Black Canyon NPS: A trip down Colorado’s deepest canyon.

I first started paddling the Black Canyon in the fall of 1997 when I moved to Durango. I was invited by a few Durango locals and excited to check out a section of river I had heard a lot about. Fast forward to 2024 and it feels like I know the river well. 20+ trips later and I consider this stretch of river my favorite in Colorado.

About 60 million years ago, a small area of land uplifted and brought 1.8 billion year old metamorphic rock to high elevations. This is called the Gunnison Uplift. About 30 million years ago, large volcanoes erupted on either side of this uplift, burying it in volcanic rock. Then, as early as two million years ago, the Gunnison River began flowing in force. The river and time eroded all of the volcanic rock and cut a deep canyon in the metamorphic rock below.

What you see today is a deep, steep, and narrow canyon: the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

The trip starts off with a mellow grade III/IV warm up with spectacular scenery until you get to DayWrecker, an appropriately named rapid.

DayWrecker is a wicked rapid with sieved out sections everywhere. It's a great rapid that deserves respect. Most groups portage on the right and like all Black Canyon portages, this one takes a bit of time.

After DayWrecker, you're treated with miles of excellent grade IV/IV+ whitewater including rapids like Off Ramp/S-Turn, Island Split, and Upper and Lower Intestine.

You make your way through amazing canyons and scenery until you get to Triple Drop, a dubious horizon line with a loud roar. Catch the absolute last eddy on the right literally at the drop's lip and portage on the right. Get ready because youCll be seal launching in and running the Principal's Office. A fantastic long Grade IV+ rapid that leads into semi continuous brilliant grade IV/IV+ whitewater.

 After this rapid, move through brilliant whitewater and epic scenery until you portage on the left above Ball Crusher, a rapid that used to get run rather frequently until changes occurred in a flood event a few years ago. Now folks take the easy left shoreline around it. After Ball Crusher there's more amazing continuous whitewater until you come to the falls, a fantastic 18ft vertical boof that's the last drop before you begin the long and arduous portage to Cave camp.

 After the falls, eddy out on the right above the obvious gnarly rapid and start drying your stuff out. Do not carry extra weight because the 2.5km carry to cave camp is real. Imagine carrying a 45kg kayak loaded with overnight stuff, dressed in your spraydeck/PFD/helmet and protective clothes because you're in a forest of the biggest poison ivy you've ever seen, sweating your balls off climbing up and down 5 massive hills of boulders the size of pickups and rubble. All in the full heat of the day. Oh and refilling your H2O supply is massively difficult so parties elect not to do it.

 After all the portaging, you finally arrive at the last hill and hike down a vertical choss pile to get to Cave Camp. One of the most unique kayak camps anywhere. The fishing is incredible, the scenery off the hook, and makes you realize that the hard work getting there is well worth it.

 Waking up the next day, you realize that you're camping in the middle of the portage and not the end. So you sack up and begin portaging again across a large sieve boulder pile and seal launch into the coolest grotto. Then you paddle a little flat water section through big boulders then portage some more around Next Generation, a phenomenal massive rapid that gets run periodically.

After portaging around Next Generation, you still get amazing whitewater until the flat water above the Chukar Trail. Rapids like Life in the Fast Lane and Sieve City give you plenty to think about as you move through the tallest walls in Colorado.

 

The last portage on the run is at Great Falls. A massive landslide rapid that continually changes as water levels fluctuate. The portage is relatively easy in Black Canyon terms and position you're in as you float across the horizon line is amazing.

After Great Falls you have 2 grade IV rapids then miles of moving water from flat water to Grade III until you get to the Pleasure Park takeout.

The Black Canyon is Colorado's greatest adventure for kayaking and one that deserves a lot of respect. The whitewater is amazing, the scenery breathtaking, and adventure real and difficult. The portages are dangerous involving moving through active landslides of boulders. I can attest to the dangers of portaging. Last season on my last lap, while stepping up onto a boulder, the rocks shifted sending me flying through the air carrying my overnight boat. The result was a head first landing onto rocks fracturing my skull, breaking my jaw, and sending me to the ER. Make sure you go prepared with all expedition equipment and mentality. Do not take the run lightly and take your time on the portages. Know where to go and what rapids to route. Going with someone who knows the run ensures that you know where the portages are making it much easier.

The run is growing in popularity so please keep it original. Pack it all out, use Wag Bags for human waste, use leave no trace ethics, act like it's a first descent and leave no evidence of you in there. Many of the eddies on the run are too small for large groups and Cave Camp cannot hold big parties well. Please be mindful of your expedition style. Don't be that group that screwed it up for everyone else.