Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP - an awesome gorge

Awesome it is.  It was named 'black' because its walls are so high and so sheer and the canyon so deep and narrow in parts that very little sunlight can penetrate.

We stayed at the camp site and it was cold.  Only 8,300ft (2536m).  But the day was clear and bright and we had a lovely time looking at these imposing chasms.  You can see most of the lookouts by driving around the rim and having short (300m) walk to the overlooks.

We did do a longer walk of about 3km to Warner's Point one of the highest points at the south rim of the canyon.  Like the Grand Canyon, the Black Canyon also has a south and north rim and it is about 80 miles of driving from one to the other.  We did drive, but it was on our way north, and while the views were amazing I nearly had heart failure from the sheer dropoffs.  Andrew is an excellent driver but my fear of heights is a big disadvantage for me - lessens the enjoyment a great deal.  And we are doing a lot of this sort of driving around the Rocky Mountains.