While we’d already visited two of Colorado’s National parks- Rocky Mountain & Great Sand Dunes, we were excited to see the two less-visited parks, Mesa Verde & Black Canyon of the Gunnison. These two parks couldn’t have been more different. Mesa Verde is an ode to mankind while Black Canyon harkens to a land that man forgot.
National Park to preserve the works of the ancestral Puebloans, or Anasazi, who lived in the area until the 1,300s & left behind archeological sites which make up the heart of the park. The park is full of winding roads with long vistas or arid mountains. Many of the best examples of pueblo living are kept at a distance due to crumbling overhangs or require ranger tours to ensure the sandstone cliff dwellings are kept safe from overeager tourists. We learned an important 2021 lesson- if you want to do anything involving rangers, book it the moment it goes on sale, or you’ll be eating dirt like we were.
I doubt you can find anyone outside CO that has been to Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I personally think it needs a rebranding campaign & a shorter name that rolls off the tongue. It’s a perfect one day car trip to really get out into unspoiled nature & get a real sense of the vastness of our country. Much of the highlights of the park can be toured in your car, interspersed with frequent short walks to take in some of the more stunning views. A vivid testament to erosion, the canyon is over 2,000 feet deep & at its narrowest spans only 1,000 feet at the top & 40 feet at the bottom. Since it is difficult for sunlight to filter down these narrow passages, much of the canyon is in perpetual darkness & shadow.
My favorite site is Painted Wall, Colorado’s highest cliff
(twice as tall as the Empire State Building) with its colorful marbled
appearance. Tucked at the bottom, the Gunnison River looks like a distant
ribbon but the whitecaps give you a sense of the speed of the river.
Maybe we need a campaign to rename BCotG. Dark Shadows NP?
Black Panther NP? Gunnison Cliffs NP? Ideas are welcome.
If you’ve been to both, which did you prefer & why?
3 comments:
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Mesa Verdeis a testament to human evolution. Choosing cliff dwellings for protection and then losing children from the heights, moving on after only 100 plus years…facinating
Not sure if my previous comment published. Cannot see it. Most appreciative of the info. And insights, of such prolific travelers. Gives me ideas of places to visit, next time I am in Colorado! Thanks!
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