This page provides information on how you can access print, braille, and text-only versions of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park official brochure.
Print Version
- Obtain a copy of the print brochure at the visitor center or entrance fee station
- Download a digital version from the park website
Braille Version
- Download a Braille Ready Format (BRF) version
- A copy of the Braille translation is available for visitor use at the South Rim Visitor Center
Audio Described Versions
At this time, there is no audio described version of the official brochure.
Text Version for Screen Reader Software
Below is a text-only version of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison official brochure. This version is compatible with most screen reader software.
Brochure Description
OVERVIEW: About this Audio-Described Brochure
This is the audio-described version of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park official brochure. Through text and audio descriptions of photos, illustrations, and maps, this version interprets the two-sided color brochure that Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park visitors receive.
OVERVIEW: Front of the brochure
The front side of the brochure features three text sections about park resources and history, two background images, and a map. On the far right of the brochure, there is a column of images showing life zones from the canyon floor to the rim, as well as canyon dimensions.
OVERVIEW: Back of the brochure
The second side of the brochure features a large overview map of the park areas, with two small insets of South Rim and the park wilderness boundary, and text that covers trip planning, park areas, and logistical information such as safety, regulations, and getting here. On the left side of the brochure, there are three small images of park activities. Along the brochure edge, there are two vertical images of rock climbers.
Front of Brochure
IMAGE: Gunnison River
Description: Photo of a river with large boulders and rapids
Credit: NPS/Murray Shoemaker
OVERVIEW: Cutting through Rock with Water … Weather … and Time
Quote: “The roaring of the river reverberated and echoed like demons howling over their prey.”— Abraham Lincoln Fellows, 1901.
TEXT: Song of the Gunnison
Black Canyon’s natural music can be percussive, gentle, or raucous. Over the rim at Gunnison Point, where you are mindful of loose rock that could send you sliding into the blackness, a muffled sound reaches up to you. You listen, hard. Is that the wind or the river 1,800 feet (548 meters) below you? Close your eyes, and the sound gently envelops you. Open them, and a violet-green swallow passes but adds no sound, or did it? A white-throated swift soars within arm’s reach, riding a thermal, its wings adding the slightest bit of flutter to the river’s distant rush. A wind gust hits your cheek. From below comes the sound of a peregrine falcon perched beneath a sheltering rock. You sleep that night beneath the Milky Way, frothy with stars, as you’ve never seen it before. In the morning, despite being warned of the steep grade, poison ivy, and heat, you hike to the river. In time the roar builds to a crescendo, until it cancels out all other sounds. You look warily at the 10-foot (3 meters) boulders casually scattered about. Any minute one could come crashing down. Imagine the power and the sharp crack as rock meets rock.
IMAGE: American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus)
Description: Photo inset of a small blue and black bird with orange legs and beak
Credit: © Mick Thompson
IMAGE: Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Description: Photo inset of a medium sized bird of prey with black wings and a yellow beak
Credit: © Greg Gard
IMAGE: The Painted Wall
Description: The Painted Wall from Cedar Point, South Rim. Veins of pink, igneous pegmatite run horizontally through canyon walls of blue-black, metamorphic gneiss. Granite and schist are labeled.
Credit: © Jao Van de Lagemaat
IMAGE: White-throated swift (Aeronautes saxatalis)
Description: Photo inset of a small brown and white bird flying
Credit: © Doug Shurman
IMAGE: Violet-green swallow (Tachycineta thalassina)
Description: Photo inset of a small violet-green bird with a partially white head flying
Credit: © Mark Wynja
TEXT: A Powerful Partnership
John W. Gunnison, an explorer and engineer seeking a Pacific railroad passage in the 1850s, judged Black Canyon impenetrable and difficult to cross. He could not have known that the river had hewn the canyon walls from a dome of extremely resistant crystalline rock nearly two billion years old. A geological event now known as the Gunnison Uplift had raised the canyon’s rock from deep in Earth’s basement. Time is the Gunnison River’s unseen but equal partner. Two million years ago, its course determined by the location of high mountain ranges, the river began cutting through the uplift’s core with rocks, gravel, and sediment. Empowered by floodwaters, it gained speed through a steep descent from the surrounding mountains. It wielded huge boulders that scoured trees and chiseled the canyon bottom—which had not yet been reached.
DIAGRAM: Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Labels: Elk Mountains, San Juan Mountains, Sawatch Range, spring snowmelt, and West Elk Mountains. There is topography of the mountain ranges with brown and white shades. Blue arrows point to the areas of spring snowmelt.
TEXT: Vertical Views
Black Canyon has some of the darkest skies over the United States. The skies crown a sliver of habitat for nocturnal animals and plants that need the darkness to survive. Pinyon-juniper and Gambel oak woodlands grow near the canyon rims and on the gentler slopes, while lone trees occupy crevices and narrow gorges. Some pinyon and juniper trees are centuries old. Dark spires of Douglas-fir rise from inner canyon ridges. In fall aspen trees glow yellow. Mosses and ferns attach to cool, shaded, moist walls. Box elders cling defiantly to riverbanks, while most plants struggle at the bottom. You’ll mainly find rocks there, as explorer Abraham Lincoln Fellows did in 1901: Quote: “Gigantic boulders had fallen in from the cliffs, the water flowing 100 feet [30 meters] or more beneath these boulders … smooth and polished to such an extent that it was only with the greatest difficulty they could be surmounted.” Expanses of silver-blue sagebrush, grasses, and forbs at the North Rim support the Gunnison sage-grouse, a threatened species. Bobcats, mountain lions, and black bears are among the mammals that roam both rims. Bighorn sheep delicately balance on the inner canyon’s ledges. American dippers share the water with beavers and river otters. Nocturnal ringtails may nestle among boulders at the canyon bottom.
IMAGE: Night sky
Description: Photo of the night sky with stars and the Milky Way over a canyon
Credit: © Philip Scheetz
IMAGE: Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma)
Description: Photo of a tree with a twisting trunk growing from a rocky outcropping
Credit: NPS
IMAGE: Pinyon-juniper woodland
Description: Photo of an area with small shrubs and plants at the ground level. Trees are medium to large with green foliage and twisting, textured trunks. A juniper is shown as an example.
Credit: NPS
IMAGE: Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus)
Description: Photo of a brown and white bird with tall tail feathers
Credit: NPS
IMAGE: Sagebrush
Description: Photo of a field with various grasses and plants. There is a plant with purple flowers in the foreground and yellow flowers in the background.
Credit: NPS
IMAGE: Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
Description: Photo of a large brown animal with ears perked up and a white tail. The animal is standing in a wooded area.
Credit: NPS
IMAGE: Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii)
Description: Photo inset of two rounded green oak leaves
Credit: NPS
IMAGE: Gambel oak woodland
Description: Photo of a wooded area with a mule deer standing in tall grass
Credit: NPS
IMAGE: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Description: Photo of tall conifer trees growing out of a rocky canyon wall
Credit: NPS
IMAGE: Inner canyon
Description: Photo of the inner Black Canyon with steep canyon walls where Douglas-fir trees are growing
Credit: © Jao Van de Lagemaat
IMAGE: Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)
Description: Photo inset of a small light brown animal with a striped black and brown tail
Credit: © Dave Welling
IMAGE: View along the river
Description: Photo from the river level with Black Canyon; vegetation and large boulders are along the river's edge.
Credit: © Jack Bauer
DIAGRAM: Steep, Deep, and Narrow
Labels: There are three diagram sections showing the canyon walls and measurements: Painted Wall (2,250 feet; 686 meters), The Narrows (40 feet; 12 meters), Chasm View (1,100 feet; 335 meters).
Back of Brochure
OVERVIEW: Visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison
TEXT: Plan Your Visit
Start at the South Rim Visitor Center for information, exhibits, publications, wilderness permits, and Junior Ranger booklets. Check the website for hours. Use the official NPS App to guide your visit; select “save this park” to use it offline. Cell service in the park is not reliable.
TEXT and MAP: Getting Here
An area map of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park includes Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area and Curecanti National Recreation Area.
The park is 250 miles (402 kilometers) southwest of Denver. The South Rim is 15 miles (24 kilometers) east of Montrose via US 50 and CO 347. Latitude, longitude: 38.55056, -107.68667. The North Rim is 11 miles (18 kilometers) south of Crawford via CO 92 and Black Canyon Road. Latitude, longitude: 38.58702, -107.68667.
TEXT: North Rim
The North Rim is far from the highway, and services are limited. No bridge spans Black Canyon. To drive from one side to the other, allow 2 to 3 hours. You'll find more solitude and self-reliant conditions here. Camp in one of the few sites at North Rim Campground. Take the easy Chasm View Nature Trail through pinyon-juniper woodland. Enjoy views of the Painted Wall. Longer hikes like Deadhorse Trail pass through thickets of serviceberry and Gambel oak. Rocky outcrops offer vistas of the primeval canyon and its fast-moving river.
TEXT: East Portal
East Portal is part of Curecanti National Recreation Area, an adjacent unit comanaged with Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. East Portal Road carried equipment and crews that built the Gunnison Tunnel from 1905 to 1909. Outdoor exhibits tell more of the story. Pets are prohibited in the wilderness and allowed (leashed) elsewhere. Hike a primitive trail that follows the Gunnison River as it threads through cliffs and rocks. Picnic beneath a shelter as you gaze at rock spires. Fish for trout (license required). Watch an American dipper repeatedly dive into icy waters. Look for great blue herons, eagles, and otters that might be along the river.
TEXT: South Rim
Hiking from the South Rim to the river requires a permit (limited quantity available). Expect a very steep, difficult hike with no trails, only unmarked routes. Start early and plan for sudden changes in weather. Be alert for poison ivy, ticks, porcupine, mule deer, and bears (keep your distance). Rock squirrels and beavers may be at the canyon bottom. This International Dark Sky Park offers astronomy programs seasonally. Check the website for opportunities to observe the stars, galaxies, and planets. Rangers offer interpretive programs year-round. See schedule at visitor center or website.
IMAGE: Map of South Rim
Description: A small inset map showing detail of the South Rim park area. Trails are color-coded, blue for moderate trails and grey for difficult trails.
Overlooks of Gunnison River include Gunnison Point and Tomichi Point.
South Rim Campground: amphitheater, astronomy programs, campground, wheelchair accessible.
South Rim Road is closed to vehicles in winter from Gunnison Point to High Point.
South Rim Visitor Center: ranger station, restrooms, wheelchair accessible.
Tomichi Point: restrooms, wheelchair accessible.
Trail rating, difficult: Oak Flat Loop Trail (2.0 miles, 3.2 kilometers). Trail rating, moderate: Rim Rock Trail (1.0 mile, 1.6 kilometers), Uplands Trail (2.0 miles, 3.2 kilometers).
End of map description.
IMAGE: Telescope viewing
Description: Silhouetted figures stand next to a large telescope
Credit: NPS/Michael Quinn
IMAGE: Ranger program
Description: A park ranger points towards the canyon. A large group of visitors wearing hats and backpacks stand around him.
Credit: NPS
IMAGE: Cross-country skiing
Description: A group of people cross-country skiing on a flat, snow-covered road
Credit: NPS
IMAGE: Map of Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness
Description: A map shows the park boundary in green and wilderness in dark green.
TEXT: Wilderness
Congress has protected over 17,000 acres of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park as wilderness under the 1964 Wilderness Act. For information about the National Wilderness Preservation System visit website www.wilderness.net.
TEXT: Accommodations
The park has two campgrounds for overnight accommodations. Sites at North Rim Campground (open seasonally) are first come, first served. Most sites at South Rim Campground (open year-round) can be reserved at website www.recreation.gov. East Portal Campground (closed in winter) is part of Curecanti National Recreation Area, website www.nps.gov/cure. Services and lodging are in nearby towns.
TEXT: Park Roads
In winter South Rim Road beyond Gunnison Point is closed to vehicles, usually reopening in mid-April. Roads closed for snow remain open for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. East Portal Road (paved; closed in winter) leads to the Gunnison River and Curecanti National Recreation Area. It has 16-percent grades and hairpin curves. Vehicles over 22 feet (6.7 meters), including trailers, are prohibited.
TEXT: Kayaking and Rafting
The Gunnison River is for experienced kayakers. Rafting in the park is strongly discouraged. For an intermediate run through the lower canyon rafters can put in at Chukar Trail in Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area; for information contact the Bureau of Land Management or visit website blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/colorado/gunnison-gorge-nca.
TEXT: Rock Climbing
Scaling Black Canyon’s near-vertical walls is for experienced climbers only. Consult guidebooks, online sources, and park rangers for information and route finding.
IMAGE: Rock climbers
Description: Two images are bordering the sides of the brochures. There is a climber wearing a blue shirt and white helmet in each image. The rock is a pinkish-brown color.
Credit: © Chris Noble
TEXT: Fishing, Hunting, and Firearms
A Colorado fishing license is required. Colorado Gold Medal Waters principles apply. Hunting is prohibited. For firearms regulations ask a ranger or check the park website.
TEXT: Accessibility
We strive to make facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. For information go to the visitor center, ask a ranger, call, or check the website.
TEXT: Safety
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Emergencies call 911.
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Important: Water is NOT AVAILABLE in the park November through April.
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Many places have no guardrails. Loose rock makes canyon rim edges hazardous. Supervise children closely. Stay on designated trails.
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Never throw anything from the rim into the canyon. Even a small stone can be fatal to someone below.
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The canyon rim is 8,000 feet (2,439 meters) above sea level. Watch for signs of elevation sickness. Drink plenty of water, use sun protection, and pace yourself.
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Bears are present. Store food properly. Never approach or feed wildlife.
TEXT: Regulations
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Federal laws protect all natural and cultural features in the park.
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The inner canyon is designated wilderness. You must have a permit for all wilderness activities including climbing, hiking, and kayaking.
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Leashed pets are allowed at most overlooks. Pets are prohibited on most trails and in the inner canyon and wilderness.
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Build campfires only in campground grates. Never leave a campfire unattended. Firewood is not available at the park; gathering it is prohibited.
IMAGE: Park Map
A general map description follows; for information contact the park.
TEXT: Map Notes
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Dead end road: Between Gunnison Diversion Dam and Crystal Dam.
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East Portal elevation: 6,547 feet (1,996 meters).
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East Portal Road: Closed to vehicles in winter from Entrance Station to East Portal.
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Entrance Station is on route 347.
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High Point: No fires. Elevation 8,289 feet (2,523 meters).
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North Rim roads closed to vehicles in winter.
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Private property is within the park boundary.
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South Rim Road: Closed to vehicles in winter from Gunnison Point to High Point.
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Vehicles longer than 22 feet (6.7 meters) prohibited on East Portal Road).
Amphitheater
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South Rim Campground
Astronomy Programs
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South Rim Campground
Campground
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East Portal
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North Rim Campground
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South Rim Campground
Horseback Riding
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Deadhorse Trail
Overlooks
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Balanced Rock View
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Big Island View
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Cedar Point
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Chasm View
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Cross Fissures View
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Devils Lookout
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Dragon Point
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Gunnison Point
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Island Peaks View
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Kneeling Camel View
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The Narrows View
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Oak Flat Loop Trail
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Painted Wall View
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Pulpit Rock Overlook
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Rock Point
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Warner Point
Points of Interest
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Crystal Dam
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Crystal Reservoir
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Curecanti National Recreation Area
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Gunnison Diversion Dam
Picnic Areas
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East Portal
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High Point (no fires)
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Pulpit Rock Overlook
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Sunset View
Ranger Stations/Visitor Centers
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North Rim Ranger Station
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South Rim Visitor Center
Restrooms
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High Point
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Pulpit Rock Overlook
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South Rim Visitor Center
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Sunset View
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Tomichi Point
River Rafting
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Chukar Trail (outside the park boundary)
Self-Guiding Trails
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Cedar Point
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Chasm View
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Chukar Trail
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Deadhorse Trail
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North Rim Ranger Station
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North Vista Trail
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Rim Rock Trail
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Uplands Trail
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Warner Point Trail
Wheelchair-Accessible
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Chasm View
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High Point
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Pulpit Rock Overlook
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South Rim Campground
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South Rim Visitor Center
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Sunset View
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Tomichi Point
End of map description.
TEXT: More Information
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
102 Elk Creek
Gunnison, CO 81230
Phone: 970-641-2337
Website: www.nps.gov/blca
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is one of over 400 parks in the National Park System. Learn more about national parks and programs at website www.nps.gov.
National Park Foundation. Join the park community.
Website www.nationalparks.org.
