"Several western canyons exceed the Black Canyon in overall size.... some are longer, some are deeper, some are narrower, and a few have walls as steep. But no other canyon in North America combines the depth, narrowness, sheerness, and somber countenance of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison." (Quote by geologist Wallace Hanson in The Black Canyon of the Gunnison: Today and Yesterday, published in 1965.)
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison in western Colorado is a deep and narrow canyon with 2000-foot vertical walls on either side. For climbers, "The Black" is known for its remoteness, tick and poison ivy infested approaches, loose and unpredictable rock, difficult and unprotected pegmatite bands, challenging route finding, and its long and committing routes that top out on the canyon rim. The climbing is split between two major areas: The North Rim, known for its pleasant, long routes with warmer temperatures; and The South Rim, known for its foreboding, long routes with chillier temperatures. Adventure climbing at its best!
My Black Canyon page features pitch-by-pitch trip reports from climbs I've done in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The Black is a special place and I've become fully enraptured by its mysterious splendor. This type of committing adventure climbing is my favorite sort of climbing.
