This morning drove over to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. From Montrose you gain elevation through open ranges, irrigated farmlands, ranches and eventually into the mountains. At the visitor center you get your first look at the absolutely amazing Black Canyon with its narrow openings, shear walls and startling depths that were formed by the Gunnison River. The canyon is 1750 to 2700 feet deep and so narrow that a lot of the canyon is dark from not getting sun (giving it the name Black Canyon). The Gunnison River which formed the canyon is very fast moving dropping an average of 95 feet per mile through the park. This gives the river the energy to cut downward faster than other kinds of erosion van widen it.
