Black Canyon of the Gunnison Climbing

Category: Colorado (Black Canyon)Elev: 6,000-7,000 ftRock Type: Gneiss
Dates: 2018(x2 days), 2019(x6 days), 2020(x6 days), 2021(x2 days), 2022(x5 days), 2024(x3 days)Partners: Tony Bubb, Doug Hutchinson, Natalie Huey, Tom Wright, Nate Arganbright, Michael Cantrell, Michael Underwood, Linn Kelley
Trip Report #s: 291, 292ab, 350, 368, 373, 374, 376, 377, 403, 404, 405, 407, 408, 409, 462, 463, 536, 537, 538, 539, 540, 693abc, 694, 695

Trip Reports for Climbs I've Done in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison

"Several western canyons exceed the Black Canyon in overall size.... some are longer, some are deeper, some are narrower, and a few have walls as steep. But no other canyon in North America combines the depth, narrowness, sheerness, and somber countenance of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison." (Quote by geologist Wallace Hanson in The Black Canyon of the Gunnison: Today and Yesterday, published in 1965.)

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison in western Colorado is a deep and narrow canyon with 2000-foot vertical walls on either side. For climbers, "The Black" is known for its remoteness, tick and poison ivy infested approaches, loose and unpredictable rock, difficult and unprotected pegmatite bands, challenging route finding, and its long and committing routes that top out on the canyon rim. The climbing is split between two major areas: The North Rim, known for its pleasant, long routes with warmer temperatures; and The South Rim, known for its foreboding, long routes with chillier temperatures. Adventure climbing at its best!

My Black Canyon page features some "short reports" from some climbs I've done in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I moved to Boulder in Summer 2019, so I hope to add several climbs to this page over the coming years. The Black is a special place and I've become fully enraptured by its mysterious splendor. This type of committing adventure climbing is my favorite sort of climbing. The reports on this page generally do not give as much written detail as most of the trip reports on my website, but they do provide some great photos and a bit of route beta and usually a nice route overlay. 

Map of climbs I've done (and want to do) in the Black Canyon.
(Click image to open larger file)

Trip Reports by Formation / Route Overlays

Below are links to the pages which contain all of my trip reports for the respective formation/area, as well as overlays I've made for each route. The North Rim areas are organized West to East.

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Russian Arete
Russian Arete
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The Odyssey
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Lauren's Arete
Lauren's Arete
Casually Off Route
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Escape Artist
Comic Relief
Cloaked Interpretation
Modern Day Migs
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Moveable-Stoned-Voyage
Moveable-Stoned-Voyage
Scenic Cruise & The Cruise
Scenic Cruise & The Cruise
Scenic Cruise & The Cruise
Journey Home
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Leisure-Summer
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Newberry Slabs
Newberry Slabs + Maiden Voyage + King Me
Maiden Voyage + King Me
Maiden Voyage + King Me
King Me
Checkerboard Wall
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Buzz Cut
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Last Payment
Black Jack

List of Climbs and Days I've climbed in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison

This table just summarizes information already provided on this page.

Black Canyon Gunnison

previous and next adventures

(Comic Relief & Maiden Voyage, July 2018)
(Leisure-Summer, July 2019)
(Scenic Cruise, Sept 2019)
(Russian Arête and Checkerboard Wall, Oct 2019)
(Journey Home and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Oct 2019)
(The Odyssey, Cloaked Interpretation, Buzz Cut, May 2020)
(Blackjack, Last Payment, Escape Artist, May 2020)
(Scenic Cruise, Casually Off Route, May 2021)
(Comic Relief, The Cruise, Russian Arête, Midsummer Night's Dream, Lauren's Arête, May 2022)
(Newberry's Delight, Maiden Voyage, King Me, Modern Day Migs, Moveable-Stoned-Voyage, May 2024)