trip with Ken and
Joel so they can carry my body out of the Canyon. My wife will be with
me, any suggestions about what is not to be missed? Bill Barber
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