Dog Friendly Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Although not EVERY trail is dog friendly at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, this was the most dog friendly national park we have visited thus far out west. Not only are there a couple trails to hit up with your dog, but almost every overlook you can take your pups with you.
How Deep is Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park?
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (quite a mouthful to say) isn’t the deepest canyon in the USA, but it is one of the deepest. Depending where you are at, this canyon can go as deep as 2000 ft! That is over 6 football fields downwards! Not only is this a very deep canyon but the cliff sides are extremely steep with sheer drop offs in many locations.
Pet Friendly Trails at Black Canyon of the Gunnison
There are a total of 3 pet friendly trails located within Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We only took one of them so we had enough time to hit up the overlooks, but here are the 3 trails:
- Cedar Point Nature Trail (Located on South Rim)
- Rim Rock Trail (Located on South Rim)
- Chasm View Nature Trail (Located on North Rim)
Although these are the only 3 trails that allow pets to come along with, most of the overlooks also allow dogs to come along with you. Don’t be disappointed though because each of these overlooks offer quite a bit of exercise walking from the parking areas out 200-300 yards towards the overlook. With as many overlooks as this national park has to offer, you will get a decent workout for you and your dog.
For the latest up to date pet policies, check out the NPS website as these rules may change depending on the season.
(BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON NPS WEBSITE)
Overlooks at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Since we had Blaze (our greyhound) with us at the time, we were very happy we could take him along to most of the overlooks with us. In fact, the only overlook on the south rim that you can’t take the pups with you is the Warner Point overlook. This is the longest hike to an overlook located on the south rim.
Besides the Warner Point overlook, the only other overlook we missed out on during our visit was the Devils Lookout. I am assuming the parking lot was completely full for a good reason (besides just the ominous name), but we figured we still got to see most of this cool canyon via the other overlooks and were quite satisfied.
Longer Trails to Hit Up
Although we weren’t able to hit up the longer trails because we had Blaze with us, here are the longest trails located in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park if you are up for the challenge.
Difficulties set by the NPS (we never hiked them to confirm or deny)
NORTH RIM
- North Vista Trail to Green Mountain – 7 miles round trip (Strenuous)
- Deadhorse Trail – 5 miles round trip (Easy to Moderate)
- North Vista Trail to Exclamation Point – 3 miles round trip (Moderate)
- Chasm View Trail – 1/3 mile round trip (Moderate)
SOUTH RIM
- Oak Flat Loop Trail – 2 miles round trip (Strenuous)
- Warner Point Nature Trail – 1.5 miles round trip (Moderate)
- Rim Rock Nature Trail – 1 mile round trip (Moderate)
- Cedar Point Nature Trail – 2/3 mile round trip (Easy)
Helpful Tips
As with most national or state parks, getting there early in the morning to hit up the most touristy spots is always wise. However, we headed to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park after Labor Day and found it not to be all that busy. The only overlook that we had trouble finding parking was the Devils lookout, but I am not sure how common that really is.
Temperature wise, of course it is going to be a bit cooler in the higher elevations compared to before you drive up. So make sure you bring an extra layer or two just in case it is a bit cooler than you anticipated.
Some of the overlooks are literally like a 1 minute drive away from the other, so in my opinion you don’t HAVE to hit up every single overlook to get the slightly different view. Watch our video above if you want a preview of each of the viewpoints on the south rim (minus Devils Lookout and Warner Point). That way you have a general idea of what you really want to check out before you head to the park and make a plan that works for you.
OTHER “NEARBY” ADVENTURES
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Favorite Hike at Rocky Mountain National Park
Alluvial Fan Rocky Mountain National Park
NOTE FROM WRITER
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Adventure On!
