Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (pt. 2)
June 16-17
South Rim Campground in Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
Site: 27
Amenities: restrooms, firepits, food lockers, trails leaving from campground
After deciding to head home and packing up our stuff, we made the long drive to the North Rim. There is no bridge connecting the two sides, so in order to visit the opposite rim, you have to drive at least an hour and a half. This was nice for us because we got to be in the car for the hottest part of the day, and I got to take a little nap, eliminating the grump I tend to become in late afternoon.
The North Rim was my favorite part of this whole trip, and if we come back this is where we will stay instead. The road around it (also called Rim Drive) is dirt and gravel - adding an element of adventure to our explorations.
Such a tiny sign for the North Rim entrance!
Originally (before I got sick) we had a 5 mile hike planned on this side. We opted to skip it and simply drove Rim Drive stopping at all of the overlooks instead. This road felt so much closer to the edge of the canyon and I was super giddy about it the whole time!
Looking back at the "entrance" for this side
I think I mentioned in Part One that we got here when lots of wildflowers were blooming - here are some of those!
On our way home we found some pretty cool views. Since we were leaving from the North Rim, we took an entirely different way home (going through Glenwood Springs and 70 instead of on 285 and through Buena Vista). This is one of my favorite parts of adventuring - finding new ways to drive through this beautiful state.
And THEN we found a roadside waterfall! We have quickly become obsessed with stopping on the side of the road to explore waterfalls we find. This is Hays Creek Falls - roaring and a little wild, but insanely beautiful.