Trying to figure out the viability of hammocking in the black canyon. The developed sites look friendly, but has anyone camped at the bottom by the river?
Trying to figure out the viability of hammocking in the black canyon. The developed sites look friendly, but has anyone camped at the bottom by the river?
The mountains are calling
and I must go...
-John Muir
Lots of options, North/South rims, and East portals.Originally Posted by darkbyrd
I suggest Google Earth Pro and do a virtual tour.
Capture - Black Canyon of the Gunnison.JPG
Watch your step...
Any state run campgrounds can have rules against anything tied to trees. So that will include hammocks.
National Forest campgrounds are much better but Colorado leases out management to all the campgrounds so every place is depentant on the attendent you have there. Make friends off a beer or coffee before asking about hanging. 90% will say OK.
I also like to offer my assistence should they need help. Since the rec pot passed our campground are filled with every states pot heads so the sheriff gets called a lot. These camp attentances like to know he/she has allies.
While I haven't camped down by the river, darkbyrd, I've been down there. We hiked down SOB Draw from the north rim, then a mile or so along the north bank. There are definitely trees in the bottom of the gorge, but not a lot. There are a handful of established campsites.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a National Park, not a state park, so you might want to check out https://www.nps.gov/blca/planyourvis...nnercanyon.htm to get a good overview of what you're dealing with. Anytime we've hiked the north rim in the fall, the N. Rim ranger station was unmanned and "applying for a permit" just meant signing the register on the front porch of the ranger station.
As you'll see on that site, there are other access points to hike down to the bottom. I have no direct experience with any of them. I can agree, though, that SOB Draw is a very strenuous hike, so some of the other options might be preferable and/or may have more or better camping options. Poison ivy is abundant in many areas of the park.
The beauty of the SOB Draw descent route is that it will place you directly below the Painted Wall once you reach the bottom. If the river is high - something we didn't have to worry about much in the fall - the Gunnison can be a dangerous and deadly river. Use common sense and you should be fine.
Remember: Hiking to the bottom is optional; hiking back up to the top is mandatory.
TJ
It has been a while since I've been on this forum, but want to report I took the Gunnison route and hung by the river, June 2019
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The mountains are calling
and I must go...
-John Muir
That is a great site. Always nice to be by the river.
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