Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park protects a deep chasm of the Gunnison River in Colorado. The national park is not overly developed - the inner walls of the canyon are too steep to allow regularly maintained trails down into the canyon, but there are hiking trails on the canyon rim. Much of the canyon can be seen from the two scenic drives in the park.
The South Rim Drive is a paved road with 12 viewpoints, some of which are not open year round. The South Rim Drive is much busier than the North Rim Drive, which is a seasonal gravel road with six viewpoints.
In addition to the scenic drives and hiking, the park offers three campgrounds, rock climbing opportunities, and horseback riding on the Deadhorse Trail, which is more promising than it sounds. The Curecanti National Recreation Area, another NPS-managed site, is adjacent to the national park and offers more hiking and camping, along with boating and fishing. The Gunnison River through Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is unnavigable for casual or recreational river running.
