Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness

Fire restrictions

County and local burn bans may also apply on private, state, or county land nearby. On federal land, follow the land manager's order; off it, follow the strictest county or local rule that applies. When both touch your trip, obey both.

Who manages Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness

Getting to Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness

• Montrose, CO is the nearest town, 7.6 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance). (US Census places, accessed 2026-09-30)
• The wilderness.net page for this area places it about 210 miles southwest of Denver.
• Access roads named on the area's wilderness.net page: US Highway 50.

Position, roads and vehicle notes: wilderness.net page for Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness, accessed 2026-09-30. Roads and conditions change; check with the managing office before driving in.

Trailheads at Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness

• Deadhorse Trailhead (0.02 mi outside the boundary, 8,010 ft), at 38.5621, -107.6766 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• Painted Wall View Trailhead (0.03 mi outside the boundary, 7,785 ft), at 38.5806, -107.7164 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• Dragon Point Trailhead (0.05 mi outside the boundary, 7,944 ft), at 38.5739, -107.7233 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• North Vista Trailhead (0.07 mi outside the boundary, 7,697 ft), at 38.5867, -107.7051 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• Chukar Geologic Trailhead (0.16 mi outside the boundary, 6,133 ft), at 38.6110, -107.8316 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• Chukar Trailhead (0.4 mi outside the boundary, 5,972 ft), at 38.6135, -107.8359

Trailhead locations: BLM recreation sites layer , accessed 2026-09-30. Elevations from USGS 3DEP.

Trailheads mapped on OpenStreetMap: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License , accessed 2026-09-30. The extract used here, with distances from the boundary: osm-trailheads-co.json. Where an agency layer lists the same trailhead, the agency's point is shown instead.

Named summits, canyons, and springs in Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness

• Green Mountain summit about 8,565 ft
• Warner Point summit about 8,068 ft
• Big Island summit about 7,915 ft
• Echo Canyon canyon
• Red Rock Canyon canyon

Features whose official location is inside the boundary, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, accessed 2026-09-30. Summit elevations measured on the USGS 3DEP elevation model, which can read a few feet under a surveyed summit height.

Campgrounds in and around Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness

• Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground (right at the boundary): its sites, fees, and reservations on campgroundsdb.com.
• East Portal Campground (0.1 miles outside the boundary): its sites, fees, and reservations on campgroundsdb.com.
• Black Canyon Of The Gunnison North Rim Campground (0.1 miles outside the boundary): its sites, fees, and reservations on campgroundsdb.com.

Public lands next to Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness

• National Park Service unitBlack Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness lies inside Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park.
• BLM unitBlack Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness borders Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area.
• Wilderness areaBlack Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness borders Gunnison Gorge Wilderness.
• National forestGrand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests is 3 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.

Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.

Other wilderness areas in Colorado

• Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness (Mesa County)
• Buffalo Peaks Wilderness (Park County)
• Byers Peak Wilderness (Grand County)
• Cache La Poudre Wilderness (Larimer County)
• Collegiate Peaks Wilderness (Chaffee County)

Colorado wilderness areas