History and culture - Mountains
Black Canyon went from monument to national park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison was first protected as a national monument in 1933 and became a national park in 1999. The park named for the Gunnison River sits in neighboring Montrose County.
Published June 10, 2026 - Last verified June 15, 2026
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison did not start out as a national park. Its protection grew in two big steps over most of a century.
The canyon is a narrow, very deep gorge cut by the Gunnison River through hard, dark rock, which is how it got the “black” in its name; parts of it stay in shadow much of the day. In 1933 the federal government set aside the most dramatic stretch as a national monument. In 1999, Congress added land and redesignated the area as Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Through both chapters, this stretch of the canyon has been cared for by the National Park Service.
One detail that surprises people on the Gunnison side: despite the name, the national park itself sits in neighboring Montrose County, just west of Gunnison County. The “Gunnison” in the title is the river, which flows down out of Gunnison County on its way to the canyon.
Why the history matters: the change in status is more than a name. It reflects decades of work to protect the canyon, and it shapes today’s rules on access, roads, and the wilderness inside. Conditions on the steep rims and the inner canyon are serious, not casual scenery.
For the canyon’s history and current visitor rules, the National Park Service pages for Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park are the source to check.