Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Tried thinking of a cool name for this post, but I couldn’t come up with anything better than the the actual name of the park. Definitely wins the best park name in my book.

And wow! What a place! I took the south rim drive, and must have stopped at every lookout along the way. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of this place before planning the trip! The photos really don’t give you a good idea of just how deep this thing is. A sign at one of the overlooks give a hint at least, showing how two Empire State Buildings could be stacked on top of each other, and still not reach the top. Also, there’s lots of warnings about not dropping anything off the edge, as even a penny could be fatal if it hit one of the hikers below!

Lots of really neat rocks in the area as well, it’s definitely a great place for looking down! Might still have geology on the brain from that talk in Canyonlands.

I pretty much had the whole place to myself when I went as well, one of the benefits of the lesser known parks I suppose. Plus, it meant I was lucky enough to be visited by a passing Mule Deer. As long as I didn’t look directly at it, they seemed fine getting pretty close.

The ears though!

All in all, I really enjoyed my time here, even if it was only a half day at most. Most of the best views are pretty close to the road, and one of the best is right near the entrance, so if you’re ever in the area, I HIGHLY recommend stopping in, even if only for a quick peek. Seriously, must be seen to be believed.

Lovely flowers all along the rim as well

Made my way north to Glenwood springs from here, and that turned out to be an absolutely amazing stay. The drive up was gorgeous, and I made it in time to have a nice long soak at one of the famous hot springs. Iron Mountain is the newer establishment, and I really like their layout. Lots of small little pools, of varying temperatures, and, perhaps most shocking of all, good prices on drinks and snacks. Sipping a mojito in a hot spring pool you’ve got all to yourself, watching the river go by… Top tier experience. Left after three hours, don’t know that I’ve ever felt that relaxed.

For some reason, I forgot to get a picture of the pools, but this was the view

Shuffling back to my room at about 5 centimeters per second.

I’ve been keeping a list of places that I’ll need to come back to at some point, and Glenwood Springs has definitely earned its spot near the top. The town itself is incredibly charming as well, and I only saw a tiny (but lovely) corner of it.