August 16, 2019 - Morrow Point Boat tour and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO

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To say we packed a lot of activities into today would be an accurate statement!
We scheduled a boat tour into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. From the Pine Creek Trail parking area, we walked down 232 stairs, then followed the 3/4-mile scenic walk along the old narrow-gauge rail bed before reaching the boat dock.

The trail along the water was an easy walk and we stopped often just to marvel at the scenery. Kathryn and Carolyn were ready to go!

The park ranger told several informative stories about the geology, wildlife, early inhabitants, the narrow-gauge railroad, and reservoirs during the 1-1/2 hour tour.

This is a view of Curecanti Needle which rises 700 feet from the surface of the Morrow Point Reservoir.

When Jackson Palmer built the narrow gauge railroad through the canyon, he chose the Curecanti Needle as the symbol for the scenic railroad.

If you want to learn more about the history of the rail line, you can check out the National Park service website below: https://www.nps.gov/cure/learn/historyculture/railroad.htm
We passed Chipeta Falls and many interesting rock formations along our journey.

We were also lucky enough to spot a Golden Eagle in the tree along the shore. Ranger Morrison told us they have spotted a juvenile eagle also, so they assume they have a nesting pair in the area.

On our return trip to the dock, it started to rain, so we got a little wet. There was quite a bit of thunder as we made our journey back to the parking lot (and traversing the 232 steps again!). Luckily, no more rain. I did notice this rock formation on the way back up. It reminded me of an old man laughing at us as we climbed!

We continued east on Highway 50 through part of the Curecanti National Recreation area. We drove along the Blue Mesa Reservoir for several miles before turning back toward The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

In the park we stopped at Tomichi Point view point before heading to the South Rim Visitor’s center. It has elevation of 8,248 feet and the views into the canyon are amazing!

After watching the film (and shopping) at the visitor’s center, we headed out to the Gunnison Point Overlook. 

The main view is northwards, across the canyon, which is much narrower and more dramatic than at Tomichi Point. There is a narrow ravine on the south side where we could see the Gunnison River.

We also stopped at the Pulpit Rock overlook. Even more of the river was in view after our short, 134 yard walk to the viewing area. The canyon is bordered to the south by smooth slopes covered by a mix of scree and vegetation, in contrast to the opposite side of the valley which is much rockier and more rugged.

At the Cross Fissures viewpoint, you can see the overlapping ridges and crevasses at different angles, all plunging steeply downwards.

Because it was getting late, we made one last stop at The Painted Wall viewpoint before heading back to Montrose.

Here the panorama is quite different. Painted Wall is the highest cliff in Colorado, bordering the far side of the river. It is a 2,250 foot wall of rock about half a mile across. This marks the end of the most enclosed part of Black Canyon since downstream the sides, although becoming even higher, are noticeably less steep, and more overgrown.

It was absolutely amazing to see and this ended our tour today.

 
Tired and hungry, we headed back to Montrose and stopped at Jimmers Steak and BBQ. I tried their pulled pork po'boy sandwich. It was basically a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on top. It tasted better than it sounds, although it was nothing like the po'boys we had in Louisiana!

We haven’t fully decided our agenda for tomorrow, but it will involve driving and sightseeing!