Black Canyon's two rims do not connect by road

People often picture a national park as one loop you can drive around. Black Canyon of the Gunnison does not work that way.

The park has two rims above the deep gorge: the South Rim and the North Rim. Each has its own road that comes in from the highway and dead-ends inside the park. There is no bridge across the canyon and no road connecting the two rims within the park. To get from one rim to the other, you drive out and around on non-park roads — a trip the Park Service says to allow two to three hours for. The South Rim is reached from the Montrose side, and the North Rim from the Crawford side, where the final stretch of road is unpaved. The South Rim is the busier, more developed side with the visitor center; the North Rim is quieter and more remote.

Winter changes both sides. Part of the South Rim Road beyond the visitor center closes for the season, and the North Rim road closes in winter too, so the drives you can make in summer are not the same in the cold months.

Why this matters for a visitor or a new resident: if you plan to see “both sides,” budget for a real driving day, not a quick hop across. Pick your rim before you go.

For current road status, rim access, and seasonal closures, check the National Park Service pages for Black Canyon of the Gunnison.